At the conclusion of each summer, my mom spent a lot of time preserving and “putting up” our own food. Her creation of fruit leather was my absolute favorite aspect of the entire procedure.
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Most summers, we had apricots shooting out of our ears since our apricot tree was a lunatic producer. To make the most of them, my mom would bottle some whole, use some to create freezer jam, and then utilize the remainder—usually the bruised or overripe ones—to make fruit leather.
Fruit leather is ideal for the overripe and damaged portions of the fruit. For those of us who dislike wasting anything, this is fantastic news. This summer, I purchased two bushels of peaches to make jam and syrup, and when I was removing bruises, I thought about my mother’s fruit leather. I simply needed to produce some.
I just ground the peeled peaches until they were pureed in my blender. To taste, I added honey and half a lemon, juiced. I only needed around 1 tablespoon of honey because the peaches I used were so delicious.
I then covered a big baking sheet with two plastic wrap sheets, overlapping in the middle and leaving a few inches hanging over either edge. After gently pouring the puree mixture onto the cookie sheet, I turned my oven to the lowest temperature. That’s 170 degrees Fahrenheit for my oven.
I had two in at the same time, but I didn’t get a photo of it. One atop the other. You can remove the top one and leave the other to continue dehydrating even though it will dehydrate more quickly.
After placing them in the oven, use a butter knife to prevent the oven door from closing all the way. (This is crucial.) The fruit puree will get dehydrated if the oven is set to its lowest temperature and air is allowed to circulate.
Between 12 and 20 hours are needed to prepare the fruit leather. To make the wait seem shorter, I prefer to prepare it at night and put it in before bed.
When it is still malleable but no longer mushy in the middle, you will know it is finished. It will become hard and brittle if you overcook it.
After it’s finished, take it out and allow it to cool before storing it in a roll. You may either cut it into rectangles and roll it up on parchment paper or wax paper, or you can leave it large and tear bits off.
It is really delicious and simple to prepare; it only takes a little time, but the effort is well worth it.
Applesauce, peaches, and apricots are all excellent on their own. To improve consistency when using berries, I would advise using half pureed berries and half applesauce.
How to Use Your Oven to Make Your Own Fruit Leather
A tasty and nutritious snack to pack in your child’s lunchbox is homemade fruit leather. All you need is some honey, lemon juice, and ripe fruit.
Writer: Maria
Type of recipe: Fruit Leather
Food: Snack
Ingredients
Four to five cups of pureed peaches or any other fruit
Half a lemon’s juice (around 1 tablespoon)
About 1-2 tablespoons of honey, to taste
Directives
In a blender, puree your preferred fruit until it’s smooth. Add honey and lemon juice.
Use plastic wrap to cover a big baking sheet with edges (see photo), leaving a few inches hanging over each side. To prevent fruit puree from leaking through, make sure the plastic wrap overlaps nicely in the middle.
Spread the fruit puree mixture equally on the cookie sheet covered with plastic wrap. Set your oven to its lowest temperature, which should be about 170 degrees Fahrenheit.
To prevent the oven door from closing all the way, prop it up with a butter knife.
After eight hours, and then every hour after that, check on the fruit leather.
When the middle is no longer gooey and has the consistency of fruit leather, take it out of the oven.
Let cool fully before storing and wrapping up.