Fruit Leather

I hate waste.  I hate having a tree full of fruit and doing absolutely nothing with it.

My nectarines were prolific this year, but Miss Eight showed no interest in eating them.  My Dad wolfed them down when he was over, but there were far too many even for him.  I still have several jars of bottled nectarines from last year and the year before.  I don't really see the point in doing stuff that doesn't get used.

I decided I'd make fruit leather this year.  I gave it a go last year when I bought the dehydrator and loved it.

For those who are unfamiliar with the name, think of those fruit rollups you can buy in the supermarket - only I know exactly what has gone into mine :)

To make Fruit Leather, you need to start with stewed fruit in syrup.  I stewed a couple of 10 litre stock pots full.  I think I did a bit too much in one go, but it worked out okay - I only had to throw out a small amount when it went off before I'd finished it.

Ladle the fruit and syrup into a food processor and blend until smooth.  Add honey and cinnamon to taste if wanted.

I lined my roasting dishes with baking paper - not cut, but folded up the sides.  Pour in puree to a depth of about 1cm and put in the oven at 100 deg Celsius.  Alternatively, you can use the flat ring tray thing that comes with the dehydrator and dry it in the dehydrator.


All the instructions and recipes I've found say that this will be dried in 2 - 4 hours.  Lies.  The quickest I got one finished was more like 8 or 10 hours, some took more than a day.  Perhaps I had too much syrup?  I don't know.

When it's ready, it's no longer tacky to the touch.  It peels away fairly easily from the paper (maybe with a little help around the very edges) and there are no mushy bits underneath.

I found it easier to peel it off the paper completely, before laying it back on it, rolling it up as tightly as I could and then cutting into strips for use (and easier storage).


I've also made some using Hawthorne berries, Rosehips and blackberries - great for cholesterol and boosting your immune system, not to mention tasting great.  However, I do recommend that if anyone makes this one - sieve out the stones from the berries before blending.