Remember last week when I told you to save the leftover rhubarb pulp from making rhubeena? This week, we’re going to use it to make a delicious snack.
Fruit leather is the DIY version of Fruit Roll-Ups. In a nutshell, it’s just pureed fruit, put in a dehydrator. After making rhubeena the first time, I thought this would be a great use for the leftover pulp…it turned out so great, I’ve made it every time since. Knowing that I get both rhubarbaritas and fruit leather every time I make the rhubeena really makes the effort worth it!
Start by making your plastic wrappers. I use gallon freezer bags (so I know the plastic is food safe). Cut off the zipper end, then rip open both seams and cut the pieces in half, then half again so you end up with four rectangle pieces out of each bag.
Since we used sugar in the rhubeena recipe, the leftover pulp is already sweetened, so there’s no need to add any extra sugar to this recipe. Using a food processor (a blender or a potato masher would also work), puree the rhubarb pulp with strawberries. I use about a 1:1 ratio, but there’s no rules here.
Arrange three pieces of plastic per dehydrator tray, and dollop about a half a cup of fruit puree on each. Spread it evenly, like so:
I aim for something of an oval, but the shape doesn’t matter as much as having the thickness being somewhat consistent; that way they’ll dry evenly.
Dehydrate until they reach the consistency you want―we like them with just a bit of moisture left in them, so they’re a little gummy like the store-bought ones. Alternatively, you can use a 200 degree oven to dry them if you don’t have a dehydrator.
When they’re done, roll them up with the plastic, tie them up and store them in an air-tight container.
Enjoy!
