This dried apple garland was so easy to make and going to be one of my favorite fall traditions for years to come. It the perfect addiotional to a fall mantel or any other area. I love that I can compost the dry apples after I am done using it for the season. You only need an oven (or dehyrdator), lemon juice, string and apples to make this.
How do I make a dried apply garland decoration?
This garland is so simple to make. If you are looking for a recipe/craft card that is at the bottom of my post but I will talk you though my process here. I started juicing my lemons. I used 2 lemons for 2 apples and it was way to much. I could have easily used one but I didn’t want to be juicing mid process so I chose 2 to be safe. After I had my juice ready I cut my apples.
The key to make the garland beautiful cutting the apples horizontally instead of vertically. This cut allows you to see the beautiful start shape that the seeds create inside. This start shape remains completely present after the drying process and is my favorite part of this garland. I personally start at the bottom instead of the stem end so I have a bigger piece to hold as I cut. You want the cuts to be very thin. I saw somewhere someone said 4-inch slices and those are NEVER drying so do not do that. I cut various sizes and the ones that came out best were about 1/4th of an inch and no more. You also do not want to make your fruit slices to thin or they shrivel to almost nothing.
Once I had my apples cut I then brushed them with lemon juice on both sides. I had my 6 year old do this and she did it pretty lightly so you do not need a lot. I then set my apple rings on a cookie sheet (aka baking sheet) lined with parchment paper. You want to place your apple slices in a single layer so they do not stick together. I have read that some people dab with paper towels but I did not do this, maybe it would have reducing my time needed to dry them. I have also read you could place them directly on the oven rack but I did not want to deal with any mess from drips and such.
I turned my oven down to the lowest setting which happens to be 170 degrees but I have seen many people state their ovens go even lower. I read many article stating that they dried their fruit for 2-3 hours. This was not at all the case for me. Most my apple slices took 5-6 hours. The smaller ones 5 and the larger ones 6 and half hours. So if you are checking at 2-3 hours and they are still not dried then keep on going. I waited until they were not wet at all and had shrunk and started to shrivel a bit. Remember these are just dehydrated apples which is why you an also use a food dehydrator as well. My oven-dried apples came out great though!
How the apple slices should look when ready to be removed from the oven.
I took them out and then cut a small hole in each of them with the tip of a knife. I thought about doing this before hand but was nervous the hole would shrink to much so I just waited. You can absolutely cut before you put them in the oven, I was going to use a steel straw tip to try it out.
Last part is feeding the string through the hole of the dried apple slice and then deciding where to hang your beautiful garland.
Makre sure you store these in a dry place. I thought about hanging mine outside but they are still edible and will be bird food for sure, which could be nice too!
What materials do I need to make a dried apple garland?
Apples; this is a pretty obvious ingredient I know! Honestly anykind of type of apple will work so I went for the most cost effective ones!
Lemom juice; this is technically optional but it helps reduce the browning that occurs with apples once they are sliced. You can dip apples after you slice them in it or brush on it (my choice).
Oven; I dried my apple slices in my oven but you can also use a food dehydrator if you have one.
String; this is to hang the apples on to make the garland. I love using a really natural jute rope but use whatever you have avaliable.
How can I modify this dried apple garland?
There are so many ways you can make this garland. Here are a few way I would personally modify it.
1. I would love to make another garland with a variety of citrus fruits because that would visually be gorgeous. You could also do just an orange slice garland or any other single fruit garland. Lemons would be a beautiful one for any time of year. You could add some bay leaves to hang into the mix for more variation in items in the garland. Orange slices are my next project to try out for a beautiful orange garland or a mix.
2. You could actually use a glue gun and glue these to any kind of ribbon or even make a dried apple wreath by hot gluing them on to a foam wreath.
3. You could save your and make them into apple ornaments after you are done enjoying your garland.
4. You could also make these into snacks, I have not done this but you should be able to store them in an airtight container and enjoy for a few days.
5. I originally planned on dipping my slices in beeswax to help preserve them but time got away from me. You could also apply light coats of spray varnish to preserve them but then composting would not be a possibility.
I hope you love making these beautiful garlands as much as we did. I would love for you to share you pictures or
suggestions with me anytime. I am on instagram but you can also email me at [email protected]
How to make a dried apple garland (the easy way)
This beautiful dried apple garland is so easy to make and can add a beautiful natural element to any decor.
Materials
- 2-3 Apples
- 1-2 Lemons
- String
Tools
- Knife
- Bowl
- Culinary brush
Instructions
- Preheat oven to lowest setting (see note)
- Juice lemons into a bowl
- Slice apples horizontally starting at the bottom and moving towards the top
- Brush apples with lemon juice on both side
- Line baking sheet with parchament paper (optional step)
- Place apples on baking sheet
- Place baking sheet in oven
- Check on apples starting at 2 hours, they should have no moisture left and feel dry to touch (see note)
- Conitnue to check in 30 minute increments
- Remove apples when they deel dry and being to crinkle
- Use a knife to pierce a small hole in each apple
- String the string through the hole of one apple and continue until all apples are strung
- Space apples out evenly and hang your garland
Notes
1. The lowest setting my oven had was 170 degrees but some go down to 150
2. My apples took 6 hours to dry and some dried at different rates. I removed some at 4 hours but most stayed in for 6 hours.
3. You want the apples dry but they won't be so dry they crack they will still have a little sponge to them.