One of the favorite snacks in our house is fruit leather.  I suppose the name doesn’t sound very appetizing, but it really is good.  They are called roll-ups in the store, but ours are very different.  For one thing, they are thicker.  Also, they have more flavor, having been made with fresh fruit and no fillers. They are most definitely more nutritious too.

There are a lot of fruits that work well for leather.  Our favorites are apples, plums, apricots, and peaches, but lots of other fruits can be used.  Also, fruits can be mixed together to create different varieties, or flavorings can be added.

Making leather is relatively simple.  Wash the fruit, then cut it in half, and fill up a blender with it.  Add a tablespoon or two of lemon juice, and enough sugar or honey to taste.  Blend well, until there are no lumps at all.  Then spread out onto teflon sheets and put into the food dryer.  It will take about 18-24 hours to dry.  It will probably be a little sticky, but if it is very sticky, dry it a little longer.  Length of dry time depends largely on how thickly the puree is spread onto the sheets.  If it is too thick, it will take a long time to dry.  However, if it is too thin, it will dry into brittle chips, not into leather.  The best thickness is about 1/4 inch thick, but even this depends on how thick the puree is to start with.