It’s Not Candy, It’s Dried Fruit Leather

No matter when you have too much fruit, whether it’s because of a bountiful harvest in your back yard or a huge sale at the market, you can preserve it for future use by drying. But, you don’t necessarily have to save it. You can dry the ripe fruit, even over ripe fruit and give it to the kids as a nourishing snack that will make them think you’re giving them a treat instead of adding beneficial fruit to their diet.

Fruit leathers are a homemade version of the rolled up fruit snacks that are so expensive in the grocery store. They seem popular with kids who would otherwise pass on fresh fruit. Tasty and chewy, they are also easy to make and to store.

The following directions are for a 13” by 15” fruit leather.

Ingredients:

·         2 cups of chunked fresh fruit

·         2 tsp lemon juice or 1/8 tsp ascorbic acid

Other items needed:

·         Oven proof tray to dry the fruit leather

·         Plastic wrap

1.       Simply put the fruit in the food processor along with the lemon or ascorbic acid and puree it until the mixture is smooth.

2.       Line the trays with the plastic wrap. Smooth out any wrinkles

3.       Pour the puree and spread it evenly on the tray. It shouldn’t be thicker than 1/8 inch. Don’t let it get too close to the edge.

4.       Dry the leathers in a 140 degree oven for about 18 hours. If you’re using a food dehydrator instead, it will only take about 6 to 8 hours to dry.

To be really frugal, the fruit leathers can be dried to satisfaction in a couple of days if left in the sun.

Test the fruit wraps at the center. They dry from the outer edges inward, so if your touch leaves an indentation, the leather still needs more drying time.

Once the fruit is completely dry, peel it off of the plastic wrap and roll it up. When it’s cool, wrap it in fresh plastic wrap to store.

The kids will probably eat the fruit leathers up before you decide how you will preserve them. If you’ve made several batches, they will last for up to a month at room temperature.

If you’ve turned an entire harvest into fruit wraps, wrap them tightly and you can keep them in the freezer for up to a year.