March 11th is Johnny Appleseed Day. So, if you like apples, you owe a debt of gratitude to Johnny Appleseed (whose real name was John Chapman) for helping spread apples throughout America.
In earlier times, those that wished to preserve apples for even a slightly, extended amount of time, had to store apples in a cool, dark, dry place for several weeks. Root cellars were dug under houses just for this purpose.
Eventually, people discovered other methods of preservation, such as canning and dehydrating. Unfortunately, these methods use heat which can destroy more than half the food’s nutritional value.
Now, with a Harvest Right freeze dryer, preserving apples is simple. And freeze-dried apples pack all the nutritional punch of fresh apples and can be stored for up to 25 years.
Here are just a few of our favorite ways to use freeze-dried apples:
- Eat them as a crunchy, healthy snack
- Add freeze-dried fruit to smoothies, oatmeal, cereal, and yogurt
- Use them when baking pies, cobblers, and muffins
- Powdered to add extra flavoring to some of your favorite recipes
Celebrate today by incorporating freeze-dried apples into your menu. What are your favorite ways to use freeze-dried apples? Tell us in the comments below.
On salads
We have had our freeze dryer for 9 months now and we have our own apple tree. about 200 lbs of apples went through the FD last year. apple crisp, naked apples, apples with cinnamon and sugar. pie apples. my favorite was making apple sauce.
Applesauce Bon Bons!
Freeze applesauce in ice cube trays that make small round cubes. Pop out the applesauce cubes on HR FD trays and process them. The product is an outstanding addition to a lunch pail!
I am a newbie with my Harvest Right. Saying that, we love our machine. My apples are turning out chewy. I am slicing them thin enough that they are not higher than the tray. What am I doing wrong? I’m curious if I need to add more drying time. Pls help.
When in doubt it never hurts to add a little extra dry time. If there are just a few apples that have a little moisture in them then it will transfer to all of the apples when you package them. Another good tip is to make sure and check the thickest apples slices. They will turn out great!
If they are crisp when you take them out of the freeze dryer, but then later become chewy, you might need a more airtight way of storing them. This happened to me and the culprit was the bags. They weren’t as airtight as I had initially thought. Also, you need an oxygen absorber in the bag if you’re not currently using one.
Is there a freeze drying book published that you know about? Wed can only find electronic ones.
Here is link to one: https://harvestright.com/product/discover-home-freeze-drying-recipe-book/
Hot tip: toss apple slices in cinnamon syrup and/or cinnamon extract for an extra delicious version. Ground cinnamon tends to end up dry and flavorless, but the extract was perfect!