Help, My Fruits Are Rotting!

For those of us living within a few hours drive of a pick-your-own style farm, as a result of our overzealous efforts we often arrive home with more fruit than we know what to do with. In May, it's strawberries. June and July bring blackberries. August is for Raspberries, and September through October and even early November, a variety of apples become available.

Berries are some of the most quickly perishable fruits, so if you don't eat them, you have to do something with them quickly. Making pie is one option, but pies don't freeze well and so you still have to eat them. A better option is making fruit compote. Canning and jarring are yet another option, but we won't discuss those here as I'm looking to offer a quicker, simpler solution that's almost as good. You'll need the following:

• sugar
• water
• lemon juice and or vanilla
• large bowl of ice water
• medium size pot for cooking berries
  

To make compote, start with equal parts sugar and water. Mix gently to moisten all the sugar. We are making what's known as a simple syrup here, which is simply a sugar syrup. Start with low heat and let all the sugar dissolve. You want to make sure the sides of the pot are clean and no stray sugar grains are left out, otherwise your syrup will recrystallize in a few days and you will end up with rock candy. Use either a moistened pastry brush to brush down the sides of the pot as the syrup boils, or put a tight-fitting lid on the pot; the steam will gather on the lid and sides and wash down the pot for you. Make sure all the sugar has dissolved before moving on to the next stage.

Have at the ready recently washed and hulled strawberries, or blackberries, or raspberries, whatever is available at the time. Since strawberries are much less delicate than black or raspberries, you can add them right when the syrup is ready and even cook them a little while over low heat until they are just soft. Blackberries and raspberries will soften very quickly, so once you have added them to the hot syrup you should almost immediately cool your pot and cooking liquid in the ice bath. You can add a teaspoon or two of vanilla and a squeeze of lemon juice when they're done.

Now you want to lower your cooking pot into that bowl of ice water you have ready. This will cool the berries quickly and prevent them from overcooking. Stir gently with the pot submerged in the water until the berries and syrup have cooled substantially.

You can now store your compote for several weeks in the refrigerator. You can use the berries on toast, rewarm it for crepes or to put on pancakes or waffles, mix it in a fruit salad with other fruits, or serve over ice cream. And if you have syrup left over, strain it and keep it for ice cream, to decorate a plate for cakes or pies, or again for waffles or pancakes. It will keep for a long time.

My preference for apples is to make apple sauce. It keeps along time and also has many uses. To make apple sauce you'll need:

• Apples
  
• Sugar
  
• A vegetable peeler
• A large pot
• Paring knife
• Lemon juice
• Nutmeg, cinnamon (optional)

Peel and core your apples and cut into 1 inch chunks. Add to pot and cook over medium heat. Depending on the amount of apples you are using and the size of your pot, it can take anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour for most of your apples to soften up. If using a large pot, be sure to stir frequently so the apples don't burn. As the apples break down they will soften up, so resist any inclination to add water.

Once your apples are cooked to the stage you like them-some people enjoy chunky style apple sauce-add sugar to taste, a little lemon juice, and spices if desired. Let cool and store in containers in the refrigerator.

Apple sauce is great with plain yogurt, pork chops, or just on its own! Enjoy!