Fruit Leather – Simply Made Kitchen and Crafts

When strawberries are in season, I usually try to make several batches of fruit leather for my family. Rolling strawberry fruit leather on wax paper strips makes for a delicious, nutritious, summer treat.

On my daily drive home from work, I pass a local strawberry farm so I usually stop by to pick up a few buckets of fresh berries. There are lots of recipes for fruit leather, many encourage the addition of sugar and lemon juice. For me, I’d rather find the sweetest, freshest berries possible, pulse them in a blender, and pour them into trays to dehydrate. Simple and sweet, a pure delight. Here’s what I do…

Start with sweet fresh berries… Mine are freshly picked

Puree 6 cups of fruit and evenly pour onto fruit leather dehydrator sheets.

Dry at 135 degrees for 4-8 hours. Using your finger, press to make a small indentation in the fruit leather. It should not be wet or sticky. It should be tacky. Check in a few areas around the fruit leather disk. Peel the disk off of the silicone sheet while still warm. Lay on a sheet of waxed paper.

Using a scissors, cut into strips and roll up tightly. Store in a lidded container in a cool, dry place.

Make plenty because they disappear fast!

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While I used 6 cups of strawberries, here are a few adapted recipes recommended by Nesco Dehydrators:
3 cups applesauce
3 cups strawberries

Or, try mixing:

2 cups applesauce
2 cups bananas
In a blender, puree all ingredients. Pour onto Solid Fruit Roll Sheets.

Place on dehydrator trays. Dry at 135º F for 4 to 8 hours, or until leathery.

Remove from sheets while still warm. Let cool, slice and wrap.

Roll and store in dark, dry, cool place or in freezer.

Of course, It’s always fun to make a very berry smoothly with the leftover purée.

This week I decided to try my hand at making fruit leather. I’ve had a great deal of success drying fruits and vegetables so I thought it might be fun to change things up a bit. My dehydrator comes equipped with various trays and supplies for drying fruits, vegetables, herbs, and leathers. Using puréed fresh fruit, baby food, or applesauce make for quick and easy assembly. Plug the dehydrator in just before going to bed and (in most cases) in the morning, you’ll have a delicious homemade treat that can be stored at room temperature for a few weeks in an airtight container. You can also pop these treats into the freezer and they’ll keep for about 1 year.

These were a big hit with my family. I’ve got lots of fresh strawberries parked in the fridge so I think I’ll give this a try with puréed strawberries and honey next time.

Apple-Apricot Leather

1 (8 oz) jar puréed baby food

1-2 cups sweetened or unsweetened applesauce

In a medium bowl, mix applesauce with apricot purée. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave on high for 6-8 minutes or until the mixture reaches 160 degrees. Stir every few minutes.

Cool slightly. Spread mixture evenly on dehydrator fruit leather drying trays.

Drying times very depending on equipment, humidity in the air, and thickness of fruit. Fruit leather usually requires at least 8 hours to set completely. Follow manufacturer’s directions for specifics about varying drying times.