:Fruit Leather:

So our first post is about fruit leather. Not for any particular reason, other than the fact that it's something we're working on at the moment, and it's a very handy money-saving way to make sure you've got fruit in the house even when it's unavailable or very expensive in the stores. 

It also gives us a chance to talk about an awesome piece of equipment that we use, which (in the moment we purchased it) was expensive, but has since then been a HUGE help in saving ourselves money in all sorts of areas: our Excalibur Dehydrator. Many of our favorite snacks and foods can be made (or preserved) in the dehydrator, which has saved us in the following ways:

-saving us money by eliminating the need to throw produce out when it's on its last legs,

-saving us money by allowing us to MAKE dried food, rather than having to purchase it (it can be pretty pricey!

-saving us money by allowing us to purchase produce (or other foods) in bulk, and preserve it for times when it's more expensive or unavailable in the stores.

For those and MANY more reasons, dehydrators (especially good ones) are WELL worth the initial output... but enough on that, and on to the leather!

I didn't get photos of every step of the process, unfortunately. We misplaced our camera for a few days, and by the time we found it we were partially through the process. 

So, you start with your fruit (we used FREE apricots we got off someone's tree here because they don't like them)

Then you make sure all the stems, pits, and seeds are removed from your fruit (or in the case of mangoes, apples, etc... maybe the skin as well). Chop it up, and toss it in a saucepan on the stove with a little bit of lemon juice (to keep the colour), a small amount of water (like maybe a 1/2 cup for every 4-5 cups of fruit), and some sweetener (if your fruit is really sour). Honey, Agave, or Maple Syrup are all preferred if you're shooting for healthy, but will all change the flavour somewhat. You can use sugar if you want the cheaper option--just make sure you don't oversweeten... too much sugar kinda outweighs the benefits of the fruit...

Cook the fruit mixture down until it begins to thicken up into a gravy-like substance (if it really shows no signs of thickening, you can toss a little arrowroot or corn starch in to thicken it, if you really like)

Once it's cooked down, you can run it through the blender or food processor to smooth it out further, if you're so inclined. I didn't bother with our apricots--they turned out great anyways. So it's your call.

Pour the mixture into plastic-wrap-lined cookie sheets if you're going to use your oven to dehydrate, or onto Paraflexx or plastic-lined dehydrator sheets if you're using the dehydrator. I know, I was afraid the plastic would melt as well--but it doesn't... and wax paper doesn't come off your leather (I know this from a failed first attempt)... so plastic is the best, unless you have the Paraflexx dehydrator sheets. You'll want your fruit to cover your trays or cookie sheets in an even layer, and you don't want the plastic to cover any of the fruit, or it won't dry properly.

Place the sheets in the dehydrator @135 degrees, or in your oven at its lowest setting (no higher than 150!). If you're drying in the oven, leave the door propped open to allow for air flow. Check on the trays every so often, and rotate them if needed in order to ensure even drying. The leather is done when it is dry-ish and hardly sticky to the touch...basically the same way fruit leather feels if you buy it from the store in those little fruit-to-go packets. For us, it took from 10pm-6am-ish... so about 8 hours, to dry the leather properly. Your oven or dehydrator may handle it differently, so just pay attention to what's going on the first time, so you can make any adjustments necessary.

When the leather is done, allow it to cool for a while, and then peel it off the plastic you dried it on. Discard this plastic, and lay your new fruit leather on a new piece of plastic, like in the photo below, and roll it up.

 

You can then cut it into strips (straight through the roll with a knife), and eat it slowly, unwrapping it as you go. It'll keep fresh in the plastic, won't stick to itself, and will keep for months in your cupboard.

 

So the total cost for this was a half-cup of lemon juice (we made a soup-pot full of puree), a cup of sugar, and the free apricots we got... as well as the time it took to make it, and whatever shows up on our power bill from having the oven on all night =)

It's a great way to save fruit from going bad, a nutritious snack to eat whenever you're on the run, and cheaper by FAR than buying it in the store (as long as you're willing to take the time to do it!) Once you've done one batch, the next one is pretty brainless. Simple, cheap, and easy!

Let us know how yours turns out!