Extension
Connection
Extension
Connection
Making Fruit Leather
By Janet Hackert, Nutrition Specialist
Whether you have lots of fruit in your own orchard, or you have picked up some extra fruit from a farmers market or produce auction, one way to preserve it is to make fruit leather. This is also a good way to use fruit that’s not so pretty – with bumps, bruises, or knots.
Here are the directions from the National Center for Home Food Preservation at University of Georgia Cooperative Extension:
To make fruit leather from fresh fruit, select ripe or slightly overripe fruit. Wash fresh fruit in cool water. Remove peel, seeds and stem. Cut fruit into chunks. Use 2 cups of fruit for each 13" x 15" inch fruit leather. Purée fruit until smooth.
Add 2 teaspoons of lemon juice or 1/8 teaspoon ascorbic acid (375 mg) for each 2 cups light colored fruit to prevent darkening.
For drying in the oven a 13" X 15" cookie pan with edges works well. Line pan with plastic wrap being careful to smooth out wrinkles. Do not use waxed paper or aluminum foil.
To dry in a dehydrator, specially designed plastic sheets can be purchased or plastic trays can be lined with plastic wrap.
Fruit leathers can be poured into a single large sheet (13" X 15") or into several smaller sizes. Spread purée evenly, about 1/8-inch thick, onto drying tray. Avoid pouring purée too close to the edge of the cookie sheet. The larger fruit leathers take longer to dry. Approximate drying times are 6 to 8 hours in a dehydrator, and up to 18 hours in an oven.
Dry fruit leathers at 140ºF. Leather dries from the outside edge toward the center. Test for dryness by touching center of leather; no indentation should be evident. While warm, peel from plastic and roll, allow to cool and rewrap the roll in plastic. Cookie cutters can be used to cut out shapes that children will enjoy. Roll, and wrap in plastic.
Fruit leather will keep up to 1 month at room temperature. For storage up to 1 year, place tightly wrapped rolls in the freezer.
For more information about making fruit leather, ask your local MU Extension Office for Drying Foods at Home, GH 1563.
(Written July 31, 2009)
 |
Extension Connection Barb Ubben, Web Manager harrisonco@missouri.edu Last revised: 05/25/04 |