Strawberry Rhubarb Fruit Leather

Remember those fruit roll-ups you used to eat as a kid? I would take them to school with me all the time for lunch. They bring back so many childhood memories, so I decided to try to make my own and reinvent them with some new flavors. 

I really love the combination of strawberries and rhubarb, which is a pink vegetable that resembles celery. It's pretty tart, which is why it needs to be cooked with some sugar.

Fruit leather needs to be dehydrated in an oven with very little heat for a very long time.

Once fully dehydrated, it should still be pliable, but completely firm to the touch.

Strawberry Rhubarb Fruit Leather
Note: I'm keeping this recipe pretty basic. You can really make this with any combination of fruits and spices, but you will need to adjust the sugar based on what variety you're making and how sweet the fruit is.

1-2 lbs. strawberries
A few stalks of rhubarb
Squeeze of lemon juice
Sugar (I used about 1/4 cup, maybe a little more)
Water

Cut the rhubarb into one inch pieces, and place in a saucepan with the lemon juice and just enough water to cover them halfway. Simmer on medium-low for about 5 minutes. In the meantime, cut the strawberries into quarters. Add them to the pan, and continue to cook for an additional 5 minutes or until tender.

Once cooked, place the mixture into a blender and pulse until combined and smooth. At this point, start adding sugar until it's sweet enough for your liking.

Line a couple baking sheets with non-stick plastic wrap and divide the fruit mixture up between them, evening them out with an offset spatula. Bake on a very low temperature (between 140 and 180 degrees) for about 6-8 hours, or until completely dry to the touch.