Strawberry/Raspberry Fruit Leather

I am just going to say it now, this post has a very sad ending. Prepare yourselves.

Thanks to my Sis-in-law Sheena for this recipe and to the person she got the recipe from. Here is the link. I decided to add raspberries. :)

Strawberry/Raspberry Fruit Leather
3lbs Strawberries
12 oz Raspberries
2 cups of unsweetened applesauce
Juice of ½ lemon
1 Cup Sugar


1. Blend all the fruit together. I am LOVING my blender these days.

2. Add sugar and bring to a boil. Once it's boiling turn the heat down and let it simmer. Scoop off all the foam with a spoon. Let it simmer for 30-45 minutes or until it starts to thicken up like applesauce. Mine never really got that thick so I gave up and put it on the pan. :)

3. Pour on a pan lined with parchment paper. I used wax paper. It does not work well and I don't recommend it. I learned that there is a difference between the two today. Lucky me.

4. Bake at 170 for 8-10 hours. You're basically dehydrating it. I forgot about mine, went to bed and woke up at 2am and jumped out of bed because I realized that it was STILL in the oven!!!! I cooked mine for 13 hours. I also had the heat at 200 for the first 6 hours so it was even worse!!!!

Mine is ruined and all of it is in the trash. The wax paper won't really come off of the fruit leather (and it ruined my cookie sheet) and the fruit is crunchy and tart and overcooked. It took me about an hour to go back to sleep last night because I was SO upset about it. I just couldn't stop thinking about all of those BEAUTIFUL strawberries and raspberries and the last of Grandma Packer's applesauce and all the time and energy my poor oven went through. UGH! Just thinking about it is infuriating. I hate kitchen disasters.

One time I made a very beautiful, delicious, huge potato salad for a family reunion at Bear Lake. When we arrived I put it in the fridge in our condo to stay cool and then we left for a few hours to explore town. When we went back to the condo to get our food for the pot luck we couldn't find the salad. We talked to the manager and she had THROWN IT ALL AWAY thinking it belonged to the last people!!!! I reacted as any four-year-old would have and I started to cry, stomped out of the office, and sat in the car and ignored everyone for an hour. The salad had taken me ALL day to make and it was just really upsetting and I didn't care about being "good."

Usually I am a pretty even tempered, well behaved, mature adult. But there is something about tragedies in the kitchen that unleash the inner, more immature child in me. I just can't get over the wasted ingredients, RASPBERRIES for heaven's sake, and the TIME. It is just sickening.

Will I try these again? Perhaps. When the grief and pain wears off. :) Hopefully I can have a success soon to wear away the pain. But I think you should try them and give me some tips. Happy Cooking.