We love apples all year round. They are always present in the fruit bowl or protected in the store-room ready for ripening and eating. This year, our own trees didn't produce well at all and we had very little viable fruit that grew to harvest. Fortunately our neighbours in the village who are very generous have dropped off a couple of crates of small apples for us to enjoy.
The apples are sweet and very edible despite their diminutive appearance. We have made apple compote with some of them, eaten many and decided to try dehydrating a few to use as a snack for when we go out walking.
The apples were washed, cored and sliced into 1/4 inch slices, dipped in lemon and water (to prevent oxidisation), popped into the dehydrator for 10 hours then vacuum packed. We don't peel ours as we like the texture of the skin. This time I used powdered cinnamon on one tray of apple as an experiment. So far so good, a few bags of dehydrated apple slices we can enjoy later in the year. Early quality control measures indicate: sweet and fruity, a great texture with a bit of a bite and a touch of acidity - perfect.
Nice! I pack mine into large glass jars and recently discovered a stray jar that was several years old. Still good after all this time! In my case, they make great snacks for the kids.
ReplyDeleteGlass jars wouldn't work around here Andrea de to the high humidity - we did try but ended up wasting loads - hence the vacuum sealer. They are delicious arn't they?
DeleteHow heavy on the electricity is the dehydrator?
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This is our model and an overview of consumption - the more we use it the better we are at judging times and preparation. http://www.ukjuicers.com/knowledge/need-help-choosing/choosing-your-dehydrator
DeleteI've found that the peel when left on gets overly chewy.
ReplyDeleteYou can dry them further than "leathery" and they make delightful crisps
Thanks gz - the peel is tender on this apple even when dried.
DeleteNot sure if comment I just typed went anywhere. Just to say that we are thinking about getting a dehydrator at some point so interesting to read this post.
ReplyDeleteThanks Veronica - we are not using ours as much as we should be it takes a bit of getting used to thinking about what can be preserved this way.
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