As the days become shorter, the air crisper and the colours change, you know fall is on its way. During the summer many of us tend to eat light foods like salads and fresh fruit. But on cooler days you may find your body wants warmth like hot soups, teas and spices like ginger and cinnamon. In-season fresh fall foods include pumpkin, mushrooms, squash, plums and apples. I especially like taking the time to process some food I harvested during the summer months at the beginning of the fall so I can sample a little taste of summer in the months to come. On top of pickling and/or cooking down and freezing mushrooms, I love to buy a case of Roma tomatoes and slow roast them with a little garlic and olive oil and have them on a fresh piece of sourdough bread with squash soup during the fall and winter. I also love making fruit leather out of a mixture of berries I picked that year. Do you have a favorite fall transition food you like to eat? If so, please share it.

Fruit leather

Nearly any fruit can be made into fruit leather. Removing the moisture is what pre-serves the fruit. Here are some suggestions:

• Berries - like huckleberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries
• Stone fruits – like plum, peaches, apricots
• Other fruits - like apples, pears, kiwi, grapes

Instructions

1. Clean and prep the fruit: Rinse it, take out the pits, peel it, core it, chop it.
2. Cook the fruit for 10-15 minutes or until thoroughly cooked, with a bit of water (1/2 cup for every four cups of fruit), then purée the fruit thoroughly in a blender or food processor.
3. Taste the fruit, note how sweet it is. Season with sweeteners and spices, if de-sired. Add sugar to balance out the flavor if needed, or use other sweeteners (honey, agave, maple syrup, etc) instead. Add lemon juice (1 teaspoon at a time) to help brighten the flavor of the fruit. Add a pinch or two of cinnamon, nutmeg or other spices to augment the flavor. Continue to simmer and stir until any added sugar is completely dissolved and the fruit purée has thickened, another five or 10 (or more) minutes.

Dehydrating the fruit purée:

I use a dehydrator to make my fruit leather, pouring out the puréed fruit onto a tray. If you don’t have trays, you can also cut out parchment paper or heat-proof plastic wrap to size and line the trays of your dehydrator. I set mine at 135°F and let it do its magic overnight. The actual time will depend on the type of fruit you’re using and the thickness of your poured purée. Check it occasionally - it is done when it’s dried and not sticky to the touch.

You can use your oven to make fruit leather if you don’t have a dehydrator, but because you can’t set most ovens lower than 250 degrees (ideally, you want it at 140 degrees), you may have to check your puréed fruit more often to make sure it doesn’t get overly dehydrated. Otherwise, the method is the same: pour the purée onto a lined baking sheet, slowly dry out in the oven. If you have a convection setting, use it as it will speed up the drying pro-cess.

To store it, roll it in its plastic wrap, put it in an airtight container and place in the refrigerator or freezer.

Slow roasted tomatoes

Yield: Serves four as a snack or side dish.

• 1 lb small plum tomatoes (like Roma or San Marzano), halved lengthwise
• Coarse salt to taste
• Sugar
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Put the halved tomatoes in a bowl and toss with the olive oil. Oil a rack that will fit on top of a baking sheet. Place parchment paper on the baking sheet and oil it and place the rack on top. Place the tomatoes, cut side up, on the rack. Sprinkle with coarse salt and a tiny amount of sugar. Roast for two hours. Remove from the heat and allow to cool for about 30 minutes. When you bite into the tomatoes you’ll experience a rush of incredibly sweet juice and pulp.

Tips

• Advanced preparation: I keep these out at room temperature for a day and re-frigerate them for up to three days or stick them in the freezer.
• Add a sliver of garlic and rosemary for the last 10 minutes of roasting for extra flavour.