Baking with Dried Apples Makes a Christmas Treat
A Visit to Zoar, Ohio This Winter Inspired My Holiday Baking
The front porch railing at Zoar Museum appears decorated with
greenery and bells on Dec. 8.
By Anna Krejci
I am lucky to travel a bit during the winter holiday season.
I visited Zoar, Ohio during a weekend event called Christmas In Zoar, which featured
craft sales, live music, a food tent, a gingerbread house decorating contest
and more. Zoar is a quaint place with
historic buildings, and the atmosphere was just perfect for imagining an
old-time Christmas.
At Zoar Museum I learned about the German Separatists who
established the village in the 1800s. Also
known as the Zoarites, they lived communally for 80 years. Historic buildings original to when the early
Zoarites lived remain, and some of them were open to the public. The Zoarites’ history is fascinating to
learn, especially if one is interested in how people survived by living
interdependently and by co-owning all they had.
Winter in Zoar was beautiful, especially with the evergreen
garlands placed on the railings and wreaths affixed to the doors. The nippy air encouraged me to walk briskly
to enter one warm building after another to look at the crafts for sale. The garden at Zoar this time of year had
evergreen trees, but the land around me rested from its use as a planting
ground. Walking in the chilly air made
me think of what it must have been like to store food over the winter months in
the 1800s when the land stopped producing fresh harvests. The Zoarites dried apples and used them in
recipes, I assume all winter long.
According to the book, “Apple Recipes from Historic Zoar Village,”
published in 1987, apple trees grew plentifully in Zoar in the 1860s, and the
Zoarites used dried apples in many ways.
The Zoar Community Association has shared apple recipes with visitors by
selling the book.
Baking Apple Nut Muffins
I enjoyed making the apple nut muffins, which was one of the
recipes included. In its original form, the recipe calls for using fresh
apples. Because I was so captivated by
what it must have been like to prepare food with dried apples, I made half of
my muffin batch with dried apples and the other half with fresh apples. It is just so fascinating how in general people
from the past found ways to preserve food with less space and without
refrigeration, or even ice boxes. Drying
food by sun, wind and smoke has occurred across the ages and predates other
forms of food preservation. I tasted the
dried apples, and their flavor was so intense.
Baking with dried fruit, such as apples, accentuates their flavor in foods.
I must admit, finding a measurement appropriate for dried
apples for this recipe was the most challenging part. I improvised a bit, and I
used a little more than one cup of prepared dried apples and two medium fresh Golden
Delicious apples. This was my first time
rehydrating dried fruit of any kind, and I followed the instructions on the can
to rehydrate them. I decided to buy
dried apple slices instead of making them myself from scratch because the
alternative would require up to eight hours of drying apples in the oven, and
then some more steps that I won’t explain here.
As for what I did, I let the prepared dried apples sit in hot water for
a half hour, stirring every now and then.
It worked well. I was so
impressed with how the dried apples returned to being plump and moist. I drained the water from the apples, and then
they were ready to mix into the batter.
The recipe did not specify which kind of nut, so I chose to incorporate walnuts. I think it is common for apple recipes.
The Zoarites from the 1800s worked hard to support everyone
in their community. I can imagine the
length of time needed to dry apples, especially with the equipment available to
them. The recipe from the cookbook
turned out well with fresh apple and with dried apple. I thought the muffins made with the dried
apples were more solid but still moist. I was able to combine the ingredients for the
muffins with just a bowl and a fork, which was interesting. The recipe gave the precise order by which to
add the ingredients, making it simple to mix the batter with a single,
hand-operated utensil.
Worth the History Lesson
From visiting Zoar Museum and incorporating dried apples
in the muffin recipe, I appreciated the sophistication of the German
Separatists. I take for granted now the
convenience of having a refrigerator and access to fresh apples
year-round. Looking back, I believe
people were incredibly intelligent and thoughtful about the ways they kept
food, how they organized themselves and how they met the needs of the community. The Zoarites determined fewer things for themselves as individuals and prioritized the good of the entire village. For my
life today, I appreciate having a balance between achieving what I want for
myself and providing for the needs of others.
Finding this balance is still grappled with by society, I think.
About My Time in Zoar
Christmas in Zoar took place the weekend of Dec. 7 – 8,
2024. I listened to live music and saw decorated
gingerbread houses. I shopped at the
unique crafters’ tables that were located inside the historic buildings. I posed for a photo with a person dressed as
Krampus, but I passed up an opportunity to pose with Santa! It was my loss. I visited the food tent, too. It was a one-of-a-kind experience to attend a worship
service at the church in Zoar and to observe a tree lighting ceremony in the
garden. Partly, these experiences are so
wonderful because of the friends and family that accompany you to these
places. I have very fond memories of
this Christmas weekend in Zoar.
This Christmastime I baked a half batch each of apple nut muffins with fresh apple and dried apple to compare the taste. I used two Golden Delicious apples and a little more than a cup of dried apple. The muffins made with the dried apple are in dark brown papers, and the muffins made with fresh apple are in light brown papers. Both versions were satisfying. The original recipe uses fresh apples.
Resources
Apple Recipes from Historic Zoar Village. The Zoar
Community Association, 1987, Zoar, Ohio.
“Drying Fruits and Vegetables.” Ohio State University
College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, 28 May 2015, https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/HYG-5347 .
“Homemade Dried Fruit.” Taste of Home, 9 Nov. 2023, https://www.tasteofhome.com/article/homemade-dried-fruit/?srsltid=AfmBOoqB-348raRjJxnZkUybJ2yObmTWSVRSlHGDPPKNNm3OMiVdqqP4 .
Historic Zoar Village
Find Products Sold in Zoar
The sign for Zoar Museum, which the Zoarites designated as Number One House, is pictured on Dec. 8.
