Red Raspberry with Cinnamon Fruit Leather

Making Fruit Leather has become a bi-weekly task for me. I am lucky to be a food preservervationist and have plenty of fresh and frozen fruit on hand. This week I made a Red Raspberry Fruit leather and took it up a notch by adding cinnamon. This was a good decision. 

My first batch was wonderful it was a Strawberry Fruit Leather.  That post gives you the "How To" of fruit leather. You can do this in the oven set at the lowest temperature 170 degrees or in your dehydrator. I have done both and this post will give you the Yeah ! and Nah! of that first try.

For this recipe you will use the following 

Ingredients

• 4 cups of fresh raspberries or One 12 ounce package of frozen raspberries 
• 1/3 of a cup of Turbinado sugar
• 1  tablespoon of cinnamon (this depends on how much you want to taste it)
• A squeeze of lemon 

I am using both methods of drying. The first thing I do is add the sugar, cinnamon and the dash of lemon. I stir this and let it sit for at least one hour stirring occasionally. I think the raspberries soak up more of the flavor of the additives when this is done. 

Now it time to turn on your oven and set it to 170 degrees if using an oven. Your dehydrator can be used depending on the type you will need special inserts for leather. Your oven you just need a cookie sheet with some parchment or a silicone pad. The nice thing I find is with the parchment paper you can cut and roll it right on that paper. Sweet ! 

Let us talk dehydrator. I watched endless YouTube videos on Fruit Leather and many people use the trays that insert into their dehydrator so I purchased some and used them. There was a note on one video that they use a spray of oil to keep the fruit leather from sticking. Well I said "Oh no I am to natural for that". Wrong decision it took my husband and a paint spatula to get it off the trays. Yet I have seen some people take it right off. Just a word of caution. I will use a small spray of canola oil next time I can always wipe the back of the fruit leather off after it has dried. 

Enough of that you get it. Next pour your mixture into your blender or food processor. Whip it until it is super thin and the fruit is blended. Take your blended fruit and pour it onto the cookie sheet/trays making it approximately 1/8" thin. Give or take. Just go with the flow. 

Spread the fruit mixture out either with a spatula or the back of a spoon. I just use a spoon then drop the tray on the counter slightly to rid it of bubbles ad even it out. Now it is time to put it into the oven/dehydrator. I can tell you the time is so variable. Oven takes 5 hours or so. The dehydrator depends on which kind you have. The thing you will look for is the fruit leather should no longer be wet but a tad bit tacky.

 Each hour in the oven rotate your Fruit Leather. 

Cool the pans on wire racks to room temperature. I leave mine overnight or for the day. 

You can wrap them up the next day they will keep for a week or so. I just keep them on the parchment paper they dried on cut that and rolI.

Wrap and then put them in a airtight container.

What is a Chutney, Jam, Conserve, Marmalade, Jelly ?

What exactly is a preserve. Let us start from the beginning but not get to goofy. Fruit Preserves are the preparation of fruits or vegetables. Most often they are canned adding sugar and pectin. Back in the day prior to 1939 they never used pectin and thus many preservers are not using it today. The ingredients you use and how you prepare your preserves determines what type it is.

There are a few types. There are sweet preserves which will use sugar, honey or a sweetening agent. There are savory preserves using vegetables. and there are savory. Let us get started and it will be in alphabetical order. 


What is a Chutney?

A chutney can be made from with a fruit or a vegetable. It is a pungent type of relish. Chutneys always have a variation of spices added. It is noted that American and European chutneys have vinegar and sugar added and are cooked until thick. Chutney is of Indian origin.

What is a Confit ?

A confit of which I have yet to do is food that have been cooked in oil or sugar water. Sealed and stored in a cool, dark place. This is known to be the oldest way to preserve food. The term is also used for preserved meats, it is also used for fruits and vegetables seasoned with and cooked with honey and or sugar until jam-like. 

What is a Conserve?

This is whole fruit jam. The fruit is "stewed" in sugar. Conserves are known to be thicker than you standard jam and may also include nuts and or dried fruit.

What is Fruit Butter?

This is delicious and one of my favorites. This process is  when you take whole fruit and run it through a food mill, sieve or blend it after it has been processed by heat. It is cooked to the point of making it paste like.

What is Fruit Curd ?

This is a spread or dessert topping that has been made with lemon, lime, orange.

What is a Fruit Spread ?

Fruit spread is a jam/preserve with no sugar added.

