Grandma Pfost's light, easy and healthy homemade fruit leather brings out the kid in all of us!

Preparation

Preheat oven to 150ºF or its lowest setting. Line a large, nonstick baking sheet with parchment or wax paper.

Slice and core fruit. In a medium skillet, sauté fruit with honey over medium heat until most of the moisture has evaporated—take care not to scorch the fruit or burn the honey while cooking.

In a blender or food processor, puree cooked fruit to a somewhat smooth consistency. Spread fruit puree onto lined baking sheet in a relatively uniform layer (about 1/8 inch thick).

Place pan into preheated oven and cook for 6-8 hours.

Cool at room temperature, then cut into desired sizes and shapes, peel from paper and enjoy!

Pectin Facts:

For fruit leather to have the proper texture and taste, pectin and sweetness levels should be plentiful.

Pectin is a structural heteropolysaccharide contained in the primary cell walls of terrestrial plants and is primarily used as a gelling agent in jams, jellies, juices and marmalades.

Higher concentrations of pectin in conjuction with simple sugars will accelerate gelling and give your fruit leather body and chewiness.

Apples, guavas, quince, plums, gooseberries, oranges and other citrus fruits contain large amounts of pectin, while soft fruits like cherries, grapes and strawberries contain small amounts of pectin.

Adding an apple or plum to low-pectin fruit during the cooking process will help with your final product.