Grape Fruit Leather
Grape pulp dried into strips at home. Sugar and calories with no packaging to carry out.
- calories
- 110
- weight
- 1.2 oz
- cal / oz
- 92
- protein
- 1 g
- serves
- 6, scales
- prep
- 45 min
- cook
- 0 min
- total time
- 45 min
- water
- none
- cost
- $
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Snack
- No cook
- Backpacking
- Thru-hike
- Day hike
- Bikepacking
- Canoe / raft
- Vegetarian
- Gluten free
- Dairy free
- Nut free
- Eat in the bag
- Dehydrate ahead
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| Sungold or Concord grapes | about 4 lb | stems removed, enough to yield 3 cups pulp |
|---|---|---|
| Honey | 2 tbsp | optional; leave it out and the tag list gets vegan |
Method
- Run the grapes through a food mill. A grape spiral attachment keeps the seeds whole instead of grinding them into the pulp.
- Push the leftover skins through the mill a second time. It is slow and it gets you noticeably more pulp.
- Compost the skins and seeds. You should have roughly 5 cups of juice and pulp together.
- Pour that through a fine sieve set over a bowl. The pulp stays behind, about 3 cups of it. Drink the juice or refrigerate it for a few days.
- Whisk the honey into the pulp. Blend it if you want a uniform sheet; unblended works too and looks rougher.
- Spread the pulp 1/4 inch deep on lined dehydrator trays. Measure the first one. Thin edges tear when you peel.
- Dry at 105F for about 12 hours. Done means dry to the touch but still bending without cracking.
- Cool completely, peel the sheet off the liner, lay it on parchment, and cut both into 2-inch strips. Roll and store airtight, cool and dark.
Fruit leather is the cheapest trail snack you can make, and grapes are the easiest fruit to make it from because the pulp is already the right consistency. The two passes through the food mill matter more than they look: the second pass is where most of your yield comes from, and skipping it means half the grapes go to the compost.
Drying at 105F rather than in an oven is not about enzymes. It is about flavor. Higher heat scorches the sugars at the thin edges and the whole sheet picks up a burnt note. Low and slow keeps the color dark and the taste like grapes. The 1/4 inch thickness is the other variable that decides whether this works; thicker sheets stay tacky in the middle and mold in the bag two weeks later.
Packing
Rolled strips go in a zip bag. They stick to each other in heat, so keep the parchment between layers or accept one large grape brick.
Variations
- Skip the honey. Ripe grapes are sweet enough and the leather comes out vegan.
- A pinch of citric acid brightens flat-tasting grapes.
- Dry it two hours longer for a chewier strip that survives a hot pack better.
https://www.theseasonalhomestead.com/raw-grape-fruit-leather-recipe