What is a Jam ?

Jam is chopped fruit or vegetables that is cooked crushed into bite size pieces and heated in sugar and pectin to gel. Jam has a velvet consistency without large chunks of fruit, good color, and great fruit flavor.

What is Jelly?

Jelly is a fruit spread made from sweetened fruit/vegetable juice that is set by using it's ( U.S. Jelly) naturally occurring pectin.  Natural pectin is extracted from the cooked fruit thus creating a clear sparkling jelly.

What is Marmalade? 

This is one of my favorite ! I make a great tangy snappy lemon marmalade! Marmalade is a preserve made from juice and peels of citrus fruits boiled in sugar.

Disclaimer: This is not  all inclusive information/definitions for preserving. You should have a basic knowledge and understanding of the canning process before proceeding. Please consult your local Center for Home Preservation for additional information and available classes.

Excerpts for information was from Chutney , Confit , Conserve , Fruit Butter , Fruit Curd , Jam , Jelly , Marmalade

Lemon Marmalade

Lemon Marmalade a less understood Jam as

we say. None the less a Marmalade that is so delicious that it puts most others to shame when cooked to perfection.

I was lucky to have taken a class up in Oaktown with a Marmalade Hero June Taylor at her shop The Still Room 


I have a friend who is from London and said that my marmalade is  as close to the taste of home as she has ever tasted in America. Lemon Marmalade can not be made willy nilly. It takes great lemon and time. I am blessed with a fabulous Meyer Lemon tree at home as well as at my Mama's and the one Mama has in the desert is supreme. Alright let get canning. 

Do not rush the process make sure you are in the mood. Enjoy the process. It is magic! This posts is full of tips and trick for perfect marmalade so please canner take note of all the recipe not just the ingredient's.

Lemon Marmalade (tart)

4 cups lemon pulp
2 lemons sliced thin 1 cup
1 cup thinly sliced lemon peel (not rinds)(just peel)
¼ tsp baking soda
2 cup of lemon juice
(fresh squeezed its best but bottled will do)
1 cup of water
5 cups of sugar again to taste I like 4 but I like tart

Gel to the gel point of 223 degreez for no pectin 



The first step to do is get the rind cut this is the only way to do marmalade if you do not it does not have that little bit of tangy that real marmalade peeps love!



Thinly slice 2 lemons. The rinds retain their pulp. It comes to about a cup or so give or take.





 
This step is important do not skip this step.

Now take the slices and cut them into quarters. Put the slices in 1 cup of the water and 1 cup of the lemon juice add the 1/8 tsp of baking soda and put it in a small pot bring it to a boil. Turn it down and let it simmer on low for 20 minutes this tenderizes the rind's.

Here is a link for sectioning your citrus. There is a trick and it makes this job much easier.I will section many a citrus to freeze for marmalade's and the like through out the year.

In the mean time cube up your lemons and this is without the peel cut enough to have 4 cups of lemon chunk's but like all my tips you make it the consistency you like after all its your jam.

Just do not change the measurements.





Once the slices have simmered add the rest of the liquid and the chunk's and the pectin




Bring this to a rapid boil it will begin to get a foam. 5 to 7 minutes stirring all the time this is when a friend or husband saying


“Oh my gosh that smells so good”








Next step is to add the sugar slowly (Have your sugar measured out and ready) and make sure that your sugar is dissolved completely. Stir it over a gentle heat do not raise the heat to a boil until you are sure the sugar is dissolved. 



Once it has returned to a rolling boil just to gel point that should be 223 on a thermometer. When it is at it's roiling boil disturb it as little as possible.

Do not let the bag fool you I am using the seeds and pith for natural pectin.





When you are checking to see if your marmalade is set turn the boil down you do not want to over cook it if you do you will have a dark, dry and rubbery marmalade.
 


Let your marmalade cool slightly this way when you jar it up it will make sure the peels and guts get distributed evenly through out your delicious marmalade. Ladle into jars leaving a 1/4" head space, wipe the rims, cap and water bath time.

Give them a bath 15 minutes is my standard time

This is a super one recipe.  You do not need to add boxed pectin, let me explain if you bring your marmalade up to a rolling boil with a candy thermometer to 223 you will get it to the right gel point but this takes practice.



Disclaimer: This is not an all inclusive recipe for making jam. You should have a basic knowledge and understanding of the canning process before proceeding. Please consult your local Center for Home Preservation for additional information and available classes.