How to Dry Apples

How to dry apples ? Today with low-energy food dehydrators available at reasonable cost; fruit, herbs and spices are easy to dry thus retaining vitamins. This year there is an abundant crop of apples (and figs) so its time to dry them. Drying apples is a fun  process, with the dehydrator doing all the work. The taste and texture of your own home-grown dried apples surpasses any from the store.  Here is an outline of what you need to do :

How to Dry Apples -  Readiness:

• Choose the best quality fruit to dehydrate
• Fruit should be clean, no breaks, bruises, bugs or disease. Definitely no over-ripe, rotten or soft apples
• Pick fruit when it is ripe for best nutritional value
• Process as soon as possible after picking. The faster fruit is processed, less vitamins are lost
• To save time, leave the skin on when drying apples.
• Coring and peeling of apples is optional

Preparation of Apples:

1. Wash whole fruit and set aside to drip dry
2. Make up a fresh lemon juice solution to soak sliced fruit. This will prevent apple slices from browning
3. Ensure your dehydrator works, and trays are clean
4. Decide if you are going to add spices such as cinnamon and sugar to your apple slices before drying, and make the mixture with equal parts of cinnamon and sugar

Apple Processing:

1. Slice the apple crosswise just under ¼" thick. Cut all slices as uniform as possible to aid drying
2. Place apple slices in lemon juice for 2 minutes, turning several times
3. Slice another apple while the previous apple is in lemon juice
4. At the end of 2 minutes spread the first apple in the lemon juice on the drying tray and place another sliced apple in the lemon juice
5. Repeat this procedure until trays are full
6. Follow directions for your dehydrator to dry, including rotating trays. The apples should be dry in 6 - 8 hours but differs depending on the thickness of the fruit.
7. Test fruit for drying by tearing fruit in half and check for moisture beads along the tear  (refer to your dehydrator manual)
8. Cool before storing and do not overfill containers
9. Length of time to store dried apples depends on how long the fruit was dried. Longer drying time equals longer storage time. Store in an airtight preserving jars or Ziploc bags

Notes:

• My regular sized circular dehydrator dried 3 sliced apples (medium size) per tray
• Instead of citric acid I use lemon juice which adds a tangy taste to the dry apples
• It is preferable to over dry apples than under dry them
• The flavour of the dry apple slice depends on the fruit used, e.g. we have a red apple which dries with a sweet, light taste compared to a green, cooking variety which is great as canned apple sauce 
• Some fruits such as prunes, figs, grapes, blueberries and cranberries  have a natural protective coating. If you wish your fruit to dry quicker, simple dip them in hot water for 1 - 2 minutes before slicing
• Herbs and spices, including sage, rosemary, thyme, chives, mint, lemon balm, lavender are easy and faster to dry

“Surely the apple is the noblest of fruits.” — Henry David Thoreau, Wild Apples

While the apples are drying there is a lovely fragrance throughout the house. The finished dry apple "chips" are a healthy pesticide-free way to preserve your apples and are an excellent snack especially if seasoned with cinnamon, nutmeg, etc. but are great plain and simple.

Links & References:

• Dehydrator Manual - American Harvest
• The History of Drying Food

“Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces,

I would still plant my apple tree.” — Martin Luther