Drying Apples for Delicious Yumminess

I had a period of grieving this fall.  No, no one died nor did we have to deal with serious illness in my family.  Instead, the apple crop suffered this year.  My beloved HoneyCrisps failed to grace us with their previous abundance.  Alas.  I accepted what I could not change and just grumbled a little every time I had to eat a Granny Smith with my peanut butter.

Then last week I walked in to Sam's Club looking for marked down meat and there they were.....HoneyCrisp apples in 4 pound bags, just begging to come home with me.  And they were only $1.50 a pound.  So I bought 6 bags....I had to make sure they weren't rotten.  Then I went back band bought 5 more bags.  And when I go out today, I will check again and buy whatever is left.  Because you see, I LOVE my HoneyCrisp apples.  I really like them fresh....I love them dried.  My dehydrator has been running for 5 days straight, sucking the moisture out of the slices and leaving little tart sweet morsels to savor throughout the rest of the year. 

I initially gave the peels and cores to the chickens but they didn't care for them much.  Not being one to throw pearls before swine, I wondered if I could get a cup of fresh juice from the leavings.  It would be a lot of work for the results I figured, but who knows?  What a surprise!  10 pounds of apples yielded not only 9 trays of slices but a full quart of sweet, fresh apple juice!!  And to top it off, the chickens love the ground up remains of the juicer. 

LOL....I guess all good things come to those who wait. ....and who keep a sharp eye out for whatever God puts in our path!