Drying Apples

Just starting to dry

I’ve been dehydrating apples the last couple of days. Apples are very easy to dry and the final product makes a great snack. Some of you may remember that I picked over 600 apples at a local orchard back in November. What can I say?  They had an end of the season deal- all you could pick for $25. I certainly got my money’s worth. I have made applesauce, apple pie filling, apple desserts, salads and main dishes. I have sent visitors home with bags of them. I have also eaten lots of them fresh. Still, there are plenty in the fridge and I don’t want to waste any of them.

Apple peels tend to be tougher when dried so I peel apples that I am going to dehydrate. I then core and slice the apples and place them in a solution to prevent/reduce discoloration.  I use a mixture of water and ascorbic acid (vitamin C). You could also dip them in water mixed with lemon juice or citric acid. Once they have all been prepped I pull the slices out of the water and drain before placing on the dehydrator trays.  The time it takes to dehydrate them will vary depending on your dehydrator, temp you use to dehydrate, type of apple and thickness of the slices. I have had them dry is as little as a couple of hours when done at 150 degrees. It also depends on whether you want the final product to be soft and pliable or crispy.

A few hours later- all done!