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Fruit
Leather
Making homemade fruit leather
©
Outdoor Adventure Canada
I often make
my own fruit leather for backpacking trips and thought I should
share the recipes and method with you.
 First
of all you will need a dehydrator with the solid plastic tray
insert. If you don't have one of these trays parchment paper or
plastic wrap will work fine. If you don't have a dehydrator you
can use a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper placed in a
150° F oven, with the door slightly ajar.
All
fruit should be ripe or even overripe. Experiment with different
fruits and combinations; just remember to use citric acid or lemon
juice with fruits that will brown. I suggest tasting the puree
first to see if you need to add sugar. You will need sugar when
adding lemon juice and with fruits like rhubarb. Fruits such as
watermelon do not work well for this.
Basic
Instructions: Spread the mixture evenly on parchment
paper. The mixture should be about 1/8 of an inch thick. Try to
make the center a little thinner so that it will dry evenly. Place
the fruit in your dehydrator or oven. The leather is ready when
the edges are not sticky to the touch. Drying can take anywhere
from 4 to 10 hours and I recommend checking it frequently in the
last few hours.
Berry
or Cherry Leather
4 cups of
strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, loganberries, boysenberries,
cherries or a combination
Puree berries
and strain through cheesecloth to remove any seeds. Please note
that cherry and boysenberry leathers will remain sticky even when
drying is complete.
Mango
Leather
5 large mangos
Juice of 1 lime
Be sure that
the mangos are overripe. Peel and puree the mangos.
Apple
Leather - Method 1
2 pounds of
apples
Juice of 2 lemons
1/4 cup of sugar
Cinnamon (optional)
Lemon juice
is essential to prevent the fruit from browning. You may also
citric acid powder for this. Puree the lemon juice and the apples
together. Blend in the sugar and add cinnamon if desired.
Apple
Leather - Method 2
1 large jar
of applesauce
Spread the
applesauce on parchment paper.
Peach,
Nectarine, Plum or Pear Leather
Peel fruit
and cut up into small pieces and place into a pot of water. Bring
the pot to a boil then remove the fruit. Make sure the fruit is
well drained. Puree the fruit.
If you create
a flavor combination that you would like to share please send
it into us. We would love to hear your ideas.
If you develop a
recipe you would like to share please send it into us via laurie@outdooradventurecanada.com
For more recipes
and cooking themed articles please view the backcountry
kitchen archive or visit www.wildernesscooking.com.
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