August is National Peach Month - A Great Fruit to Dehydrate

August is national peach month in the U.S. The peach is native to China and was introduced into the U.S. by the Spanish, via present day Florida, during the 1500's and 1600's. Today, California is the U.S' largest peach producer growing 75% of the nation's crop. Georgia, known as the peach state, is a distant second in terms of peach production, although the state is known for growing very high quality peaches.

Enjoy some peaches raw, in a pie, cobbler, tart or dehydrated. Peaches are an excellent fruit to dry in a food dehydrator or puree and dry into fruit leather.

The basic steps for making fruit leather with a food dehydrator are as follows:

- Use ripe or slightly overripe fruit.

- Wash fruit, remove stems and seeds, remove peels (some peel can be left on oranges, lemons, limes and other similar fruit).

- Cut the fruit into slices or chunks.

- Steam the fruit for 10-15 minutes (optional).

- Puree the fruit in a blender or food processor.

- If desired, add juice or spices as flavoring (pineapple, lemon, lime), or add sugar or honey as a sweetener, and or add chopped nuts or coconut to create different textures.

- To prevent food discoloration and flavor loss, add 1/2 teaspoon of ascorbic acid crystals or 2 tablespoons of lemon juice for every 2 cups of fruit.

- Lightly coat the food dehydrator plastic sheets or wrap with a cooking spray.

- Pour the puree to create an even depth of 1/8 to 1/4 inch.

- Maintain a food dehydrator temperature of 115 to 130 degrees Fahrenheit, or 46 to 54 degrees Celsius, and dry for 5 to 10 hours. The fruit leather is ready if it peels readily at the edges and if you cannot see any indentations after you touch it in several places.

- Roll your strips of fruit leather and wrap them in plastic wrap. Fruit leather can be stored for a year in the freezer, several months in the refrigerator and a month or two at room temperature.