How To Freeze Apples Using Lemon Juice
- 1). Put 2 tbsp. lemon and 2 qt. water in a large bowl.
- 2). Pick 3 lb. of firm, ripe apples in a variety that is good for cooking and baking. Three pounds of apples yield approximately 3 qt. apple wedges. Wash, peel, core and slice the apples. Cut medium apples into 12 wedges. Cut large apples into 16 wedges. Place wedges in the bowl with the lemon juice solution as you work. (This is just like putting potatoes in salted water before you use them in a recipe.) Drain the apple wedges well before packaging.
- 3). Package apples in one of three ways: unsweetened dry pack, sweetened dry pack or syrup pack.
Dry packs are best for cooking and baking, since they produce the least amount of liquid.
Unsweetened dry pack: Place wedges on tray leaving space between wedges. Place in freezer for two to four hours until frozen. As soon as apple wedges are frozen, pack in freezer containers or zip-close freezer bags and return to freezer.
Sweetened dry pack: Mix 1 1/2 cups sugar into the well-drained apple wedges. Place into freezer containers or zip-close freezer bags. Press apple wedges down, leaving 1/2-inch head space. Seal and freeze the packs.
Syrup pack: To make syrup, dissolve 2 1/2 cups of sugar in 4 cups of warm water, mixing until clear. Chill syrup and place 1/2-cup into six 1-pt. containers. Divide apple wedges between containers, making sure apples are covered with syrup. Leave 1/2-inch head space. Place a piece of crumpled wax paper on top apple wedges in each container to keep them submerged in syrup. Seal and freeze the packs.
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