How to store fruit when there’s too much of it at once. More that the whole family and friends can eat.
One simple, effective and cheap solution is to sun dry them.
What you need:
– wooden frames with nets (preferably more than two)
– a knife
– a waste bin
– apples 🙂
– two to four days of sunny dry weather ahead (depends on how thick or thin we cut the pieces)
Start by collecting apples, damaged and good ones. The damaged parts must be cut away (whether from falling on the floor or from worms, insects and birds). Make quarters and remove the middle part with seeds.
Cut thin slices out of those quarters, a couple of milimetes thick (about 5 mm is the best) and put them on the net close together, but not on top of one another. Then it is very important to cover them with another frame with net to prevent insects from walking all over and compromising the food.
Put these full frames on a sunny and vented space. The air must circulate around the top and bottom of the slices. For example, we place them on the roof of a garden hut.
The apples have to be out all day, but must be placed inside overnight. Put them inside in the evening once it cools down and before the humidity starts to accumulate.
At very high temperatures (above 30°C) the apples can dry in two days, but we usually leave them to dry for three days. We then place the dry slices in paper bags, put the bags to a dark, dry and relatively cool place (a kitchen cabinet will usually do) and they last over a year this way. I can’t tell excatly how long, because we usually eat them sooner than in a year. 🙂
AÂ gift idea: put the slices into a nice paper bag, decorate it and there you go! You have a beautiful gift for someone who likes apples and apprechiates the time and effort you have put into making it (note, the paper bag in the photos isn’t meant as a gift, for that it has to be prettier :)).
Here are the frames with nets and some details to how they’re made:
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