Making fruit roll-ups is one of my ‘Earth Mother’ things that I love doing.   It’s the same bliss I get as when I’m making bread, spaghetti sauce from scratch or strawberry jam with fruit that is still warm from the sun.

I thoroughly enjoy preserving food.  So when my son-in-law’s mother kindly gave me a huge box of apricots I could hardly wait to turn them into fruit leather.

Here are the general directions to make Fruit Leather:

1. Wash and sort the fruit.  There are very few types of fruit you need to peel.  But any fruit that has a bitterness in the peel or is inedible  like apples, citrus fruit, pears and bananas will need to be peeled.
2. Note: It is suggested by Colorado State Extension  to heat the fruit by steaming or baking for a short period of time to kill bacteria.  (I admit I’ve never done it.)
3. In blender of food processor:
4. Add up to 1 Tablespoon lemon juice to preserve color and for flavor.
5. Add 2-4 Tablespoons of sweetener of your choice:  honey, maple syrup, agave, corn syrup, apple juice concentrate.  Never use honey when serving food to an infant under 3 years of age.
6. 
7. Prepare the fruit by pureeing in a blender or food processor till smooth as silk 30-60 seconds.  If you aren’t using it immediately, freeze it in two cup batches.
8. Prepare pan depending on method of drying.  If you are using a sheet cake pan, oil it well on the bottom or cover the bottom with a silpat or baking parchment.  If using a dehydrator sheet, follow manufacturers directions.
9. Pour just enough puree into a prepared pan so that mixture is 1/8- to 1/4 inch thick.  It is very important that the mixture be of a uniform height on pan  so that it dries evenly.

There are several methods to that can be used to dry fruit leather / fruit roll-ups:

1. You can dry it in a low temp (140 to 170 degrees) oven — especially if it has a fan or convection setting.  this can take anywhere from 6-12 hours.  Turn every 2 hours for even drying.  Don’t allow it to cook.  It will become brittle and go brown.  The lower the temp the better.
2.   Dry it in the sun, outdoors covered with cheese cloth (but not touching puree).  This can take from 12 hours to several days depending on the sun and weather where you are living.
3. Dry it an electric dehydrator.  These come in many sizes and type.  My dehydrator is a little Nesco portable which I’m really enjoying.  It takes 6-8 hours dry fruit leather.
4.   There is also this method used by Alton Brown in this instructional video.  Watch it here.
5. It is finished when it is dry to the touch and not sticky.  If it is brittle it is over-cooked.

After it is finished drying and cooled:

Gently remove fruit leather from it’s drying surface and place on sheets of wax paper, plastic wrap or parchment paper.

Score leather, if desired and cut it up into the desired size.

Roll-up and tie if desired.

Place in airtight container to store at room temperature if it will be eaten within a week or two.

Alternately you can roll-up fruit leather  whole and place in airtight container and keep in freezer until time to thaw it and after that cut it up and serve it.

The Printable label I’m sharing with you  is 3 inches in diameter.  To download it  and print it you will need  Adobe PDF Reader on your computer.

Here is where you can download my  printable label.

Below are the links to a wide variety of fruit leather recipes I’ve gathered that I’m hoping to try.  Enjoy!

Plum 

Watermelon

Polka Dot

Mango

Amazing Apple 

 Strawberry

Yogurt & Fruit

Applesauce  (A good one for beginners.)

Kiwi

Blackberry Mint Lime

Gummy Fruit Snacks

Cherry Vanilla

Peach

Blackberry Mango

Pear

Banana

Multi-stripe

Good all purpose instructions from Colorado State edu.

Here is a bonus:  What can be done with leftover puree?   I put some apricot puree in the bottom of goblets with crushed ice and poured lemon-lime soda over the top.  It was delicious.