Apple Schnitz

Apple Schnitz

Apples take on a different flavor and texture when they are preserved by drying. Dehydration removes much of the moisture and also concentrates the flavor.

They can be kept edible for up to a year by putting them in an airtight container in a refrigerator, and they may be kept even longer if frozen. Our settler ancestors kept dried apples in a brown paper bag, hung in the attic next to the Mint Teas and other garden herbs.

Dried Apples can be used as healthful snacks, Trail Food in a back pack, or in many cooking recipes calling for fresh apples. They may be soaked in water to rehydrate and simulate fresh fruit. When cooked or baked, they may be mistaken for fresh apples.

Select your favorite ripe Apples for drying. Scrub them thoroughly. You may remove the peel or not, as you desire. But as with many fruits and vegetables, the skin contains beneficial nutrients, and surely contributed to the saying;
"An Apple a day, keeps the Doctor away".

Don't discard those apples that are becoming soft. When the skin begins to wrinkle, it is an indication that they are beginning to dehydrate naturally. Some of the drying has already been done for you. Our ancestors would string softening apples on a line in the sun for about a week. That exposed maximum surface area to the drying sun. But that was before industrial air pollution.

Preparation:
You can prepare them in one of three or more ways.

Method 1 - Quarter the Apples as shown in the left photo above.
Next remove the core with seeds and the concave ends
by cutting away the thin sliver shown next to the knife.
Then cut 1/4-inch thick wedge-shaped slices from end to end.

Method 2 - Remove a thin slice of peel from both ends.
Then cut the apples in half as on the right.
Next remove a "V"-shaped portion with the core.
Last, cut 1/4-inch thick slices as shown.
The benefit of this method is that the slice is less tapered
and tends to dry more uniformly.

Method 3 - Remove the Core with a Fruit Corer. This will make a hole through the Apple. Then slice the Apple starting at the bottom. If this small first slice contains unsightly remnants of the end, then discard it. Slice the remaining Apple into 1/4" round slices which will all have a hole in the middle.

If you want to avoid the natural brown discoloration of dried Apples, dip them in Lemon Juice after slicing. You may also want to sprinkle Cinnamon on the fresh slices to spice up the flavor. You may prefer drying a variety that is not your favorite eating apple, since its character changes in the process of drying.

If you have an old apple Tree in the back yard,
it may produce the very best Apple Schnitz you ever tasted.