1. Slice up Apples or other fruit, add 1/2 cup water and place in a large pot. *
2. Usa a pot with a tight lid. *
3. Set you stove to LOW. *
4. Cook until soft, use a fork to check tenderness and to aid in mashing the fruit. *
5. Keep cooking until fruit disintergrates. *
6. Set up your food mill. If you don't have food mill you will need to do more prep work, peeling and seeding fruit. *
7. Most food mills need a bowl to catch the peelings and the seeds and a bowl to catch the puree. *
8. Slowly spoon the hot fruit into the hooper of the food mill. *
9. Return puree to your pot (add the seeds and peelings to your compose pile). Add about 1/2 -1 cup of sweetener (personal choice but even a little sugar will vastly sweeten the fruit leather). I was working with about 8 cups of puree. Cook on LOW for another half hour. *
10. Allow the fruit puree to cool slightly. Cover your dehydrator tray with plastic wrap, parchment paper or a teflon sheet. *
11. Spoon fruit puree onto the covered sheet. *
12. Smooth the fruit puree out until it is approx 1/8 inch thick. I drop the pan lightly to help smooth out the puree. *
13. Put the puree into your dehydrator, start checking after 4 hours. If you don't have a dehydratoy you can use your oven (plastic wrap will melt, protect the pan with teflon or parchment) on the lowest heat or if you have a gas oven you might just be able to leave it in the oven overnight. *
14. Fruit leather is done when the top is firm but slightly tacky. Use a pizza cutter or clean scissors to make strips. Roll the strips up so you can slide them more easily into snack containers. Store in an airtight container. *
This tutorial is a bit late in the making. This fruit leather has been eaten and more has been made since.
* Image Details.
