Batch-Cook Peach and Apple Sauce

This is the kind of sauce worth making in a big batch: 1 pot, and you walk away with weeks of something easy and ready in the fridge, a spoonful with breakfast, a small bowl in the afternoon, a base for other dishes.

Apples carry pectin, a soluble fiber involved in supporting digestion and in feeding the beneficial bacteria in your gut. Peaches bring their own gentle sweetness and are a source of vitamin C. There is no added sugar here at all, the fruit does the work on its own as it softens and breaks down, which keeps this naturally low in sugar and endlessly flexible.

There is real comfort in a pot of fruit simmering on the stove, in the smell of it filling the kitchen, in mashing it to the texture you like and ladling it into jars. Whole food, cooked with your own hands, set aside to nourish you later. That is worth doing slowly.

Ingredients

• 5 lb apples, chopped
• 2 lb peaches, chopped
• 2 cups water
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger (optional)

Note: all ingredients here are AIP-compliant, so nothing needed swapping or omitting. The fruit ratio is flexible and the sauce can be made with peaches alone.

Method

Put the chopped apples and peaches in a large pot with the water and bring it to a boil.

Lower the heat to a simmer and cook uncovered for about 25 minutes, stirring now and then, until the fruit is very soft. Stir in the cinnamon and ginger if you are using them.

Mash to the texture you like, leaving it chunky or working it smooth. Serve warm or cold, and freeze or can whatever you are not using right away.

*Adapted from acleanplate.com*

*Lower-sugar note: this is apples cooked down, so the sugar is the fruit itself. Use a smaller spoonful, or stir in water to soften the sweetness in each serving.*