Fruit Butter

 

     I love carving pumpkins. It’s a family tradition, every October we each get a pumpkin and get to be creative with it. But what do you do with all the pumpkin guts when it’s all over? Cook it of course!

     I thought you might enjoy my recipe for Pumpkin Butter. It’s a crowd favorite every Fall, and can be frozen for use throughout the year. And since we’re on the topic, I figured I’d share a few other fruit butter recipes as well. After all, they’re a great way to sneak a little extra nutrition into your daily routine.


1. Pumpkin Butter is one of my favorite “jams” throughout the year. And I love to kick it up a bit by adding my secret ingredient, cardamom. I eat this on toast, waffles, crepes, and even ice cream. Try adding it to your favorite quick bread recipes to add a bit of moisture and flavor to them. This recipe is not suggested for canning, but freezing it works super well.

Pumpkin Butter

Ingredients

2 15 oz cans Pumpkin Puree (Or make your own)

1 cup Sugar

½ cup Apple Cider

½ teaspoon Ginger, ground

½ teaspoon Cinnamon, ground

¼ teaspoon Allspice, ground

¼ teaspoon Nutmeg, ground

*optional ¼ teaspoon Cardamom, ground

Instructions:
     Combine all the ingredients in a crock pot. Turn on LOW and cook for one hour. Stir and then cook for another 2 hours, with the lid partially open. Stir the butter every once in a while. It is done when it is reduced by about half, and thick enough to run your spoon across the bottom without the pumpkin running back into the space. Crock pots vary a bit, so your butter might take a little more or less time. Serve warm or cool. It will keep for about 10 days in the refrigerator and 6 months in the freezer. If you plan to freeze it, leave at least 1/2 inch at the top of each jar for expansion as it freezes.



2. And here we have the most commonly found fruit butter, at least here in the South. Apple Butter is one of my go-to’s for spreading onto my toast, but it’s so good for so many things. Try on top of your favorite cheesecake (you can also drizzle some caramel with it), spoon a bit onto your Latkes (potato pancakes), even throw some into your baked sweet potatoes. This recipe is not suggested for canning, but freezing it works super well. 

Apple Butter

Ingredients

3 pounds Apples

½ cup Sugar

½ teaspoon Cinnamon, ground

¼ teaspoon Allspice, ground

¼ teaspoon Nutmeg, ground

Instructions:
     Peel, core and roughly chop the apples. Combine all ingredients in a slow cooker and stir well. Cook on LOW for 6-7 hours. Remove the lid, and stir until the apples fall apart. Continue cooking with the lid off for 30-60 minutes, until the apple butter thickens slightly. Crock pots vary a bit, so your butter might take a little more or less time. Serve warm or cool. It will keep for about 10 days in the refrigerator and 6 months in the freezer. If you plan to freeze it, leave at least 1/2 inch at the top of each jar for expansion as it freezes.
   


3. What’s better than a tropical vacation? Lounging on the beach, breathing in that ocean air? This fruit butter brings a little of that tropical feel right into your very own kitchen. Monkey Butter is made with Bananas, Pineapple, and Coconut, so it’s like having a taste of the tropics with every bite. Try it over ice cream, on some crepes, or just spread onto your toast in the morning. If you don’t like coconut, you can use ground cashews instead, or simply leave it out. Be careful though, this recipe is not one that you can easily can for long term storage. Try freezing it instead.

Monkey Butter

Ingredients

4 very ripe Bananas, thinly sliced

1 pound Pineapple, cored and crushed

1 cup Sugar

3 tablespoons Unsweetened Coconut, ground

3 tablespoons Lemon Juice

Instructions:
     Combine all of the ingredients in a large nonstick pan. Bring to a rolling boil, stirring often. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the banana has dissolved and the mixture has thickened slightly (about 15 to 20 minutes), stirring frequently. Serve warm or chilled. Can be stored in the fridge for 4 to 6 weeks or 6 months in the freezer. If you plan to freeze it, leave at least 1/2 inch at the top of each jar for expansion as it freezes.



4. This may be the easiest of these recipes, and super tasty. Feel free to use whatever berries you have on hand, the berries I’ve suggested are just a good, standard mix. This recipe can be altered slightly for canning, but I like to keep it simple and just freeze it.

Honey Berry Butter

Ingredients

1 cup Strawberries

1 cup Blueberries

½ cup Blackberries

½ Cherries, pitted

3 teaspoons Chia Seeds, ground

½ cup Honey

2 teaspoons Lemon Juice

Instructions:
     In a food processor, purée the berries and chia seeds then transfer to a saucepan. Add the honey and the lemon juice and boil the mixture, stirring until it is thickened. Let the strawberry mixture cool to room temperature. Let the butter stand, covered, in a cool place for 1 hour to allow the flavor to develop. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Serve warm or chilled. Can be stored in the fridge for 4 to 6 weeks or 6 months in the freezer. If you plan to freeze it, leave at least 1/2 inch at the top of each jar for expansion as it freezes.



