by Jen Langdon, CSA 2018 Member

Fall is the time of the year everyone here at CHF wants their homes to smell like cooking apples or pears. It’s such a homey, back to school, get your sweaters out of storage, install your storm windows smell.

Sure, you can buy pear sauce and apple sauce from the grocery—but it’s nowhere near as good as the stuff you can cook in your own kitchen. And that sad grocery store jar isn’t going to make your house smell like it’s time to go jump in a big leaf pile.

The recipe below is delicious and simple. If you want to fancy it up a bit, you can always add a teaspoon of cinnamon or ginger in the final step.

Ingredients 

Pears, apples, or a combination 
A splash of cider, juice, or water
A splash of apple cider vinegar (We use MadHouse Apple Cider Vinegar)
A pinch of salt
A spoonful of brown sugar or honey (to taste, and we use CHF honey)

Directions

Core and chop fruit. Mix all ingredients in a heavy pan and simmer until fruit is starting to fall apart, stirring occasionally. Be careful, it will sputter!

If you like chunkier sauce, you can enjoy it as-is. For a smoother texture, process in a food mill on a fine screen or push through a fine strainer. The skins will be removed, as well as the gritty texture of some local pears.

Return the sauce to the pan after milling and simmer until the thickness is to your liking.