It was HomeEc last night and our theme was Honey! We had to come up with some sort of honey dish and we threw down with a homemade fruit roll-up:
If you have a dehydrator, fruit roll-ups are so easy to make: puree fruit (often by adding heat), add ingredients (if desired), pour onto a sheet or a tray and dry for 18-24 hours. We’ll share a few tips below but that’s the essential process.
The biggest disadvantage (other than practically requiring a dehydrator) of making fruit leather is that a lot of fruit doesn’t go very far. In other words, it can be expensive (and it really makes you wonder what is added to the commercial product that makes it so affordable). Fortunately, here’s a tip: many farmers will have fruit that’s near spoiling or marked ‘same day use.’ We bought 3 liters (quarts) of peaches for $2 on Sunday. A few quick cuts and we were off to the races!
One of the advantages of a homemade leather is that it’s so much more concentrated than commercial product. Even though the yield is relatively small, it goes a long way. I find a 1-inch-by-6-inch strip to be an awesome portion (as opposed to the giant sheets sold at the grocer).