A childhood favorite, Kiwi fruit leathers! Who knew that you could make a kiwi fruit leather!? If you love kiwi, this recipe will be your new best friend!

My kiwi fruit leather story

Now, I never actually had a plain kiwi fruit leather, but I used to get strawberry kiwi. When my mom used to take us on all her errands (we were not old enough to stay home alone) she took us to our specialty coop store so we could pick a “treat”. Usually strawberry kiwi fruit leathers were my favorite!

I tried to make strawberry kiwi, but, lets just say, the color was unappetizing. I would rather have a plain kiwi fruit leather instead. I have been working on the consistency of this recipe, and I finally got the final approval from my little food blog critic (my younger sister!) These are her favorite snack as of these days!

What should you know…

I have been on a fruit leather roll in the past few months, while the summer fruit has been so fresh and cheap. I can get a box of kiwi at Costco for pretty inexpensive this time of year. I do not get organic because I peel the kiwi and it is not high on the pesticide list. Feel free to use organic if you feel more comfortable though.

The kiwi fruit leather has seeds in it, but the consistency of the kiwi fruit leather is so chewy, you wont even know they are in there. Don’t strain the pulp and seeds out of the leather, because then you take out good nutrients and it becomes too watery. Also the honey is a MUST! I learned that the kiwi fruit leather will be hard, crunchy, and thin if you don’t add the right amount of honey. So please don’t over cook!

Kiwi fruit leather nutrition

Kiwi’s are high in vitamin C…..way more than the orange! This vitamin C powerhouse will boost your immune system like no other fruit! They also contain a lot of potassium, so eat up!

Just don’t eat too many of them, because I once did and boy did my tongue sting! Something in the kiwi’s makes your mouth tingle, when you eat too many. I guess it is your body saying..no more please!

These are GAPS friendly as well 🙂

How do you dehydrate?

Personally I use an Excalibur dehydrator, which I have running almost every other day! I use their ParaFlexx ULTRA Silicone Non-Stick Drying Sheet. I have tried to order a brand like this one on amazon, and I could not even finish opening it, because it smelled like strong chemicals. No way was I putting any food on that toxic thing. I find that the Excalibur silicone sheet does not smell at all, and it is easy to clean up.

I would NOT suggest any of the other nonstick dehydrator sheets that contain the toxic chemical teflon of them! I tried parchment paper, and it works, but it tends to crinkle up in the dehydrator.

You don’t need a dehydrator to make fruit roll ups though. An oven will work too. I will post oven directions below 🙂

Tips and Tricks:

This is an important section! Make sure when you pour your kiwi puree onto the dehydrator sheet that you pour the whole thing at once. It will spread out easily into a big circle. Keep the edges just as thick as the middle, so there is even drying. Try to keep it from spilling over the edges if you are using a dehydrator sheet. Carefully use a spatula to square out the edges to create a square. This is the tricky part…transfer your tray to the dehydrator without spilling the kiwi puree!

Once you think the kiwi fruit leather is done, take it out of the oven or dehydrator and let it cool down for a few minutes. When it is still hot, it will seem stickier then it really is. After it cools down, test to see if it is TACKY, your finger should not come out with any fruit goo on it, but it should a little sticky/tacky. If it is not done, you can always put it back in. Though you cannot fix a “too dry” fruit leather! Stay on the safe side and just keep checking it!

 

INGREDIENTS:

5 kiwis

3-4 TBS of  raw honey (depending how sweet you like it)

 

DIRECTIONS:

 

1. Wash (I don’t like to be touching pesticides) and peel your kiwi’s.

2. Chop the kiwi’s in rough pieces.

3. Puree your kiwi’s in a blender (I use my Vitamix).

4. Add your honey and blend.

6. Pour your mixture onto a silicone dehydrator sheet or parchment paper. (Read tips and tricks above)  **oven directions below

7. Dehydrate for 5-8 hours on 135 degrees. Start to check to see if it is Tacky after 5 hours. (remember you can always put it back in).

8. Remove form dehydrator when the kiwi fruit leather is still TACKY, but not sticky. It should not be dry either.

9. Let the kiwi fruit leather cool down to room temp. Cut the fruit leather in long strips or in a square (however you prefer).

 

10. Wrap your fruit leather in unbleached parchment paper. I lay the strip of kiwi fruit leather on the parchment paper while leaving 2 inches of paper on each side. I roll it up and staple one side (I am allergic to tape because of the latex so I use staples, though I find it is very easy to unroll this way). Cut off any extra parchment paper to make it look neat.

11. Store in a ball jar for up to 4-6 weeks at room temperature. You can keep them in the fridge for a long time.

12. Enjoy!

 

** oven directions:

(An oven takes longer for your kiwi fruit leather to dehydrate because it does not have a built-in fan like the dehydrator. Just be patient.)

1. Line a baking sheet with unbleached parchment paper or a silaplat baking sheet.

2. Pour your mixture onto the parchment paper (read tips and tricks above).

3. Dehydrate in oven at 140-160 degrees (depending how low your oven can go).

4. Start to check to see if it is done after 5 hours. Remember if should be TACKY!

 

~Stay Gutsy, Caroline

 

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