Apple and Pear Chips

Summer is coming to an end and my gardens are almost done. I am finishing up with the last of my canning of tomatoes. I have a few peppers left and some parsley still left to deal with, plus I have some watermelon still growing. Now I have one very big pear tree that is loaded this year with pears to deal with, and two apple trees loaded with apples. What do I do with them all? I can only can so many pears and freeze them. My apple I can only make so much jam and applesauce. So this year I decided to try something different to make with my apple s and pears.

This year I decided to dehydrate most of my apples and pears. I thought this would be a nice snack for the whole family to enjoy on the go and at work. I started dehydrating 4 days ago and I have dehydrated over 20 trays of apples and pears already. My family loves them. So today I will show you how I dehydrated my pears and apples. I call them apple and pear chips.

Dehydrating

1.       First, pick your pears and apples and wash them very well.

2.     

  Start peeling and coring your apples and pears.

3.      

Slice your pears and apples in thicker pieces. If you slice them to thin they tend to stick to your trays too much.

4.     

  Start arranging them on your trays. I place mine together quite closely so I can get more on a tray.

5.     

  Start stacking your trays of apples and pears. Check your directions to see how many trays are allowed when dehydrating. I have an American Harvest dehydrator and I can stack up to 12 trays at a time. Always place an empty tray between your heat source so your fruit does not touch the motor.

6.     

  Check your directions for temperature needed to dehydrate your apples and pears

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7.      

To dehydrate my apples and pears it took about 8 to 10 hours before mine were dry enough.

8.       Depending on how hard or soft you like them depends on how long you will need to dehydrate them.

9.       Your apples and pears will be slightly brown when done.

10.  

Place in a sealed zip lock bag or sealed container. The apples and pears should last for several months this way.

My whole family loves these dehydrated apples and pears, so I am going to keep dehydrating them until I feel I have enough to last for several months. This is a nice healthy snack everybody can enjoy. I would advise anybody to look into buying a dehydrator. There are so many different things you can dehydrate, from fruit to vegetables and herbs and spices and more. A dehydrator is something worth looking into. I hope you like my dehydrated apples and pears chips from Suzie Homemaker.