Compared to other foods, preserving a glut of fruit is simple-who does not love jam? Yet there is another great way for store-cupboard storage to use surplus fruit, fruit leather.
Fresh or Canned Fruit
Good for the kids to assist in making (and eat!), fruit leather is easy. Choose the fruits you have — most suitable for soft and hard fruits — but seek to include an apple or two in the mixture, as the pectin allows the leather to set well. For this recipe, you can even use canned fruit. Peel apples and pears if you wish, but there’s no real need.
Add Sugar if You Like
You can skip the fruit cooking stage before mixing it, if you like, but the fruit does offer a sweeter and more enjoyable taste before cooking. When your fruit is not sweet enough, add a touch of sugar, but note that when they dry out in the oven, the natural sugars in the fruit will become more concentrated.
The Way Our Grandparents Did It
The old way to make leather from fruit involved letting the puréed fruit dry slowly in the sun. Give this a go by all means, but we stick to the oven form for the purpose of this recipe.
Related: Best Freeze Dried Foods for A Survival Adventure
You’ll need:
- Ripe fruit, washed and patted dry. Strawberries, blueberries, plums, apples and pears all work well.
- Sugar (optional)
- Oil, to grease
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 120 degrees. Chop your fruit into small pieces.
2. Place in a saucepan over a low heat with a splash of water for around 10 minutes, until fragrant and softened.
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3. Place into a blender or food processor and pulse until smooth. Strain the mixture if you really don’t like tiny seeds such as raspberry pips in there, but otherwise don’t bother.
4. Spread thinly and evenly onto a baking sheet lined with lightly oiled parchment paper, and place in the center of the oven for between 4 – 10 hours. Different ovens vary tremendously, hence the wide range.
If you know yours is a ‘hot’ oven then cut the drying time. Either way, keep checking the leather as it dries out – it’s surprisingly easy to leave it too long!
5. When dry to the touch and not tacky, peel away from the parchment paper and allow to cool. Carefully cut into ribbons as broad or narrow as you like, turning over the strips to ensure both sides are dried. Roll up loosely and store in a plastic or paper bag, clipped with a peg.
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Storage
Such sweet and balanced snacks are perfect for traveling or camping out, in addition to adding supplies to your store cupboard.
A natural boost in strength, fruit leather can store for about two months at room temperature, out of direct sunlight. They can be kept in a refrigerator for longer, where they will be good for up to six months.
Unless the grandkids find them first, that is…