5. I love peaches and lavender, this recipe combines both! And they taste so amazing together. If you want to switch it up a bit, you can use any stone fruit in place of peaches (apricot, plumb, etc) or any aromatic herb (mint, basil, chamomile, etc). Some other great combinations may be Chamomile Plumb, Mango Mint, Mixed Stone Fruit with Ginger, or Cherry Basil. Play around with it, make some tasty combinations!

Lavender Peach Butter

Ingredients

4 lbs Peaches, peeled and pitted

1 cup Honey (or Agave Nectar)

1 cup Sugar

½ cup Apple Juice

2 tablespoons Lemon Juice

2 teaspoons food grade Lavender

Instructions:
     Place lavender buds in cheesecloth, and tie up the bundle. Bring peaches, lavender, and water to boil in a large stainless steel pot over medium high heat. Reduce heat and continue cooking until peaches are soft. Taste periodically to check strength of lavender flavor, and remove the cheesecloth bundle when you’re happy. Depending on how you feel about lavender, that may be anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes. Using an immersion blender, blend peaches until texture is uniform (or use a food processor). Measure out six cups of peach puree for the butter. (You can use the rest for jam or you can add it to a refreshing cocktail or lemonade) Combine puree, lemon juice, honey, and sugar. Stir until sugar is dissolved, then bring to a boil over medium high heat. Reduce the heat, and keep stirring! Be careful and keep a close eye on this so that it doesn’t burn. When your butter starts to thicken and sticks to the spoon, it’s ready to can. Process for 15 minutes, or according to jar size. Serve warm or chilled. Can be stored in the fridge for 4 to 6 weeks or 6 months in the freezer. If you plan to freeze it, leave at least 1/2 inch at the top of each jar for expansion as it freezes.




     As always, I hope you enjoy these recipes. Feel free to play around with the ingredients and let me know what you think below!



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Fermented Coleslaw

     This is the time of year for picnics! It's absolutely gorgeous outside, school's out, and living in Florida means that I'm within a few hours drive of some of the most beautiful natural springs and beaches. Coleslaw is a staple in almost every summertime Southern gathering, from picnics to cookouts. What better way to enjoy the summer? I actually have a handful of coleslaw recipes I tend to cycle through, and I figured that I'd share a few of them with you.

     A few years ago, I started fermenting every vegetable I could get my hands on. Some turned out amazing, and others needed work. However the most consistent ferments I made were cabbages and root vegetables. I love cabbage, but we all know how wonderful raw cabbage can be for our digestion. So I thought, why not make my coleslaw with fermented cabbage to ease the digestive process? It worked so well that I have not looked back, and keep coming up with new fermented coleslaw recipes. 

But why ferment at all? 

     There are more bacterial cells in our bodies than there are our own cells.  These bacteria are considered to be our microbiome (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microbiota).  A healthy microbiome can improve immunity, metabolism, sustains the gastrointestinal tract, supports healthy mood and brain functions, aids in proper nutrient production and absorption, as well as helping maintain healthy weight.  Eating fermented foods is one of the easiest ways to balance your microbiome.  When your microbiome is unbalanced, a number of health issues can easily develop, including depression and digestive conditions.  This is especially important after a prolonged illness and after taking antibiotics. 


The Fermented Veggies:
     Here is a recipe for fermented cabbage and other veggies to use in a slaw recipe. If you want to make a broccoli slaw instead of a traditional cabbage slaw, just use 6 cups of peeled and julienned broccoli stems in place of the green cabbage, and reduce the red cabbage by half.

Fermented Cabbage for Slaw

½ medium Green Cabbage, very thinly sliced (about 4 cups)

½ medium Red Cabbage, very thinly sliced (about 4 cups)

2 medium Carrots, peeled; julienned or grated

1 medium Onion julienned or grated

About 6 cups Distilled Water

About 4 ½ tablespoon Sea Salt

Mix together all the freshly cut vegetables and lightly salt as you pack them into a glass container (or a few mason jars). Mix the water and salt together until the salt is fully dissolved. Pour over the vegetables, leaving about ½ inch of space at the top but making sure to completely cover the veggies (if you need more of the salt water mixture, for every 1 cup of water use ¾ tablespoons of salt). Place the lid(s) on the container(s) and place in a cool dark space. Allow to sit for 3-6 weeks.

