Dried Peaches

I think I may have discovered my new favorite snack.  Peach season has arrived and instead of canning them to save them for later I decided to dehydrate them instead.  The peaches that I bought were not free stone so they would be hard to pit anyway.  Slicing the ripe orange flesh off the pit proved to be quite simple. The peaches were also very ripe and juicy so peeling the skins off was a breeze - no blanching required.  One by one I washed, peeled and sliced the peaches and laid the slices on the dehydrator tray.  I sliced them on the thick side since I knew they would dehydrate down to nothing if I made them too thin.  I did dip the slices in lemon juice to help preserve their bright color and to give the finished product a little zip.

The odd shaped end slices were pureed and poured on to a sheet to become peach leather (better known as a peach roll up).  These peachy treats are perfect for energizing snacks while I am hiking on the trail.