It's a personal preference i think. I'd never use orange juice (too low in acid) but I have used bottled lemon juice mixed in water. My personal preference is Fruit Fresh mixed per the label instructions. You can also buy plain ascorbic acid in bulk (that's what Fruit Fresh is).

Dave

I never treat and last several years..

Drying apples

Well Now there is a disagreement on this, One person says if NO treat a couple MONTHS, another now several yrs?

Say,,any problem with off taste when treated with fruit fresh? I did,,but probably was more freezer taste than fruit fresh..Shouldnt have put in freezer.

It isn't any disagreement just different experiences in different environments using different methods. In other words it isn't a simplified as you are making it. You are wanting a specific shelf life answer for something that depends on 15 different factors. There are too many variables involved in shelf-life to reduce it to just treat vs no treat.

Variety of apple makes a difference as they have different moisture content and different tastes. Hoe they were grown can also make a difference in the amount of skin bacteria/molds they have been exposed to. Were they sprayed or unsprayed? With what? Picked ripe or pre-ripe? How stored since harvesting? What type of dryer/drying used? Length of drying time, temperature used, ambient humidity, use of dessicants or not, method of storing, etc.

That said, in general untreated apple slices tend to turn dark over time and are more likely to develop mold and fungus. How long before that happens depends on many other things. Does that mean you MUST treat them? Of course not.

Your original question was

"This year I am not pretreating. Putting dried apples in freezer bags and just storing in dark spot at room temp. How long will they keep? "

Konrad describes a very different storage method with his apples. If you can exactly duplicate his drying methods, variety, degree of dryness, storage, etc. then maybe you can get the same results. If you can't then you won't.

As for taste, that is so subjective it is impossible to say. I have frozen many apples both fully dried, partially dried and fresh and never noticed any off tastes when using Fruit Fresh.

Dave

Thank you,,I know many variables.. I think off taste due to freezer. Maybe need to double bag next time...Thanks.

I use mostly Fruit Fresh due to the ease of it. I will admit to not using specific recommendations at times. I cut the apples as I go and put them in bowl, sprinkling FF by layer and stirring it around from time to time, trying not to bruise the fruit too much. I've used lemon juice before with good results, but tend to estimate that too. Lori

I use Vitamin C tablets crushed with my mortar and pestle, as they are cheap, readily available and I always have them. I crush up three or four, stir them into a couple of quarts of water and slice whatever fruit I'm dealing with into that. It's Ascorbic Acid, just like Fruit Fresh contains, but way cheaper.

No matter what I use, apples turn brown and begin to taste "off" in a year or two, I'm constantly feeding "last year's" to the horses and drying more...

Annie

I would be happy for better taste for 6 or 7 months..Still think it is freezer,,but your idea I like. I like cheaper!!