Franklin County

                     August 2009
 

Don't let one bad apple ruin your harvest

Fresh picked apples are great for munching, but sometimes there are just too many apples to eat before they lose their appeal. 

To preserve the bounty, start with fresh, crisp apples.
The preserved product is only as good as the initial product.

Before apple season begins, gather all the ingredients and
supplies needed to make a high quality canned, frozen, or dried apple product. 

Anti-darkening Agents. Apples tend to turn dark quickly after they are cut. To prevent darkening of sliced apples and produce a more attractive product, pre-treat with an ascorbic acid dip. Use a commercial ascorbic acid solution mixed as directed, or one teaspoon ascorbic acid, (or 3,000mg of vitamin C tablets), dissolved in one gallon of water.

When drying apple slices or rings, prepare a pre-drying dip by combining the amount of ascorbic acid listed above with two cups of water. Alternative pre-treatments include dipping in fruit juice or a honey dip, or blanching the apples before drying to prevent darkening.

When freezing apples, use ascorbic acid, citric acid or lemon juice to prevent darkening. Add anti-darkening agents to the syrup, sprinkle on the fruit before sugar is used, or add to the crushed fruit to prevent darkening during freezing.

Canning. To can apple or other fruit pie filling at home, order Clear Jel^®, (not Instant Clear Jel^®), before starting. This is a corn starch that is adapted for use in canning, so it keeps the correct thickening properties. Since Clear Jel^® is not found in most grocery stores, allow time for the order to arrive before apples are ready for harvest. Clear Jel^® is also available at canning supply web sites and specialty cooking stores.

Clear Jel^® can be used for canned fruit pie fillings because it does not break down in the acid food mixtures, and does not prevent heat from killing bacteria during canning.

Selection. Match the apple with the product. Tart apples are best for chutney, jelly, and spiced rings. A mixture of tart and sweet varieties of apples are best for juice, applesauce, and pie filling. Sweet apple varieties make the best applesauce.

Apple relish, preserves and apple butter can be made of either sweet or tart apples.

Apple jelly, or apple butter made with artificial sweeteners, is not usually processed and must be stored in the refrigerator.

Since apple products are acidic, they may be processed in a water bath canner.                     

Drying. To prepare dried apple slices, rings, or fruit leather, peel and core apples. Cut into  1/8-inch slices and pre-treat to prevent darkening before drying. Dry about 6 to 12 hours in a dehydrator. Applesauce can be dried or added to other fruit puree for drying into fruit leather. Pour the applesauce 1/8-inch thick, and then dry 6 to 8 hours in a dehydrator, or about 18 hours in the oven at about 140°F.

Freezing. When using apples in uncooked desserts or fruit cocktail, the syrup-pack method is preferred. A sugar or unsweetened pack is best for freezing apples used in pies.

Selection. Select full-flavored apples that are crisp and firm, not mealy in texture. Wash, peel and core. Slice medium apples into twelve sections, large ones into sixteen. Applesauce and baked apples can also be frozen.

Syrup pack. The apples are peeled, cored, and sliced directly into the pack that contains syrup. A syrup of 3 cups of sugar to 4 cups of water will make
5-½ cups of syrup. Adding ½ teaspoon crystalline ascorbic acid to each quart of syrup will prevent darkening. Put ½ cup of syrup in a pint container, then slice and pack apples into the syrup. Leave a 1/2-inch head space, seal, label and freeze.

Water or juice pack. Apples can also be frozen in water, unsweetened fruit juice, or pectin syrup, but the product will not be as high quality. Allow 1/2 to 1-inch headspace in containers.

Dry pack. Dissolve 1/2 teaspoon (1,500mg) ascorbic acid in 3 tablespoons water  and sprinkle on the apples, or steam blanch the apple slices for 1-½ to 2 minutes. The apple slices can then be frozen on a tray until just barely frozen, then package, leaving 1/2-inch headspace and label for the freezer.

Sugar pack. To sugar pack the
apples, mix ½ cup of sugar with 1 quart (1-¼ pounds) of apple slices, after pre-treating. Put fruit in a container and press fruit down, leave 1/2-inch headspace, seal, and freeze.

Source: GH1502, Quality for Keeps: Freezing Fruits http://extension.missouri.edu/publications/DisplayPub.aspx?P=GH1502

Note: Trade and brand names are used only for information. Use of a trade name or brand name does not imply approval of the product to the exclusion of others which may also be suitable.

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		University of Missouri Extension Franklin County Site maintained by: Billie Jo Brenner, brennerbj@missouri.edu Last revised: 07/02/08