STEWED-FRUIT COMPOTE WITH NO ADDED SUGAR

With 35 (and counting) fruiting trees, bushes and berries in our backyard, during preserving season our home is bustling with activity. It starts in December, with our apricots ripening around Christmas, and continues until the ‘Golden Queen’ peaches at the end of March. The conserve recipe on the left is a favourite, but we turn the bulk of our fruit into this compote, which we serve with breakfast or eat as a snack with yoghurt and a swirl of nut butter.

Firm-fleshed fruit works best to produce a thick, flavoursome compote. There’s no need to add a sweetener because as the fruit cooks down, the fruit sugars concentrate into a delicious, naturally sweet sauce. Makes about 6 × 500ml jars

Ingredients 4-5kg firm-fleshed fruit (plums, apricots, peaches, pears or apples) ½ cup water Flavour additions,

to taste vanilla pods or extract spices (ground cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, mixed spice or bay leaf)

Wash 6 × 500ml jars in hot, soapy water and rinse well, or run through the dishwasher. Set aside to dry on a dish rack while you prepare the fruit.

Chop the fruit into halves (plums, apricots) or quarters (peaches, pears, apples), removing the stones and cores, plus the skin if it’s tough (alternatively, you could use a mouli to purée the fruit when it’s cooked).

Place the prepared fruit in a large pot (or 2 smaller pots if it doesn’t fit into one). Add ½ cup water (or ¼ cup water to each smaller pot), cover with a lid and gently cook over a low heat.

Don’t be tempted to add more liquid. Instead, allow the fruit to slowly steam and release its juices. Leave to cook for 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the fruit is very tender and the bulk has reduced considerably.

Cool for a while, then mash with a potato masher or purée with a stick blender into a smooth compote. Check the taste, enhancing with any flavour additions as desired.

Use the water bath or open pan preserving method (see right) to bottle the compote into jars. Once the jars are completely cool, check the lids to make sure they’re properly vacuum sealed. Name and date the jars and store in a cool, dark pantry for up to 6 months. Once opened, keep refrigerated and consume

within a week.