Dried apple recipie.

[Chantilly]

I was wondering if this recipie would be ok to use seeing as it is using salt...

http://www.parrothouse.com/recipes.html#DRIED%20APPLES
3 - 5 small Delicious apples, cored but not peeled
3 T. lemon juice
2 c. water
1/4 tsp. salt

Cut apples into 1/8" thick pieces (keep the thickness at 1/8" but you can vary the size of the piece depending on the size of the bird).
Combine lemon juice and water.
Pour over mixture over the apples.
Stir so all sides of the slices are well coated.
Drain the slices.
Lightly sprinkle salt on both sides of apple slices.
Place apple slices on wire racks that sit on cookie sheets or baking pans (to catch drips.)
Bake at 200 degrees F. for 3 1/2 - 4 hr.
Start watching them after about 3 hr.
You want them leathery, not crispy.
Leaving the apples in the oven, turn off oven and leave overnight or about 8 hr.
Store in Ziploc bags until needed.

Contributed by Christine Tarski

[Wolf]

The main purpose of the salt in this recipie is to draw the moisture out of the apple slices. You could just eliminate the salt and increase the time that they are heated and allowed to dry.

[liz]

I ordered a gallon size can of dried apples with no addatives from Walmart. They are already dry and with doing the math they are cheaper per apple than the fresh to dry.

[Pajarita]

I try to stay away from dry anything. I would much rather give them fresh and apples are not only available all year round, they are actually quite inexpensive, if you think about it, and one of the things that ALL birds like so they don't need to be 'hidden' or 'disguised' for them to eat them.

[Chantilly]

Thankyou Wolf:)
I will look at Woolworths (I dont have a walmart )
And the reason i wanted to dry the apples is because we have an ant problem..(they come for anything sweet. so i thoughtddrying the fruit would be better because of that.. less sticky.) Ants r so annoying :p

[liz]

Put Vasaline on the legs of the cage. Ants cannot cross it. I even use it on the trunk of my fig tree. I use Tarro under cages to kill ant colonies without poison.

[Wolf]

The Terro or however it is spelled is an ant bait and it is a poison but it is designed for the ant to carry it back to the colony where they eat more of it and it kills them in their colony.

[Chantilly]

Thanks liz! awesome idea, I'll do that