It's a Matter of an Outdoor Kitchen

The Benefits of setting up an Outdoor Kitchen...

I have a new neighbor.  Actually, she is a friend from long ago who has moved just down the street from me. As I was visiting with her, we discussed her newly acquired apple tree....that was heavy laden.  Some of the branches were touching the ground as they were heavy.  She asked me if I wanted some.....well of course!!!!

I decided to make Apple Juice among other things.  However, I needed many burners and I really didn't want to heat up my kitchen.  So, I set up an outdoor kitchen.  

I have a bar outside.  I set up our Camp Chef Stove.

There are advantages to canning outside. See how easy it is to wash the apples.  No spilling on the floor!

I quickly sliced the apples into wedges.  I did this because this tree was left to its own all summer.  Some of the apples were bound to have 'inhabitants'.  By slicing in wedges, I could move quickly and check for unwanted guests.  That way I could toss the wedges I did not want and keep the rest.

Again, using my garden sprayer I filled the bottom container of the Steamer Juicer.  No hauling water...anywhere!  I turned on the burner and brought the water to a boil while I continued to slice the apples. 

I filled the middle container of the device with the apple wedges.  I placed the apple-filled container on top of the boiling water and placed the lid on top.  Then I continued to fill the second device as well.  

While the apples were processing, I set up a table with the lids (that I had heated in water and set on a hot pad), and a basket of rings.  Do you want to see what is under the towel?

I have my clean and sterilized bottles (from the dishwasher) under the cloth.

When the time came, I started to fill the jars with the fabulous golden liquid.

So what do you do with the steamed apples after juicing?  I put them through my Strainer.

Lots of beautiful applesauce was extracted.  And, it wasn't runny!  So I decided to make flavored Fruit leather.  I chose my favorite Jello Flavor and mixed them together.

I spread the red deliciousness on my fruit leather tray and put the trays in the dehydrator.  

Take Home Message:

• I was blessed enough to have a lovely gift from my neighbor who was stressing about what to do with all her apples. As she was just moving in, she didn't want to deal with them. She also didn't want any of the juice etc as she said she cannot think of bringing another thing into her new house.  I have been there and done that.  I can relate.  
• I was able to can inside my house while I had apples processing in my 'outside kitchen'.  
• Clean up was a breeze.  I just used my garden hose and sprayed down all the surfaces.  It took minutes!
• I was able to add golden apple juice and fruit leathers to our Pantry.

Consider putting together an outdoor kitchen for canning.  It was really simple and is something I will do again.

Have you ever wondered what to do with older bottled fruit?

What to do with Old Bottled Fruit....

It's that time of year again.  I am referring to Canning Season, which is in full swing!  I was recently was reorganizing my storage room.  I had several bottles of "fruit somethings".  My family's tastes and preferences seemed to have morphed over the past few years.  It was very evident because of the bottles of fruit that were left behind.  I needed the space for this years harvest, so I decided to 'morph' these older bottles of fruit.

In particular, I had peaches and Apple Pie Filling.  I decided to try to make fruit leather from them.  I poured the contents of the bottles into the blender.

A quick whirl of the blend made a beautiful puree.

I poured the contents on to fruit leather trays (which are sprayed with a cooking spray).

I decided to add some variety to these leathers.  Here I added sesame seeds.

On this Peach leather tray, I added some cinnamon.  

Into the dehydrator it all went!

Once the fruit was properly dehydrated, I needed to repack it.  I cut a sheet of wax paper.

I removed the leather from the tray and placed it on the wax paper.

I cut the leather into sections.  Initially I cut the leather into fourths, but later decided on eighths.

It is important to work with the leather when it is warm.  I rolled the leather in the wax paper.

I then wrapped it into plastic wrap.

This is easy to do, just take the rolled fruit and roll it on an angle into the plastic wrap.  Tuck the edges along the length of the rolled fruit.

I needed to label the jars, but I hate removing adhesive from jars. So, I just printed off these 'labels' which are actually pieces of paper.

I laid the jar on its side, placed a paper label on the bottom of the jar and started to place the rolled leather into the jar.

Using my Food Saver, I vacuum-sealed each jar.

These jars of fruit leather are equivalent to 9 jars of canned fruit.  

Take home message:

• What I like about this system is that you can take out one jar at a time and eat the leather.  
• Or, you can take out a piece of different leathers from their respective jars and vacuum-seal them again.  
• Also, you are using your old fruit in a new way.  Around here, leather does not last too long.
• You can also embellish your fruit with seeds, flavor, and things like granola to make it more appealing.
• This leather was essentially free to me as I had everything already.
• Rethinking your bottle fruit and making it into something new is a frugal choice for your family.
• The Apple-Pie-Filling was very scrumptious.  The added crunch of the seeds is a pleasant surprise as well.
• I can take pureed fruit and add Jello to it to add new flavor to the leather and increase the variety of the leathers I have.  

Try it!

It's a matter of making.......Easy Fruit Leather

You are about to surprise yourself. After you see how simple this process is.....you will (and should) want to try it...right away!

Since commercial fruit leather is so popular with children, wouldn't you like to make it for about 1/3rd of the price? Well, here is how you do it:

Take a can of your favorite applesauce, or use your own canned applesauce. Choose a favorite flavor of gelatin. Mix them together in a bowl.

Spray your tray insert (or saran wrap if you wish to do this in your oven at a temperature of below 200 degrees) with vegetable spray. This will help the leather come off easier after it is finished.

Next, spread your mixture evenly on the tray.

Place the tray into your dehydrator & set the thermostat for 135 degrees, turn it on, and walk away. If you choose to do this in your oven, the setting must be 200 degrees or lower. Prop the door open a few inches (or place piece of wood etc to keep it open) and direct the airflow from a fan placed strategically to blow into the oven. If you have a convection oven with a fan, you can prop the door open and may not need an additional fan.

Periodically, take the tray out of the dehydrator (or oven) and let it cool a bit. If you can pull the leather away in one sheet without leaving residual material....it is done! If not, put it back in and let it dehydrate a little longer.

To store the Fruit Leather I make by using my trays, I cut the sheet of Leather into 4 pieces, and roll in saran wrap. I then put them into a canning jar and vacuum-pack them to keep them fresh. However, I am finding that I do not need the last step (vacuum-packing) as they usually do not last that long!

Try this...today. It is so simple and delicious! You can make so many different flavors and the colors are wonderful and inviting to children. The only caution I would make in regard to color is using Blueberry Jello. If you think about it, the Applesauce is Yellow and the Jello was blue......together they make a lovely shade of green! However, it still is delicious and my son did not care!

Above, I referred to the cost of making this leather at home. At Albertson's, the brand-name Fruit Leather costs ~$.45 an ounce. This home produced leather costs $.15 an ounce. If you use a dehydrator, the cost of the power to run it is similar to a light bulb. Using your oven will require more energy, but is still doable.

ENJOY!