In California, raspberries are usually in season or harvested around April. However, in most cities you are able to get almost any fruit year round. That being said, I happened to have some raspberries that for some reason no one had eaten and if I didn’t figure something out soon, they were not going to last much longer.
Practicing The Law of Least Effort, I accept that things are just as they should be. I will not struggle against the universe and try to force these raspberries into my family’s meals. I take responsibility for my situation. I am meant to be inspired by this basket of raspberries. I find no need to convince others of my point of view, I will simply turn these raspberries into what can be eaten at any given time for anyone as they desire. Raspberry Fruit Leather is easy to make and healthy to snack on. Since it’s homemade, you don’t have any additives or artificial ingredients that you might find in store bought fruit roll ups.
Raspberry Fruit Leather
Ingredients
1 cup fresh raspberries
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoons honey (optional, if your berries are really sweet, decrease the honey or use none)
Method
Preheat oven to 170 F. Line a baking sheet with a parchment paper.
Add the raspberries, lemon juice, and honey in a food processor. Process until the mixture is smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl once or twice.
Press the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer to remove the seeds (this is optional, if you don’t mind seeds you can skip the straining).
Pour the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet. Spread in an even, thin layer (about 1/8-inch thick). Bake for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, or until you can touch the leather and it’s no longer wet and sticky. The baking time will vary slightly depending on the thickness of your leather – the thinner it is, the shorter the baking time.
Remove the baking sheet to a wire rack and allow the fruit leather to cool. Use a sharp knife or a pizza cutter to cut into strips. Wrap with parchment paper and store in an airtight container.
