One of those things is easier than the other! I have made several attempts at fruit leather and have only gotten one of them right. In the above picture is my first successful batch of Strawberry fruit leather. They are super yummy and the texture is right on. This same day I also made a Mango leather, which was just about done when I put it back in the oven because it was still a little bit tacky to the touch. One thing you want when making fruit leather is for it to be totally not sticky on top. So, I put it back in the oven, but I think I forgot to turn the oven down as low as it would go, leaving it at 350. The plastic wrap fused to the bottom side of the fruit leather and I could not get it off. I can see why this method of storing fruit is so good for folks with excess fruit, but not so good when your paying full price for it. I think I will wait to try more when I have tons of cherries from moms tree to work with. I would also love to perfect some Apple leather, shouldn't be a problem finding extra apples this fall in my hometown of Selah,Wa!
Strawberry Fruit Leather
2 Lbs. Strawberries stemmed and cored
1/2 Cup Honey
Cut Strawberries in half and put them in a large pot with honey and cook till just soft. About 30 Minutes. Put in the blender and blend till smooth. I leave the seeds in, I kinda like the crunch and that's where all the fiber lives. If you wanted you could put this through a jelly bag to remove seeds. Line a baking sheet with plastic wrap or silicone mat and spread mixture as evenly as possible. You want it about 1/4 inch thick. The optimum temp is somewhere between 130-150 degrees for drying fruit leather. My oven only goes down to 170 so its a little too hot. I have a warming drawer, it holds at about 130, so its about perfect. It will take about 6-8 hours and you want to keep the drawer/oven door open a cracker to allow moisture to escape. After about 5 hours start checking, its done when it is no longer sticky to the touch. Let cool and rip or cut into the sizes you want. I stored mine in wax paper tied with my old bulk food ties! REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE!
SPROUTS!
This combines two of my favorite things, Good healthy food and Vintage canning jars. I have been into sprouting seeds for a long time. It comes and goes from my life, like a lot of things. It is a super easy, inexpensive way to get nutrients that are yummy added to a variety of dishes. I put them in salads, on Sandwiches, in my Spring Rolls, In my Pasta dishes and they are also good on scrambled eggs. We have all seen the plastic boxes full of sprouts in the grocery store. If this is what you think of when you hear "sprouts", think again. Those are alfalfa sprouts and they are just the tip of the iceberg in the sprouting world(if there was such a thing). LOL. Who wants to eat Alfalfa? not me. But who wants to eat radishes, broccoli, and Sunflower seeds? Heck yes I do! Turns out you can sprout all of these seeds and they have a hint of the veggie flavor you would expect from the full grown veggie. Radish sprouts are spicy and sunflower sprouts are very nutty. And unlike the white Mung Bean spouts we are all used to, I let mine get a nice set of green leaves. You Can pick up plastic sprouting lids at a variety of places. I have seen them for sale in a 3 pack at PCC in Seattle recently. You can use any jar that the lid will fit onto without leaking everywhere. You can also get the little trays, I have tried 2 different ones and found them to be a super big pain in the ass really. Im all for the jars. You can also use the rings that come with canning jars and cut a piece of fiber type screen to fit inside your ring. I know some folks also sprout in a wet paper towel on a plate. Get creative! Sprouting seeds are pretty readily available also. I have seen them at PCC, Whole Foods and in gardening centers in the same section with the garden seeds. Simply put some in the jar and soak overnight. Then drain off water and keep them damp till they are ready to eat. I rinse mine daily to keep any old water rinsed off.
No comments:
Post a Comment