Peach Fruit Leather
Two pounds of ripe peaches dried down into eight strips that weigh almost nothing.
- calories
- 80
- weight
- 0.6 oz
- cal / oz
- 133
- protein
- 1 g
- serves
- 8, scales
- prep
- 20 min
- cook
- 0 min
- total time
- 20 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
| Ripe peaches, peeled and diced | 4 cups (about 2 lb) | freestone, soft enough to bruise under a thumb |
|---|---|---|
| Honey | 2 tbsp | |
| Lemon juice | 1 tbsp | bottled is fine |
| Cornstarch | 1/2 tsp |
Method
- At home: blend the peaches, honey, lemon juice, and cornstarch until there are no lumps left.
- Pour into a saucepan and simmer 2 to 3 minutes over medium, stirring most of the time. Take it off the heat and let it sit 15 minutes.
- Spread the puree across two dehydrator trays lined with silicone sheets or nonstick liners. Aim for an even layer, thinner at the edges than you think.
- Dry at 125F for 8 to 12 hours. It is done when nothing feels wet and no pale patches remain. Tacky is fine, damp is not.
- Cut each sheet into four strips, lay each on a piece of parchment, roll it up, and tie or tape it shut.
- On trail: unroll and eat. No stove, no water, no pot.
Fruit leather is the cheapest calorie you can carry that is not a candy bar, and it survives being sat on. The cornstarch is doing structural work: it binds the puree so the dried sheet bends and rolls instead of shattering into chips. The brief simmer does the same job from the other direction, breaking down the fruit so the finished sheet is uniform rather than fibrous in patches.
The honey is not there for sweetness alone. Sugar holds a little moisture, which is what keeps the strip flexible in a cold pack. Lemon juice keeps the color from going brown. Dry it too far and you get brittle shards that crumble in the bag; stop too early and the wet spots will mold on you three days in. Aim for tacky and check the pale areas, since those are the ones still holding water.
Packing
Rolled strips go in one airtight bag or a rigid container so they do not get crushed into a single brick. Keep them out of sunlight in the lid pocket. Good for about a year, though quality slides after that.
Variations
- Swap in nectarines or plums one for one; both dry about the same.
- A pinch of cinnamon or cardamom in the blender changes it more than you would expect.
- Skip the honey and use maple syrup to make it vegan. It stays pliable either way.
https://www.theseasonalhomestead.com/peach-fruit-leather