Thats a very very old way. It was primarily used to treat wooden wine barrels to prevent wine from spoiling during fermntation. Today, there are tablets and powders of sulfur that you simply mix with water. The method and details have just been posted here yesterday. They use sodium or potassium metabusulfate for the sulfur which is a much more accuate way to do it. The sulfur does dissipate. I use the potassium one for a raw potato dipto prevent blackening.

Yeah I know it is the old way and that's what makes it so interesting. I love exploring the Old ways at least once, I hate the thought of the knowledge and experience dying with my grandparent's generation.

I love doing things to have the experience and the knowledge to pass on to the younger generation. I have been fascinated by the old ways since I was a child and the older I get the more important I realize it is to preserve the knowledge and pass it on.

Sheri

Here is all the details on how-to and why. Just scroll down about 1/4 page to the part that begins..."Fruits such as apples, pears, peaches and apricots are sometimes treated with sulfur being dried"

But keep in mind that many of the "old ways" of food preservation have since been tested and proven to be very unsafe. In such cases, preserving the knowledge and passing it on isn't necessarily a good thing. ;)

Dave

Here is a link that might be useful: Postharvest Handling of Foods

What you need to find is sulfur candles, or the following link has the sulfur in rings and strips. You light it and place in a closed wine barrel to treat the wood inside the barrel. Sulfur should be used in a well ventilated area as its quite strong and can make you sick. I have no way of telling how much to use. But with a simple apple peeler/slicer/corer and a dip into asorbic acid or the sulfur/water dip, is much simpler and less hazardous to your health. Many people are sensitive to sulfur and any foods that are dried using sulfur to prevent oxidation.

Here is a link that might be useful: Sulfur disks and strips

I remember my grandmother use to core, peel and slice the apples and put them a wooden barrel up about six inches. She would then take some sulfer in a saucer and set it in the center of the barrel on top the apples and set it a fire. She would cover the top of the barrel with a heavy cloth but allow enough air in to keep the sulfer burning. After the sulfer burnt out she would add more apples and do the sulfer again. She would continue this until the barrel was full. After the barrel was full she would tie the cloth tight to the top of the barrel. The apples would last all winter long. I hope this helps you.

I'm probably 8 years too late to potentially help you out here but here is what I know. You peel, core, and quarter your apples. Place them in either a bushel basket or cloth of equal size. Heat an ax head or similar piece of metal. Suspend apples in the top of the barrel. Tip barrel enough to place hot ax head in the bottom of the barrel and then put one teaspoon of sulfur on ax head. Lower barrel in place don't breath sulfur fumes. Tie heavy cloth over top of barrel and allow apples to remain this way for 30 to 40 minutes. At this point apples are done. Whether this method is still considered safe I don't know but this is how it was done at one time.

I'm 13 years too late but watch Episode 1 here and she shows you exactly how and why to use sulphur candles to preserve apples (spoiler alert, it's stops them from turning brown). Starts at 4:17 https://www.facebook.com/watch/194777607337066/1303525679721912/