An Apple a Day, of Sorts

I have been on a serious apple kick.  This time of year I always can apple sauce, so that is not so off of normal, but the Honey Crisps have been so phenomenal,  I have been searching for ways to extend the season.   Then over the weekend I read Return to Gap Creek, the long awaited sequel to Gap Creek.  It seems that for Sunday suppers or special occasions during the winter they would pull the dried apples off of the shelf to make apple pie.  I started to do a little research, and low and behold, this is not so uncommon a thing.  There were tons of apple recipes that begin with dried apples!

With my little man home sick the last couple of days, I resurrected the dehydrator from the basement and went to work.  I began with about eight apples that I peeled and sliced, then dried for about 10 hours.  They filled three pints perfectly and smell delicious.  Then since I was not as successful making apple chips in the oven a few weeks ago, I sliced two large apples at 1.7 mm on the mandolin, sprinkled them with a little cinnamon sugar, and dehydrated them for about two hours.  Perfection! 

Now I am so excited about drying again I have more batches running right now and I can not wait to work on more things....maybe those tomatoes that are ripening on the sill.  For the time being lets hope a dried apple a day helps to keep the doctor away!