Apple Raisin Pie

Apple Raisin Pie

What do you do with all those apples you just dehydrated?  Outside of eating them as a snack, there must be something you can do.  Here is a recipe I found using dehydrated apples to make a pie.

Dehydrating Applesauce - Easier Than You Would Think

Applesauce!  Who’d a thunk it? 

Can you believe this chewy wafer is actually ¼ cup of applesauce?

Apple Peeler / Slicer

Here is my handy-dandy apple peeler/corer.  You can also use it on potatoes and any other round, evenly shaped veggie.

Hand Crank Tomato Puree Machine

Sometimes I look at kitchen equipment with a jaundiced eye. Too many times I have bought something that I thought would be useful, and it turned out to be a frivolous piece of junk.  This tomato puree machine is the exception.  Don’t really know what it’s called. Bought mine in a thrift store (of course) for just a few bucks. It was manufactured in Italy and it’s purpose is to puree tomatoes.  I did find modern machines on line in various outlets.

Apple Sauce The Easy Way

 I had been given a box of crab apples. They were kind of warped and twisted and not many had a proper shape.  Most of them were about the size of a large plum. I felt it wasn’t worth the effort to peel and core them. So I quartered them and simmered them until they were just tender. Then I ran them through the tomato puree machine.

Mandolin Cross Cut Apples

Using your safety device on your mandolin slicer!

 Here is a neat way of slicing your apples for a little bit of a festive look. I leave the skins on for this project.

Slicing Apples with a Mandolin

Here is an easy way to prep your apples if they aren’t all that perfect.  I was given a box of apples. Many of them had bruises, so I didn’t want to slice them with the peelings. 

The first thing I did was peel the apples and cut off the bruises. Then I used the mandolin to quickly slice one side to the core.

This Isn't Rocket Science!

People have been dehydrating food since the stone age. It’s  the simplest form of food preservation. You do not really need any specialized equipment.  All you need is a place to put your food slices, some way to keep the bugs off, and some form of ventilation. 

Raw Apple Slices

Easiest of the Easy

For you newbies to dehydrating, here is a list of the easiest things to dehydrate. All you have to do is wash, slice, toss onto the racks and go. By morning, Voila! Perfection.

Apple Slices

A few starter tips:

• Even slices mean even drying. Try to cut ...your slices thin and even.
• Use a mandolin slicer if you have one. Makes the job a lot easier.
• If you wash your veggies first, you might want to use your salad spinner get rid of excess moisture.
• Fruits with high sugar content - spray your fruit leather trays first to keep from sticking.
• Drippy things or things that will fall through the slots when dried because of shrinkage - put a fruit leather tray or cut piece of wax paper on the bottom rack. 
• The foods listed below do not need cooking, blanching, or treating before dehydrating.   

Easiest of the Easy

For you newbies to dehydrating, here is a list of the easiest things to dehydrate. All you have to do is wash, slice, toss onto the racks and go. By morning, Voila! Perfection.

Apple Slices

A few starter tips:

• Even slices mean even drying. Try to cut ...your slices thin and even.
• Use a mandolin slicer if you have one. Makes the job a lot easier.
• If you wash your veggies first, you might want to use your salad spinner get rid of excess moisture.
• Fruits with high sugar content - spray your fruit leather trays first to keep from sticking.
• Drippy things or things that will fall through the slots when dried because of shrinkage - put a fruit leather tray or cut piece of wax paper on the bottom rack. 
• The foods listed below do not need cooking, blanching, or treating before dehydrating.   

Slice And Go:

• Celery
• Onions - NOT Vidalias, the high sugar content will caramelize... they become rubbery but so impart the good flavor; I just didn't like the "chewiness" in my soups
• Bell peppers
• Cucumbers
• Zucchini
• Apples / pears - peel and core first
• Garlic
• herbs
• Greens - turnips, collards, spinach, beet, kale - wash & stem, salad spin, spread out whole on racks. Takes a bit of room, but well worth the effort
• Cabbage, definitely cabbage! Chopped, diced, shredded. Cabbage can be cooked first. Just make sure you don’t use any fats or oils in the cooking.