FRUIT LEATHER (dried apples too!)

FRUIT LEATHER/DRIED FRUIT

About the time when I started having kids fruit leather became popular in the grocery stores, or at least I never noticed it before. I bought a dehydrater at the Western Washington State Fair one year when they (kids) were starting to need snacks. My family is a little hyper so if you didn't want your kids bouncing off the walls you had to think up some healthy snacks. I always tried to make up stories about how it was natures candy and such. It really came in handy when we went camping or hiking and when the kids began track in high school they were sure glad mom went ot the trouble of making these snacks. I wrap it in wax paper because it doesn't stick, much easier to pull off.

If you fold the corner down just a little then roll it comes out real nice.

You may use fresh fruit but the easy way is to take a large can of fruit(29 oz.) drain the liquid off and put in your blender or 2-2 1/2 cups fruit puree. Applesauce works very well and the cinnamon flavored one is great.

Make fruit into a puree, no chunks, just like baby food.

For the fruit leather you have to have these trays and you must oil them very lightly. I use pam then wipe with a paper towel. If you use a sticky fruit like banana, which I usually mix with some other fruits. be sure the oil gets all around...they stick otherwise.

load up the trays with the measurements that best suits your dehydrater, ( mine is 2 or 2 1/2 cups)

and in 24 -36 hours you have a nice snack that travels well.

I have 8 trays so when I do this I like to fill all the trays and will add fruit this time it was apples. I used the apple-peeler-corer thing, which makes the apples thin but make a great chip like snack. My daughter loves banana chips because they are not crisp like you buy in the store. It is fun coming up with different combinations.