How To Store Dried Apples At Home

2024 Author: Bailey Albertson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 12:53

Dried apples: we store at home correctly

Dried apples take one of the first places among the preparations for the winter. And it is not surprising: this fruit, even when dried, retains many of its useful properties and taste, drying can be added to cereals, pies, baked goods, and compotes can be cooked from it. But it is very important to store dried apples properly so that they do not spoil and benefit your family all winter.

Storage advice

The first condition for the good preservation of apples for a long time is the correct drying process. You need to dry the apples thoroughly so that there are no damp slices left. They will not only be poorly stored themselves, but will also damage the rest of the slices.

1. For storage of dried apples, it is better to use cool, dry rooms that are well ventilated. In an apartment, it can be a balcony, in a country house or in a private house - a basement or storage room.
2. It is better to place a container with dried apples on a shelf higher above the floor. If the apartment does not have a balcony, you can store the dryer on the windowsill.
3. Dried apples absorb foreign odors very quickly. Therefore, it is so important not only to ventilate the room where the drying is stored, but also not to place apples next to seasonings, spices and foods with a strong smell.

Compliance with the rules for drying apples is a guarantee of their long storage

Most importantly, the storage container must be tightly closed. For this, almost everything that can be at hand is used:

• wooden boxes;
• bags of dense fabric;
• carton boxes;
• plywood boards;
• wicker baskets.

Whatever container you use, lay wax or wrapping paper on the bottom. The apples are folded as tightly as possible to each other, and covered with another layer of paper on top.

It is recommended to store dried fruits in tightly closing containers.

Pouring drying out of such containers is a bit troublesome, but the tightly screwed lids perfectly preserve all the drying properties and prevent all excess from penetrating to it. And even paper is optional. The main thing is that the containers are clean and well dried.

Storage in the warm season

In spring, summer and autumn, you can store apple drying on the balcony or windowsill in a plastic bucket tied on top with gauze folded in several layers. This will provide the apples with ventilation and protection from pests. But with high humidity (for example, on a glazed loggia on cloudy days) apples can become moldy.

To avoid this, you need to put with the container in which the apples are stored, a bowl of salt or rice: these products perfectly absorb excess moisture.

Winter period

For the winter, dried apples are best stored indoors. A balcony or loggia is not suitable for storage due to cold and frost if they are not insulated. Place the container with drying in a cabinet in a cool room, away from heating appliances. Also, do not store apples in the light: from this they lose their color, darken.

In this case, you can also put a plate of salt next to the apples to remove excess moisture.

If you do not adhere to these rules, there is a risk of losing drying due to excessive interest in it from pests: moths, midges, ticks and bugs.

What to do if pests are introduced

Even proper storage may not keep the dried fruit free from parasitic insects. They feed on drying, live in it, reproduce, which means they spoil all its useful qualities.

It is imperative to inspect apples during storage. If any pests are found there, you need to immediately take on rescue operations. Drying should be sorted out, damaged slices should be discarded, and healthy ones should be calcined in the oven at 70 degrees for about an hour.

Moth is the main enemy in the storage of dried apples

The moth is the biggest lover of dried apples. It is she who starts up in dried fruits most often, later moving to other rooms. To prevent this, you need to adhere to the following rules even at the procurement stage.

1. Rinse the sliced apples in salted water and immerse in the vinegar solution for 10 minutes. After that, dry the slices in the fresh air. Now you can send them to the oven or electric dryer.
2. The moth loves dried fruit for its sweet taste and smell. It is very important to store apples in a dry place and to block the spread of odor, that is, to tightly close the container with drying.
3. You can store dried apples in clean, dry glass jars under nylon lids. Canisters and large plastic bottles will also work.
4. Moths and other pests really hate the smell of laundry soap. If you wash a linen bag with it, dry it and put dried apples inside, the insects will not start. Just do not rinse the bag too thoroughly: you need to keep the smell of laundry soap on it for as long as possible.

By the way, winter cold will help to avoid the appearance of parasites. It is enough to pour dried apples onto a baking sheet from time to time and put them out in the cold (or place them in the freezer of the refrigerator), and the insects will simply die along with the larvae.

If mold appears

In addition to insects, mold can damage stocks, which often appears on dried fruits due to mistakes made during storage. Therefore, it is very important, first of all, to ensure dryness and good ventilation in the room. Otherwise, dried apples will very quickly turn into an inedible gray mass.

Experts recommend discarding all dried fruits from containers where mold has been found. Some housewives prefer to avoid such drastic measures by thoroughly rinsing dryers under running water and re-drying them. Sometimes after that, drying is frozen.

This is actually not the best idea. If mold appears on the surface, it means that its spores have penetrated deep enough into the product. And neither running water nor roasting in the oven will help. No matter what they say about the benefits of penicillin, mold in its pure form is a substance dangerous to health. Therefore, it is most correct to throw away infected dried fruits immediately.

But if you notice that your apples are starting to get wet and sticky, rinsing and drying in the oven is a good solution.

Experienced reviews

Now you know how to properly preserve dried apples for a long time, and you will surely delight your family and friends with delicious compotes and pies all winter. Share your storage methods with us in the comments. Good luck to you!