Preserving Apples

We have a 3 large apple trees, and with the economy the way it is, I figure it wouldn't be a bad idea to can, or preserve some of these apples that otherwise go to waste.

Any recomended methods for preservation? Any recipes? All are greatly appreciated!

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-Till shade is gone, till water is gone, into the Shadow with teeth bared, screaming defiance with the last breath, to spit in Sightblinder's eye on the Last Day.

-Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and proclaiming, "Wow, what a ride!!!"

Maybe freeze them. IDK. Confused

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I don't think fruit keeps very well by just freezing it as is. It's probably best to make jam or apple sauce. Some jam recipes can be frozen.

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"The monkeys are throwing stuff at me again."
-Survivorman in Costa Rica

Just core and slice them, cook them in a pot of water, put them in plastic bowls, and freeze 'em. That's what we do. Cool

Add cinnamon for flavoring.

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Using dial-up is like riding a tricycle at Indy.

If you have a dehydrator, you can cut them into slices about 1/4 inch and dehydrate them. add a little cinnamon for flavor and nutritional bonuses

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We only have one Earth, take care of her and she will take care of you. ~ probably someone else

Yeah, that would work, too. If you had one...

I wish we had a dehydrator. Sad

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Using dial-up is like riding a tricycle at Indy.

I think you can slice them up, put them on a rack, put them in the oven on very low heat, have the door open a little and leave them in there for a good while Very Happy

eric

You can make a solar oven http://www.hometrainingtools.com/articles/build-a-solar-oven-project.html This may be a kids science project thing, but it means that the materials will be cheap and easy to find

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We only have one Earth, take care of her and she will take care of you. ~ probably someone else

What should I do with them after cooking with the solar oven?

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-Till shade is gone, till water is gone, into the Shadow with teeth bared, screaming defiance with the last breath, to spit in Sightblinder's eye on the Last Day.

-Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and proclaiming, "Wow, what a ride!!!"

	Survivor Kid 909 wrote:
	What should I do with them after cooking with the solar oven?

EAT THEM...EAT THEM ALL Twisted Evil

or you can use the solar oven to try and dry them out or make apple sauce. Mmmmm homemade apple sauce :drool:

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We only have one Earth, take care of her and she will take care of you. ~ probably someone else

Well, if you're like Brian and you want to eat them in the very near future( Wink

), just put them in a container like Tupperware, close the lid, and let it sit out at room temp. If you want to save them for later, put them in the same type container and just freeze them. Smile

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Using dial-up is like riding a tricycle at Indy.

You can keep them in a cool place also apples stay ood for quite awhile. You can make jelly or fresh applesauce also. Or dehydrate them in your oven if you don't have a dehydrator. And just put them in air tight containers or use a foodsaver machine and vaccum pack them.

Make apple chips! It's a little labor intensive but they are delicious. I slice mine very thin and lie them out on parchment on a cookie sheet then in the oven on as low as possible with the door cracked to let moisture out. In a few hours, they are hard and crisp, but I find they reabsorb water extremely quickly (you can tell the next day that they aren't as fresh even when keeping in a sealed plastic bag) and get soft. They taste best when crisp though and you might end up eating 5 or 6 apples worth before you stop yourself. I like granny smith the best of all, but have salvaged red delicious with a little citric acid solution brushed on before baking to make them tangy. Or you can make them thicker and use a food dehydrator for the "chewy" apple chips.

Or chop them up and put them in a blender, then slowly add water until it blends properly. The resulting applesauce is unsweetened and *will* turn brown on you, but for me at least, it's part of my childhood. We always made it with macintosh apples for the holidays and I loved the top brown part the best since it has a different flavor IIRC (could have been my imagination). It freezes very well I believe.