Strawberries can be turned into delicious fruit leather.
Try making your own fruit leather instead of feeding your child a store-bought brand that is loaded with sugar. Buy seasonal fruit at your farmer's market and turn it into a shelf-stable snack. Using a food dehydrator makes the process simple, but fruit leather also can be made in a standard oven. Have your kids help you prepare the fruit to make the leather. They will enjoy the snack even more if they can get their hands dirty, too.
Instructions
1. Wash your fruit under cold running water. Remove any discolored areas. Peel any fruit with hard skins, such as apples and oranges. Pit and core peaches, plums or apricots. Hull strawberries and remove any seeds from grapes. Cut all fruit into small, similar shaped pieces.
2. Heat water in the bottom of a double boiler. Place your prepared fruit in the top. Cover and steam the fruit for 15 to 20 minutes or until it reaches 160 degrees Fahrenheit.
3. Allow the fruit to cool slightly, then place it into a blender. Blend until the mixture becomes smooth. Add 1/2 tsp. of ascorbic acid crystals or 2 tbsp. of lemon juice per 2 cups of vegetable puree to preserve the flavor and color. If you want, you also can add sugar and spices at this point.
4. Wash all four of the trays in your Oster Food Dehydrator. Put the food dehydrator on a flat surface near a power outlet. Place your fruit puree onto the drying trays. Cover and set the temperature to between 140 and 145 degrees Fahrenheit. Drying the fruit leather will take between four and 10 hours, depending on the fruit you have chosen.
Tags: fruit leather, your fruit, degrees Fahrenheit, Oster Food, Oster Food Dehydrator, Place your
