Sweet Summer Snacking

 

 

As everyone heads out for Memorial Day weekend today, I have portable snacks on my mind. Maybe, with the long weekend ahead, I am anticipating the beginning of our summer road trips, and cranky, hungry toddlers in the backseat.

I am always a bit weary about giving Bryce and Brody snacks in the car. There are few snacks that are easy to transport, and not of the cracker variety. I am constantly finding crumbs in the deep crevices of their car seats, on their laps and dusting the floor like a light coating of snow. But, the alternative to not feeding them on the ride is often endless questions, complaints and then, of course, tears.

After scouring the Internet one night looking for new recipe ideas on some of the other “mommy” blogs I follow, I stumbled across a few suggestions for homemade fruit leather. Like most kids, my children love fruit, and for that matter, anything sweet. This snack consists purely of fruit and honey. It is one of the easiest recipes I have ever made, and also one of the most time consuming. I say time consuming because the cook time is approximately eight to 10 hours in a 150 degrees oven. The low and slow baking dehydrates the fruit into a thick, leathery texture, easy to cut, rip and roll.

The process is simple: I typically puree organic frozen fruit and add honey to taste. You can puree fresh fruit, especially with the summer season ahead, but I think the frozen variety is a little less fuss and certainly the less expensive route when food shopping in New York City. Afterwards, the puree is poured out onto a parchment or Silpat-lined baking sheet and into the oven for about eight or so hours. You will know it is done when the exterior is firm and no longer sticky. I often put it in the oven right before I go to bed and check it when I wake up in the morning. With such a long cook time, it is hard to find that many hours when I am sitting home with the kids, or want to be!

I love giving packages of homemade fruit leather as hostess gifts, or bringing them along for play-dates. And, I will often use yarn or some type of twine, and a cellophane bag for a simple wrapping. Current flavor favorites in our house are mango, strawberry and black cherry, although I have had a recent request for peach, and I have been toying with the idea of mixing fruits before baking.

This has solved my travel snack woes. Fruit leather keeps the kids happily chewing without the clean up of other portable snacks. Maybe I will even be able to close my eyes on a car trip for a 10-minute stretch?

Maybe not.