Dehydrating Apples

By Marjorie J McDonald

Dehydrating fruit is simple and fun. Cut the fruit into small, equal-sized pieces; spread in a single layer on the dehydrator trays, and crank up the dehydrator. It takes from 6 to 36 hours to dry fruit, dependent on the juiciness of the fruit, but the wait is worth it when you taste the final product.

Dehydrating fruit concentrates the natural sugars so your apples will taste so sweet in your lunch. Find mature, firm fruits for the highest sugar and nutriant content, but avoid bruised or overripe fruit.

When dehydrating fruits like your apples with the skins on completely wash and rinse the fruit to take off any wax and pest sprays. Always completely wash apples to take off pest sprays and waxes that might be present even if you choose to remove the skin.

Since the skins contain nutrient elements I leave them on. You can core and cut up apples into rings or cut them into whatever size pieces you like. I quarter the apples first and take out the core and stem with a sharp knife. I then cut the quarters into 18 slices. Dehydrate until they are moldable 7 to 15 hours.

Since the inside ofof apples turns a little brown when put in contact with air some people put their cut apples into a bath of water and sodium bisulfate or ascorbic acid for a couple of minutes before dehydrating. Fixing apples with either of these anti oxidants is safe and will prevent the fruit from becoming brown. I am really not concerned by the little bit darker color of my apples so I skip over the dip.

Dehydrating fruit will fill your home with pleasant, fruity smells. If you're like me, you'll get hungry and start snitching before the fruit is dry. Do not worry, because dehydrated fruit is so healthy for you an extra early taste to help reward yourself for all your effort is a nice thing.

About the Author:

Marjorie J McDonald experienced growing up in a gardening family. Each and every year a large garden was planted and all extra food was sold, frozen, canned or dehydrated so the extra foods lasted all thru the year. Creating food dehydrator recipes was especially fun for her family to do. Her grandfathers apple orchard was a special treat for the family. Dehydrating apples was easy and a special item to buy for those who stopped by the fruit stand.

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