Holiday Season Tips...FRUIT

Many people have fruit on hand over the holidays. There is the store bought fruit the is a regular staple in your home as well as the fruit basket gifts that arrive at the doorstep when you just returned from the store.

Fruit is a delicious component of our daily diets but only has a short shelf life.

What can be done with the fruit that would add a festive touch to the holidays?

APPLES: Make applesauce! Cut/core the apples and put in a saucepan. Add some butter. Cover and cook on low until apples break down. Stir from occasionally. The applesauce can be served chunky or blended to make it smooth. Cinnamon can be added ... cinnamon is a great spice to enhance the metabolism!Applesauce will stay good in the refrigerator for a few weeks.

Pears: Make Pear Soup! Cook down the pears as you would apples to make the applesauce above. YOU CAN STOP and make pear sauce...OR as you put the pears in the blender...add a teaspoon of sage. The soup can be served hot or cold. The soup can be eaten for any meal. Suggestion...1 TSP sage per 6 medium size pears.

Berries: If they start to ripen too quickly, you can freeze them and add to recipes later OR make a berry jam. All you have to do is saute the berries and add chia seeds. This recipe could be for a single kind of berry or a mixed berry combination. Cook down about 3 cups of berries. Taste. Add honey or agave as needed to sweeten...add as little as possible...let's try to keep the fruit flavor as NATURAL as possible! Add 1/4 cup of chia seeds. Stir. Let sit. Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate.