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I took another canning class this past Saturday and they capped it off with info about drying fruits and veggies to preserve them. I can honesly say all I have ever dried was cherry raisons so I thought it would be fun to have a new dehydrator. The one I was using only had a heating element in the bottom and for the ultimate in food safety it also needed a fan as well, so we bought a new one. In this picture I have pureed the cherries, strawberries and homemade applesauce. It was yummy just like this, actually.
Then I spread the fruit smoothie onto special fruit leather trays that I bought for this dehydrator. That way the pretty fruit stuff doesn't fall through the tray spokes.
I then turned the dehydrator to 135F for 14 hours and taadaaa.... I have fruit leather. One wants to have the fruit dry enough to be pliable but no longer wet in any way. It will be sticky. Instructions come with each specific dehydrator, I am sure.
Then while they were still warm, I tore them in half and rolled them into plastic wrap. Now I will store them in an airtight container and my hubby and daughter can take them for snacks. I think they turned out quite well. They are kind of tart but I did not add any additional sugar to them, so only the fruit sweetens the leather. Heather Lawrence, Domestic Goddess. Haha.
YUM!!! We have several dehydrators I need to try this. My husband always makes deer jerky
ReplyDeleteCheers for domesticity! Is that a word? ha
ReplyDeleteoh yum!! you are a domestic goddess! :)
ReplyDeleteDehydrating, I'm an old pro at and like to use it especially for making fruit leather out of home bottled fruit that needs used up. As for making bagels, I've only flirted with the idea. You've boosted my confidence in trying the task. Thanks for the nudge.
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yum. thx for sharing. i desperately want a dehydrator for sure now!
ReplyDeleteAWESOME! These look absolutely delicious and easier than I thought!
ReplyDeleteI am looking at the last photo, rolls of varying sizes.... Two for Dad, one for Mom, three for you... haha. Yea, a real Domestic Goddess. Cheers ~ bangchik
ReplyDeleteI tried apple leather once and it was pretty good. Yours looks wonderful. Last year I dried a bunch of tomatoes - sundried and tomato powder to add to chili etc. It was all quite good. Haven't had mine out this year. I should probably make something...hmmmm
ReplyDeleteOh, yum, as Ginger said! Your fruit rollups look perfect. I can almost taste them!!!
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely beautiful job you did. I'm betting yours is thicker than the commercial rollups, too.
ReplyDeleteDomestic Goddess, indeed!
ReplyDeleteYou can do it all :) They sound like they are delicious.
ReplyDeleteAwesome results. Thanks for sharing the photos too. Can you tell us which dehydrator you're using? Looks like a Nesco, but which model? Thanks!
ReplyDeleteBoy, that's lovely. I may have to cave and finally make that dehydrator I keep threatening to make.
ReplyDeleteYour family is very lucky!!
Hi Heather..this is something I have never tried and it looks like it would be so much fun..not to mention all the good foods in return...thanks for sharing it with us.
ReplyDeleteKary
Alex- The dehydrator I used was a Nesco American Harvest. I only paid $39 for it and had plenty of accessories like the fruit leather trays in stock next to it. If I use it a lot, I will buy a nice one.
ReplyDeleteGosh, Heather, talk about a good snack and I like that it's tart! You've been busy in that kitchen! Domestic Goddess is right ;)
ReplyDeleteI've been thinking about getting one of these - this seems like a great use for them! Those look SO GOOD!
ReplyDeleteThank you for answering! Looking forward to see what you create in the future.
ReplyDeleteThe best yard sale find of this summer was my five dollar food dehydrater! I have been experimenting with drying raspberries and raspberry leaves to make tea. So far its a work in progress. Fruit leather is next, I didnt know what that plastic tray was for til I saw your post, my machine had no directions. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI have made homemade bagels, and though they are time consuming, they are sooooooo worth the time. Much better than the commercially made ones!!! I would definitely recommend making them. Princelyess
ReplyDeleteHow long can you preserve the roll-ups in an airtight container? Do you need to refrig/freeze them? Have you found a way to preserve them long term without refrigeration? Thanks!
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