Apple Art

One of the big activities at the historic house where I volunteer involves apples, a major food staple of colonial life.  In fact, as we tell our student visitors, colonists and early Americans were often referred to as "pie eaters" for all of the apple pies they consumed.  And so, in our keeping room before the 7' hearth, we string up dried apples.

We just have to dry the apples beforehand.  After cutting them into small slices with a mandolin and soaking them in cider, we dry them slowly in a low oven.  Voila, dried apples.  Of course, colonists would have strung up the apples without drying them first, hanging them up in the rafters of their smoky kitchens to dry.  Then they would re-hyrdrate them as needed and bake them in pies.  Our apples are hung in our hearth, which would have been too close to the fire but makes a pretty and central decoration in the house, along with all of our fresh herbs.

1.  Slice whole apples thinly with mandolin.  Toss apples in apple juice and soak for 7+ minutes to prevent browning.  Arrange a single layer of apple slices on baking sheet covered in parchment paper.

2.  Bake apples at 225F for 3 hours, turning over and rotating sheets (if more than one) halfway through.  Cool apples and enlarge core or pierce hole for easier stringing.  Store in paper bag.

3.  String up and hang for decoration..  These are for educational and decorative purposes only; do not eat.