The Basic Slaw:
     Here's the basic slaw recipe I use. It's a traditional creamy Southern slaw.

Fermented Coleslaw

For the Dressing:

½ cup Mayonnaise (or vegan mayonnaise)

½ tablespoon Honey (or agave)

¼ teaspoon Celery Seeds

½ teaspoon Salt

¼ teaspoon Cayenne

¼ teaspoon freshly ground Black Pepper

1 cup Fermented Cabbage for Slaw (see above recipe), strained

Whisk mayonnaise, honey, celery seeds, salt, and pepper in a large bowl to combine. Add fermented cabbage to dressing and toss to coat. Feel free to add more mayo and spices if needed. Cover and chill until ready to serve, overnight is best but a minimum of 2 hours.


The Quick Fix:
     Fermenting the traditional way does take some time. If you want a probiotic coleslaw that can be made in 1 afternoon, try this Kombucha Slaw.

Kombucha Slaw

For the Slaw:

½ medium Green Cabbage, very thinly sliced (about 4 cups)

½ medium Red Cabbage, very thinly sliced (about 4 cups)

2 medium Carrots, peeled; julienned or grated

1 medium Onion julienned or grated

For the Dressing:

1 cup Mayonnaise (or vegan mayonnaise)

¼ cup Kombucha (the more vinegar-like flavor the better)

1-2 tablespoons Honey (or agave)

1 tablespoon Celery Seed

Salt, Pepper, and Cayenne to taste

In one bowl, mix together the vegetables. In a second bowl, whisk together remaining ingredients. Pour dressing over vegetables and toss to coat. Cover and chill until ready to serve, overnight is best but a minimum of 2 hours.

Something Kinda Sweet:
     I have always enjoyed playing around with traditional recipes. This coleslaw was inspired by an Apple Fennel slaw I had at a local restaurant once. I'm not really a fan of fennel, but it was super tasty. So the next time I made coleslaw I added apples and created my own, fennel-free, version of that Sweet and Sour Slaw.

Sweet and Sour Slaw

For the Dressing:

½ cup Plain Greek Yogurt (or vegan alternative)

¼ cup Mayonnaise (or vegan mayonnaise)

3-4 tablespoons Honey (or agave)

1 teaspoon Black Pepper

½ teaspoon ground Mustard

½ teaspoon Poppy Seeds

Salt to taste

For the Slaw:

2 cups Fermented Cabbage for Slaw (see above recipe), strained

2 firm Apples (sweet red or yellow apples work best, but you can use green apples for a more tart flavor), cored and julienned

1 Celery Stalk, thinly sliced or grated

¼ cup Raisins

In one bowl, combine yogurt, mayo, honey, pepper, mustard, and poppy seeds. Whisk well to combine. In another, larger, bowl, combine remaining ingredients. Pour dressing over vegetables and toss to coat. Cover and chill until ready to serve, overnight is best but a minimum of 2 hours.
   

Avocado and Garden Fresh Veggies:
     This recipe uses mashed avocado in place of mayonnaise. However, the best part is the ability to use whatever veggies you want in the fermented veggies mix, this is a great way to use any veggies your garden may have produced in excess. This is also great made with Zucchini and Summer Squash.

Avocado Garden Slaw

For the Fermented Veggies: 

(follow the same instructions as with the Fermented Cabbage for Slaw recipe above but use these ingredients)

2 cups Cabbage or Brussels Sprouts, thinly sliced

About 6-8  Raddishes, julienned or grated

2 medium sized Golden Beets, julienned or grated (or any other beet, but the golden beets won't change the color of your slaw)

1 medium Carrot, peeled; julienned or grated

1 medium Onion julienned or grated

About 4 cups Distilled Water

About 3 tablespoon Sea Salt

For the Dressing:

1 cup Avocado, pureed

1 tablespoons Honey (or agave)

1 teaspoon Black Pepper

½ teaspoon ground Mustard

½ teaspoon Fresh Garlic, minced

Salt to taste

Fresh Veggies:

1 cup Sugar Snap Peas, thinly sliced

1 cup Kale (or other fresh green), thinly sliced

1 cup Swiss Chard Leaves, thinly sliced

Go ahead and slice up those stalks and add them as well (or not, your choice)

1 Celery Stalk, thinly sliced or grated

     

Strain the fermented veggies and add in the fresh ones. In a different bowl, combine dressing ingredients and mix well (this might work even better in a food processor or blender). If the dressing is a bit thick, add in a bit of the liquid you strained from the fermented veggies. Combine both mixtures and toss to coat. Cover and chill until ready to serve, overnight is best but a minimum of 2 hours.




     I hope you enjoy these Coleslaw recipes!  If you have any questions or comments, please leave them below!