I was out shopping this week for something pretty boring for a recipe I wanted to make. Dried apple slices.
Yet….I couldn’t even find them! I was in an average supermarket, with a decent sized dried fruit section. There were no apples at all. Not even an empty section for them. Lots of cherries, prunes, mangoes, and peaches. Just no apples.
I wasn’t shocked to find out there had been a less than stellar crop in 2022-2023 for apples (I know our homestead the apples that year were barely none). So like with many things it might not be worth it this past year for dried fruit companies to package it up (especially as often these companies use less than perfect fruit, which would have been sold fresh instead).
I went digging through my dehydrated and freeze-dried cans and sure enough, I had a couple number 10 cans of dehydrated apples. This was perfect. They were actually what I had been searching for at the store. Dehydrated apples without added sugar or sulphur dioxide added (that is how they sell the super soft dried fruit that feels like almost fresh fruit). The recipe I was going to make needed crunchy apples. I also didn’t want freeze-dried apples. While those are great for snacking on dry, they tend to mush up if you cook with them.
I also realized as I opened up the big can that this was a far better deal finically than buying in a grocery store. The Augason Farm’s #10 can weighs in at 12 ounces. The cans I had bought in 2022 had been packed just a few months before I bought them, and were good till 2047 if not opened. They come with multiple oxygen absorbers in the cans. The apples are treated with sodium sulfite, as a color preservative. Your thoughts on this sulfite are noted. Apples do contain sulfites naturally so there is that as well. To be honest, while I am not a fan of any preservative, I will take this over sulfur dioxide, or being enrobed in sugar (one brand sold in the stores contains so much added sugar, no wonder kids want them!)
Augason Farms Dehydrated Apple Slices:
I paid $14.58 per can in the summer of 2022. They are actually less currently, and are showing $13.12 a can for me on Amazon.
The apples are pleasantly crunchy, without being so hard you question your teeth. They are naturally sweet. They are peeled as well, something I like. Peels on dried apples are really strong in both flavor and texture. A few pieces hadn’t been fully cored, but that is easy to pick off and toss.
I was quite happy with this can of dried apples. Great taste, texture and price. My only feedback is have a strong can opener when you buy #10 cans, as the lids are very thick/strong.
Children would love these in a bag to munch on for a snack. Even I would love them. I have noticed once I opened the can, there’s been a lot of apples snuck out by the youngest. A snack he can enjoy!
Recipes on TrailCooking, with apples? Here are some of them to check out.
Not-So-Basic Pumpkin Spice Rice
~Sarah