Happy National Apple Month!
APPLE DRYING AT HOME
IT’S EASIER THAN YOU THINK!
By Gloria Pitzer, as seen in her self-published book, My Cup Runneth Over and I Can’t Find My Mop (Secret RecipesTM, St. Clair, MI; Dec. 1989, p. 35).
INSTRUCTIONS:
You can purchase dried apple slices in the supermarket, and in the health-food stores, but it is a shame that more cooks don’t try to dry their own, which can be so easily done with the air of your oven.
I was skeptical, until I experimented and found, just like Grandma used to do, you merely peel, core and slice the apples into 1/8-inch thick wedges. Drop the slices into a bowl containing 1-quart water and ½-cup lemon juice, adding only enough apple slices so that they remain submerged in the water mixture. Allow these to soak for five minutes.
Remove slices from water mixture with a slotted spoon or a strainer, so that the water mixture can be used again and again, sufficient to take care of at least 3 pounds of apples. Spread the apple slices out on wire racks, the kind used for cooling cakes, etc.
Place these racks, crisscross fashion, over the center rack in your oven. Leave the oven door ajar 1 inch and turn oven heat to 150°F, leaving the apples there for 8 to 10 hours. The testing must be with the bite. Bite into a slicer to see if most of the Jews has been evaporated and, if not, let them continue in the oven another 30 minutes or so before testing again.
You can begin early in the morning to accomplish this drying process, or you can put them into the oven late at night, before you go to bed, testing them then when you awake in the morning.
You do not want the apples as dry as a potato chip, entirely without moisture, yet dry like a prune in texture – soft inside. When all of the slices are dry, store and a mayonnaise jar or plastic (NOT metal) container with tight fitting lid. Keep it room temperature for months and months and months.
Reconstitute the slices to natural texture by soaking slices and apple juice or cider 3 to 4 hours or until plump – or by placing slices into boiling water for 10 to 15 minutes or until plumped. Then you can use the apples exactly as you would fresh apple slices.
LAST THOUGHTS…
For questions or comments, you can email me at therecipedetective@outlook.com. I’m also on Facebook: @TheRecipeDetective.
[NOTE: As always, I’m asking only for proper credit if you care to re-share this.]
