A quick dip in very hot water and then immersion in cold water helps to make skin removal easier. It’s much the same as the process for peeling tomatoes.
I don’t dip mine in citric acid preservative or treat them with sulfur, though both methods help to retain color longer. Elbertas aren’t overly quick to brown. They process well without treating.
I slice mine the same way as in making peach slices, though not quite as thickly. Alternatively, cutting in longitudinally and then slicing latitudinally in order to make slices will result in more uniform thickness of each slice.
I rub the drying trays with an extremely thin coating of oil before arranging the peach slices. This prevents them from sticking too tightly to the trays once dry.
I use an electric dehydrator set very low - between it’s lowest setting of 95 and 120 degrees - because I prefer the results of lower temp drying. I believe lower temps create less flavor change. I realize that higher temps are more effective at halting the enzyme reactions that can cause continued ripening, but since these are being preserved by desiccation, that should also halt or greatly reduce the speed of the process, depending on how much moisture remains after the dehydrating process.
Once the slices have reached the stage of dryness that I prefer, which is not crisp, but slightly flexible, I remove them and seal the slices in bags. At this stage they are chewy when eaten as a snack. The ones that are expected to be held longer term, I place in the heavier vacuum seal bags and store in the freezer.
I hope that’s enough description to be of help, Anne. If I left anything out, or you have other questions, just let me know.
