How to Dehydrate Apples and Properly Store Them

Apples last a long time if you get them fresh picked but they will last for years when they are dehydrated. Proper tools include a sharp stainless steel knife, an apple peeler, and a spray bottle for coating the apples with lemon juice which preserves the color and freshness. Some use citrus acid or honey and water but I have learned that plain lemon juice works best.

An apple peeler costs about $30 at places like Walmart and if you use a lot of apples it's a good investment. It not only peels the apple but also cores and slices it with just a few turns of the handle. It's much faster and a lot easier. However, if a knife is all you have, it will still do the job.

To begin, fill the spray bottle with pure lemon juice then peel, core, and slice an apple. If you use an apple peeler, take the peeled apple off the peeler and cut it in half. This will give you perfect sections for baking. If you are working with a knife, cut the apple in round slices then cut them into sections such as what you would use for a pie.

Once the apple is sliced, spray the slices with lemon juice and lay them out on your dehydrator tray. Be sure to lay them side by side and not on top of each other so they will dehydrate quicker and more evenly. Continue processing the apples until all your trays are filled or until you have used all of your apples.

If you have a grain mill you can save the peelings and dehydrate those as well. Once they have dehydrated, grind them to a powder and use them for other baking needs or teas.

Dehydrating time depends largely on the type of dehydrator you have but basically it's 8 to 10 hours. After about 8 hours, pull a tray out and check for crispness. It they are the least bit spongy let them go another hour or two. The apples will go bad if they haven't completely dehydrated.

Once the apples have all been dehydrated they can be stored in plastic ziplocks or containers for weeks or even months but they will last much longer in canning jars, especially with an oxygen pack. Simply fill a jar (Quart-size is best) with dehydrated apple slices, insert a 100cc oxygen pack and put the lid on. The oxygen pack will seal it air tight even after you have opened it many times.

If the dehydrated apples will be used within a few weeks, the oxygen pack isn't all that necessary. But they really do keep the apples fresh and extend the shelf life for months. They usually come in packs of a hundred for less than $15.

For long term storage, fill vacuum bags with the dehydrated apples and seal with a food saver. Slip an oxygen absorber into the bag then vacuum all of the air out and seal it. Again, the oxygen absorber isn't really necessary but it greatly extends the shelf life and for less than $15 for a hundred of them, I think it's worth it.

Cooking with dehydrated apples is so easy. You don't have to peel or cut anything. Simply rehydrate the apples by covering them with boiling water and they plump up just like they were before.

If you are baking a pie, the apples are already cut to size. For cake and muffins, break up the dehydrated apple slices with your fingers before rehydrating. They crumble up like chips. Then fold them into your batter. Remember to add about 1/4 cup more water to the batter as the dehydrated apples will absorb it as they rehydrate.

Dehydrating is a smart and economical way to store apples. If stored in a vacuum bag with an oxygen absorber they will last for years. Food savers come in a variety of sizes and prices but you can get a decent one at Walmart for about $50 to $100.