Blueberry Fruit Leather

My kiddos love Fruit Roll-Ups, but there is sooooo much sugar in them, I rarely buy them. Imagine my joy when my canning book, Put 'em Up, had a recipe (several of them, actually) for making your very own fruit leather. This way, you determine how much sugar goes in. This was very easy, though it does take time for the drying process, but you don't have to watch it - just be there to get it out when it is done. The taste is very good, sweet, but not over sweet. I will try this again with other fruit, for sure.

**One note before you begin, make sure you evenly spread the mixture out in the pan. I thought I had, but my middle section was much thicker and didn't dry out as quickly as the rest of it. I quickly fixed it by cutting out the cooked parts and rolling them up, and drying the rest in the oven a bit longer.

Berry Fruit Leather
Ingredients:
4 cups berries, any kind
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup sugar

1. Wash and dry the berries. Combine them with the water in a large skillet and bring them to a boil. Simmer until the berries begin to break down, about 5 minutes. To puree the fruit, mash it with a potato masher or stick blender, or run it through a food mill if you want to remove the pips. (I used my stick blender.)

2. Preheat the oven to 170 degrees. Line a jelly-roll pan or rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or Silpat and set aside. (Do not skip the parchment paper or Silpat - or else you will be very, very frustrated trying to get this puree off the pan.)

3. Return the berry puree to the pan and simmer over low heat, stirring frequently, until it thickens to the consistency of baby food. (This took me a while - about 15 minutes.) Add the sugar and stir to dissolve.

4. Spread the sweetened puree onto the baking sheet, tilting to create an even layer ** (see note above) about 1/8 inch thick. Dry in the oven until tacky to the touch, about 2 hours. Prop open your oven with a wooden spoon to let a little air in during the 2 hours.

5. Cool to room temperature. Slide the parchment paper or Silpat onto a cutting board and roll the leather into a tube. Slice the dried fruit into 2 inch strips and store in a covered jar for up to a month. (Using a pizza cutter here works well, too. Don't roll up the leather, just leave it flat and use the pizza cutter to make the strips. Then roll up into individual rolls for storage.)