Cultured Fruit Leathers

When I saw this recipe, I knew I had to try it.  And of course, whenever I see I recipe, I like to figure out how to make it easier and more simplified, without loosing flavor.

I wanted to make the recipe, very similar to how I make Penelope's smoothies so she would be more likely to like them. So I omitted the salt, spices and sweetener.  My recipe is simply fruit and whey. 


I thawed mangoes, blueberries and raspberries for several hours and then dumped them in my blender.  I am not sure if my blender doesn't work well, or it is just a piece of shit, in general, but I have to thaw my fruit till they are basically mush, before it will blend it up.

Then I added some whey.  To learn how to make whey, check out this post.  It is really, really easy and you also get cream cheese when you do it!  

I used three tablespoons of whey, no real reason, just felt like it needed three instead of two.

Then I blended it up well to spread the whey through out the entire batch and put the fruit puree in another mason jar.

I put a lid on it, and put it on my counter to ferment for three days.  


Now, are you wondering why in the hell would I want to add whey and ferment it before making the fruit leather?  You can certainly leave this part out if you want.  But if you do this step, it really kicks it up a notch, in how healthy the snack is.  

Your body needs raw enzymes and good bacteria to make your digestive system work properly. And your digestive system is one of the foundations for good health.


So anywhere and anyway I can, I like to eat raw and fermented foods.

Then I spooned the mixture into my dehydrator.  Mine came with flat silicon trays, but if you don't have one, you can use wax paper to keep it from falling through the holes.

Then I turned my dehydrator on and heated it for 24 hours. I put it at a 115 degree temp, if you go much higher than that you will kill the beneficial bacteria/enzymes.

I checked it a couple of times to make sure I didn't over cook it.  Right at about 24 hours it looked like this and I felt like it was done.

Then I sliced it up and peeled it off.  And me and Penelope had a very tasty snack on the porch!

The first link below is the dehydrator I have, the Nesco Food Dehydrator.  When I was researching which one to buy, everything I read online raved about the Excalibur Dehydrator, but it was too expensive.  I am thrilled with my $50 Nesco one.  It is compact and works just fine.

By Best Kids Health Blog