Well it is that time of year again that the fresh fruit is all around us. It would be an understatement to say that my husband Kris loves fruit leather. He grew up in the Okanagan Valley and I think fructose runs through his veins.
So to help him feel a little less homesick I make him homemade fruit leather, it is really easy. I make a variety of flavours. I find mixing a sweet fruit with a sour fruit together helps off-set the sweetness once it is dehydrated.
For example this year I made Strawberry- Rhubarb and Plum-Peach. Both turned out with a balanced flavour, not overly sweet.
Top Left- Peaches, Plums. Top-Right- going on the parchment paper. Bottom-left– Rolling it while still warm. Bottom- right– Cutting in half.
Materials:
- Fruit (in this batch- I used yellow plums and peaches)
- Blender/ Food Processor (I have a Vitamix)
- Food Dehydrator (I used an old Excalibur)
- Parchment paper
- Scissors
- Freezer bags
Directions:
- Wash and cut your fruit to suit the power of your blender/Food Processor.
- Place the fruit in your blender/Food Processor and puree it.
- Cut parchment paper to the size of your dehydrator trays to line them.
- Ladle the fruit puree onto the trays. I spread it about 1/4″-1/2″ thick. TIP: Make sure that your edges are thick, if your edges are thin than it is harder to peel off once it is ready to eat.
- Place in dehydrator and dry as per instructions for fruit leather for your machine. TIP: I check mine every couple of hours and rotate the trays to ensure even drying.
- Once it is completely dried take it out of the dehydrator and while it is still warm tightly roll it up.
- Cut the roll in half and place in a freezer bag. Make sure the air is out of the bag and store fruit leather in freezer until use.
I keep it in the freezer to last longer and to have it ready for last minute camping trips. I like to have a small stockpile of camping friendly foods on hand incase we decide to go on a canoe trip.