Fruit Rollups

Pictured are two applesauce fruit rollups drying in the sun on top of a tray of almonds also set out to dry.

The canning jars at our house are still being filled with all sorts of summer fruit. Sometimes we also dry small amounts of fruit or make fruit rollups. When making applesauce we sometimes end up with more than we can process in one batch.

If it is only a quart or two over a batch we turn the extra into fruit rollups. We mix in a little honey, lemon juice and cinnamon to spice them up. The amount of sweetener and spices can vary depending on individual preferences. The lemon juice is to keep it from turning dark and discolored. Other spices that can be used are nutmeg, mace, allspice or pumpkin pie spice which is a premixed combination of some of the other spices mentioned.

To dry the fruit rollups we use cookie sheets covered with plastic wrap. Each cookie sheet holds about one pint of applesauce. With the applesauce spread out evenly over the plastic wrap, we set it in the sun to dry. They only take one day to dry. Then we roll them up and store them in the refrigerator or freezer.

Rollups can also be made with other fruit. The fruit can be pureed in a blender. Then the spices, sweetener and lemon juice added as desired and spread on cookie sheets covered with plastic wrap to dry. The rollups are great to take for lunch or just keep around for snacks.

Drying fruit in halves or slices is also a good way to preserve extra fruit. The thicker the slices the longer the drying time will be. Seedless grapes are one thing we dry more of and they are small enough to dry whole. They make great raisins to add to cookies, bread, salads or other recipes. Other dried fruit can also be used in baking but usually needs to be cut into smaller pieces.

There are also different ways of keeping the fruit from turning dark or discolored. The discoloration does not affect the flavor or make it bad to use. It is only a matter of looks. We mostly use lemon juice for the fruit rollups. For the cut fruit, we soak it in a bowl of water with ascorbic acid powder added.

When drying fruit we set it out in the sun to dry. Dehydrators made for fruit drying can also be used. They are sometimes faster than sun drying but use electricity.

To make the fruit last longer we store it in the freezer after it is dried. This is a sure way to keep bugs out of it. Also if any moisture is still in the fruit, it will keep it from growing mold.

We still are busy with other garden produce also. Our tomato production has been down a little this year. We have had plenty to eat fresh, but for canning purposes we have had only enough once for a small batch of tomato juice.

Almonds are plentiful this year. We are busy shelling them so they take up less space in the freezer. It also looks like we will have plenty of concord grapes to make juice from. They are just about ready to pick.

Yes, this is all a lot of work but the payoff is worth it. Fruit and vegetables that are allowed to fully ripen in the garden taste better, even after canning or drying than store bought varieties. We also like having control of what additives are or are not included in our food.