Berry Picking comes to an End with Cranberry Fruit Leather

Berry Picking comes to an End with Cranberry Fruit Leather

Fall is here the leaves have changed and we are getting heavy frost on the ground which means cranberry picking time. We actually could have done it about a week ago but with moving and trying to establish a routine in our new home it kept getting pushed away. This week has been beautiful weather and we were able to get out and pick the low bush cranberries or lingon berries. We got 4 cups of them just from the yard next to our driveway. It was a good cranberry year. I wish I thought of taking pictures of us picking but I was on a mission and forgot the camera. I did however get pictures of them after.

So for our Alaska Studies we have been using all the wonderful things this state has to offer. So far we have made Fireweed honey and watermelon berry jam. We still have to make the Rose hip tea but I think we were to late on picking those, thankfully my Mom has some dried so we may be able to have her tell us how she collected dried and how to make the tea.

For the fruit leather

First you have to make a puree you add 4 cups of the berries and one cup of water on the stove and cook until skins have popped. Press through a food mill or sieve. discard skins and seeds.

after I strained it I  added a tablespoon of our homemade fireweed honey to add sweetness!

Next pour it on a cookie sheet covered in plastic wrap do not spread all the way to the edges though.

I used parchment paper because I was afraid the plastic wrap  would melt on the wood stove.

Now the directions say to put it in a 140* oven  while keeping the door open a little to let moisture out. If you have followed us facebook at all you know the oven in the Pumpkin shell has two settings off and hell fire. SO I tried to do this on the wood stove.  I made a tent out of aluminum foil to keep the heat in.

After a 24 hour wait The fruit leather was finished. There are some things that we will do different next time. One is we will not use the parchment paper it stuck and we couldn't get some of it off. We also will make sure the pan is setting on something even it was not even on the wood stove and some of it dried crispy, I let the boys lick those pieces like a lollipop to get the flavor. Overall it turned out and one of the boys loved it the other not so much, but that is normal around here If one likes something the other probably won't. 

And because I love a challenge I will be making apple fruit leather and drying it by the wood stove I found some good tips and several different recipes by Googling  fruit leather dried on wood stove. I will get this one down and we will have fruit leather. 

River enjoying his fruit leather