PEACH FRUIT LEATHER / PESTIL: A GENIUS TRADITION OF FRUIT PRESERVATION

Looking for the perfect SNACK for your next outdoor adventure or healthy appetizer for the household? Learn how to make a peach fruit leather at HOME.. Dry it easily under the sun or in your oven and store for several months!
Full recipe for PEACH FRUIT LEATHER / PESTIL

Ingredients
3 kg peaches
1 cup water
(3x1/4) cups sugar *
2 cinnamon sticks
1 cup (~130 g) shelled walnuts (optional)

For consistency:
6 (3x2) tbsp corn starch**
1 cup water

Note:
(*) use cup of sugar per 1 kg of peaches
(**) use 2 tbsp of starch per 1 kg of peaches

Directions
PEACHES
Choose quite ripe peaches!
Thoroughly wash the peaches and peel them
Discard the stones and slice the peaches for easy cooking
Use a shallow and wide pot for cooking
Place 2 cinnamon sticks in the pot,
Poor in 1 cup of water and add the sliced peaches
Add 3/4 cup of sugar over the fruits (1/4 cup of sugar per 1 kg of peach)
Cover the pot with a lid

CONSISTENCY
Dissolve 6 tbsp of corn starch (2 tbsp starch per 1 kg of peach) and 1 cup of water in a bowl. Whisk until the mixture becomes smooth
Set aside

WALNUTS
Using a knife, chop the shelled walnuts into smaller granules
Set aside
COOKING
Place the pot of peaches on the stove and cook for 18-20 minutes at medium low heat.
Once the peaches become soft, turn off the stove. Take the cinnamon sticks out.
Then, puree the peaches using a hand blender
Turn on the stove again
Slowly drizzle and stir the starch solution into the peach puree
After mixing-in the starch solution, set the stove to the medium low setting, and bring the mixture to a boil
As the consistency thickens, lower the heat, and stir faster and continuously
General rule of thumb is to cook for 3-4 more minutes after the mixture boils. Then, turn off the stove.

MAKING THIN LAYERS
Place baking sheets on oven trays
Pour a 2-3 mm thick layer of peach paste onto each tray and smooth the surface
If you'd prefer a nutty taste, add the walnuts into the peach mixture and mix thoroughly
Then, pour onto baking sheets on oven trays as described before

SUN OR OVEN DRYING
If the weather allows, place the oven trays in the sun. Cover the peach mixtures with thin screens to keep the insects and dust away. They will dry within 3-4 sunny days outside
Otherwise, you can dry the paste within 8-10 hours at 170 (or 75 ) in the oven.
Dry the paste until it becomes leather-like
Make sure there are no wet pieces

FORMING AND STORING
At this stage, you can form the PESTIL. Cut the peach leather into strips of about 10-12 cm and form PESTIL rolls as an immediate appetizer
If you would like to store them for longer, place them into a sterilized airtight jar.

SERVING
Fruit leather was invented to make aromas of summer fruits available in the winter
It was a simple and resourceful tradition for conserving and recycling fresh produce throughout history
It also has amazing nutritional value for a healthy diet
Our ancestors used techniques like this to be able to survive and thrive even in the winter months or at times of food shortage.
Today, such recipes carry an air of nostalgia and they prove to be delightful treats for family members of all ages

Enjoy the ingenuity!

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