How do you like them apples?

September Writing Challenge - Prompt #35:

Snacks

When I chose the prompt “snacks,” this is not what I had in mind. Today I’m going to write about… apples. Yes, apples. Apples make a fine snack. They’re great plain, and they’re even better dipped in cookie butter (Biscoff crunchy is my personal choice). 

You know what makes apples even more awesome? When they’re free! So I’m grateful to my apple-growing friend who shared her spoils with me this week, prompting me to write about… apples.

I thought I’d share with you how I treat apples to slow the browning. I’ve tried a few different ways, and this is the method I think works the best: slice ‘em, soak ‘em in salt water for 10 minutes, and rinse ‘em. 

I just fill up a bowl with enough water to cover the apple slices and put some salt in it. I don’t measure, but as a guide, about 1/4 tsp of salt per cup of water - give or take a bit. I’ve used kosher and table salt, and both have worked well.

Here’s one of my apple slices from yesterday - I packed them in my kids’ lunches, and I treated them with salt water around 7:00 a.m. I bagged some for myself and drove around with them in the van all day. Then I ate them at 2:45 p.m. while was waiting for Daisy to come out of school. 

As you can see, after almost eight hours, the apple had hardly browned. I’ve been doing this for years, and it’s been a great little snack hack.

Chomp!

Here are some apple slices that I treated in the evening and sent in my kids’ lunches the next day. Just a touch browner than the eight hour batch but still pretty darn good!