Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Zucchini Candy a.k.a. Make your Own Fruit Snacks








Here is a great thing you can do with Zucchini. (I am going to try it with pears and apples too and I will let you know how it turns out.:)) My mother-in-law shared this recipe with us last Christmas and it was really cool! We bought some zucchini, and had to try it. I only made one batch, but with the recipe above,you can try several batches. It really looks and tastes like fruit snacks when you do lots of flavors/colors- only a bit more on the healthy side than the store bought ones. Here is the "how-to":









Cut up your zucchini into 1/2 to one inch chunks. Make sure you get all the green off. We used about 2 zucchini, and got about 3 cups of it when it was cubed up.




Next choose your flavor of Kool-Aid. If you are doing one batch, as I did, you only need one flavor.





In a heavy saucepan, combine 1 cup water, about 1 cup sugar (a little less works too), and your package of Kool-Aid. Bring to a boil.Then add the zucchini chunks and bring to a full boil.



Simmer for about 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Do not let it overcook. Drain well. If you are making lots, you can save the juice to make more.







Put the pieces on a dehydrator for 14-18 hours. We just did it overnight. Don't let the pieces touch while drying. When they are almost dry, roll in sugar. Store in baggies or an airtight container. It should keep for quite sometime. We had ours for about 2 weeks, and it was just fine.

If you save the juice for the next batch, you can get really vibrant colors. You can use lots of flavors of Kool-aid, one of each batch, and you will have your homemade fruit snacks. This was really fun for the kids to help with and eat! ☻




























1 comment:

Native American Momma said...

Oh I was trying to think of something to do with my dads extra pears from his pear tree. Let me know how the pears work out!!!