![\"\"](\"https:\/\/wintergreenbotanicals.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/evanapple-1024x768.jpg\")
<\/section>\nStoring Fresh Apples<\/h3>\n
Proper storage is key to a good apple. I like mine crisp and tart, and within just a day or two at room temperature, apples will begin to lose both these characteristics. Grainy apples. Blech. After about a week or so at room temp, they begin to rot. However, if you can keep your apples at just a smidge<\/em> above freezing temps \u2013 for example in your fridge or a really cold root cellar \u2013 your apples will keep that fresh-picked flavor for at least a month and remain good for eating and baking for several months. Check your apples periodically to cull any that seem to be going bad more quickly. If they\u2019re still good enough to salvage, use those to bake, freeze, or dehydrate. I often catch mine as they get wrinkly (but not rotten) when they’re still technically usable.<\/p>\n Fresh<\/strong>: Of course eat them fresh! Apples are a perfect snack solo or alongside sharp cheddar cheese, nuts, nut butter, toasted pumpkin or squash seeds.<\/p>\n Dehydrated Chips<\/strong>: Dehydrate any apples that are still good but not as crisp and tasty as you\u2019d like: Slice them about 1\/8 inch thick for perfect dehydrating. No need to dip in lemon juice, but sometimes I like to sprinkle them with cinnamon and\/or nutmeg. (These chips also make a nice tea addition alongside cinnamon sticks, nutmeg, a few whole cloves, and perhaps some vanilla rooibos. I call this Pie Spice Tea. Pear chips work well, too.) A student once brought me dehydrated apples that she first dipped in cinnamon sugar. OMG, they were amazing<\/em>, like candy. Shannon and I gobbled up the bag in about five minutes, and he often begs me to make them at here… but since we do enjoy plain apples, and we really don’t need more sugar, they’re a rare<\/em> treat.<\/p>\n Applesauce & Fruit Leather<\/strong>: Applesauce dehydrates nicely on parchment paper or fruit leather sheets, and it can also be mixed with other fruit purees to make them chewy and roll-able. Unsweetened is nice, but oddly this one tastes much better sweetened than not, and for the aforementioned reason of not needing more sugar in our lives, I don’t make applesauce fruit leather as often as apple chips. I do make regular applesauce every year or two to can or freeze in small jars (we don’t use it that often… sometimes in baking or alongside pork chops). I almost never peel my apples when making applesauce and instead put it through a food mill<\/strong><\/a>. (You’ll find the more detailed recipe below.)\u00a0 I find the recipes turn out just as good, if not better (and certainly more nutritious and less wasteful)! If you do happen to peel apples, the skins are good dehydrated into a snack.<\/p>\n Freeze<\/strong>: Frozen sliced apples keep well in a vacuum bag to pull out as needed for baked goods (apple squares, pie, crisp, applesauce…).\u00a0Peeler-corer-slicer machines<\/a><\/strong> are handy for prep. KitchenAid also makes a nice attachment<\/a><\/strong> that peels, cores, slices, and\/or spiralizes – it’s one of the better spiralizers out there, but it isn’t cheap. Note that if you bake your sliced apples thoroughly (at least when working with macs and cortlands), you don’t<\/em> need to peel them at all. Less work and waste, more nutrition!<\/p>\n This is my riff off of a delicious salad at the Barley House, which goes great alongside mashed kuri squash or pumpkin soup and a glass of hard cider. Serves 2.<\/i><\/p>\nHow to Enjoy Your Apples<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/wintergreenbotanicals.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/AppleBaconSaladKuriSq-2-1024x612.jpg\")
<\/p>\nMy Favorite Easy Apple Recipes<\/h2>\n
Apple, Bacon & Cranberry Salad with Maple Mustard Dressing<\/b><\/h4>\n