When I think of applesauce, pictures pop up in my mind. The first, as a kid when dessert was always on the menu for weeknight suppers. In the spring, a more or less steady supply of stewed rhubarb, then summer's succession of fresh berries, peaches and when summer turned to fall, applesauce. If there was nothing else, the rounded white Leonard door opened to a bowl of applesauce. It was one of the first things I learned to cook - so simple: peeled apples, a splash of water, some heat, a little elbow grease with the potato masher and a touch of sugar or honey for sweetness. 

The second applesauce image comes from a visit to a boyfriend's family home near Pittsburg in the US. The boyfriend loved applesauce - only for breakfast. During the visit, after I'd been OKed by his family, his mother took me to the chest freezer to show me the quarts of applesauce -frozen in the fall, ready for when the golden boy came home from college, yearning for his applesauce breakfast. As I remember, it went with strips of crisp bacon, and I may have imagined this part, cinnamon toast. On reflection, this was Mom passing the applesauce baton onto me, future wife and cook. The guy's long gone from my life, and but not his applesauce.

Move the kitchen up to the 70s when Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking was a best seller, and all the rage - the first time round. The book inspired the introduction of Charlotte aux Pommes (Apple Charlotte) and Tarte aux Pommes (Apple Tart)  to my entertaining dessert repertoire. Simply put, a charlotte is a moulded dessert, in the case of apples, a rich thickened applesauce surrounded by butter crisped strips of bread, baked, turned out and eaten with lightly whipped cream. The Tart features artfully arranged and glazed  apple slices over applesauce simmered to a lustrous deep golden apple "marmalade". A far cry from a humble  bowl of applesauce, well beyond the companion to cinnamon toast and bacon, these desserts are  the "haut" of the applesauce world. 

So why, in the 21st century would anyone take a perfectly good apple and bother to make applesauce? Is it frugality? What was thrifty eating now has the cachet of  local and seasonal. Apples are not expensive, especially at markets and roadside stands. Applesauce is simple to make - a good introduction for kids interested in cooking. Best of all, different varieties of apples make different tasting applesauce - and you don't get that out of a jar in the supermarket!  You can sweeten as you like and according to the sweetness of the apples - not much for Gala, a touch more for Cortland or Northern Spy. And applesauce is a delightful ingredient, adding the essence of a crisp fall day to muffins, quickbread loaves, puddings, and as they say, much more...see below. 

Very Simple Applesauce

This template recipe yields about 4 cups (1 L) applesauce - enough to enjoy for a few suppers and breakfasts. Double or quadruple the amount if you want to freeze or preserve some in jars for cold times. While cinnamon is almost wedded to apples and sauce, I recommend making the sauce without so you can enjoy the clean taste of the apples. You can always add cinnamon or a grate of nutmeg to the sauce at serving time.

10 cups (2.5 L) peeled, cored and sliced apples (7 large apples or 3 lb/1.5 kg)

1 cup (250 mL) water

1/4 cup (50 mL) granulated sugar, optional

. In a medium-large saucepan, bring the apples and water to a simmer over medium heat. Cover, reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the apples are tender, about 20 minutes. 

. Mash with a potato masher or fork for chunky sauce, or for silky smoothness, press through a food mill or puree using an immersion blender or stand blender.

. Taste, adding sugar if desired.

. Makes about 4 cups (1 L) applesauce.

Microwave Applesauce: Pack the apples with the water into a large microwaveable bowl. Microwave uncovered on high for 12 minutes, stirring twice; let stand for 2 minutes. Mash as desired.

Rosy Pink Applesauce: If you're making sauce with red apples such as Cortland, McIntosh, Spartan or Empire, wash the apples thoroughly and leave the skins on when you're coring and slicing the apples. Press the cooked sauce through a food mill or sieve to remove the skins - but not the colour they've added to the sauce. Or puree the cooked sauce in a food processor or blender so the skins become part of the sauce.

Slow Cooker Applesauce

This nicely tarted up applesauce comes from the brand new Canadian Living/The Slow Cooker Collection, Transcontinental Books, $22.95. But again, nothing could be simpler than putting the ingredients in the slow cooker and buzzing off for a few hours of fun...work or errands. 

8 cups (2L) sliced peeled and cored apples

1/2 cup (125 mL) packed brown sugar

1/4 cup (50 mL) apple cider or juice

1 strip lemon rind

2 tbsp (30 mL) lemon juice

Pinch each cinnamon and nutmeg, optional

. In slow cooker, gently toss together the apples, sugar, cider, lemon rind and juice.

. Cover and cook on low until apples are tender and break down, about 6 to 8 hours. Discard lemon rind.

. Using an immersion blender or potato masher, puree or mash apples to the desired texture. Stir in cinnamon and nutmeg, if using. (Make-ahead: Let cool. Refrigerate in airtight container for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 1 month.)

. Makes 4 cups (1 L)

Preserving Applesauce

. Freezing Applesauce: The simplest way is to pack cooled applesauce into freezer containers, bags or rigid. Mark "applesauce" on the container, the date of production and the amount. I don't know about you, but it's so easy to forget what's in the containers. (The freezer seems to wave a wand of sameness over the containers.)You will bless yourself when you go to look for the applesauce and can find it easily. Pack it away in amounts that suit your household needs, especially if you're planning to use the sauce as an ingredient.

. Canning Applesauce: To preserve in jars (funny how the word canning is still  used even though jars have replaced cans for home preserving), pack piping hot applesauce into hot preserving 1 or 2 cup  250 or 500 mL) jars leaving 1/2-inch (1.25 cm) headspace. Seal with new discs you've softened for a few minutes in hot water, and bands tightened until resistance is met, then to fingertip tightness. Place in the rack of a boiling water canner about 2/3 full of very hot water. Add boiling water if necessary to cover the jars by 1-inch (2.5 cm). Cover and bring to the boil; boil for 20 minutes. Turn off the heat and uncover until boiling subsides. Using canning tongs, lift out and set on a rack to cool for a day. Check that the seals have flipped downward before storing in a cool dark spot.Refrigerate and eat up any that haven't sealed properly within a week. If you respect the headspace, new lids and good preserving jars rules, all your jars should seal properly. 

What To Do With Applesauce

. Eat it for breakfast, either half and half with plain or vanilla yogurt, or to top a bowl of oatmeal or granola. Spoon over pancakes.

. Treat it as a snack for after school with cinnamon toast.

. Spoon applesauce into bowls and top with frozen vanilla yogurt for a quickie weeknight dessert.

. Pack it for lunch - for adults and kids in a reusable container.

. Serve it with latkes for Hannukah.

. Moisten and flavour stuffing - add a cup of thick applesauce to stuffing for a turkey, alongside, of course, the usual onions, celery, herbs and cubed bread.

. Make Apple Fool,  a 5-minute mini dessert:  If your smooth applesauce is unsweetened, or only somewhat sweet, stir in 1 to 2 tbsp. (15 to 30 mL) liquid honey into a cup of applesauce. Whip 3/4 cup (175 mL) 35% cream. Layer applesauce and cream in demi-tasse cups or small glasses, finishing with cream. Dust with cinnamon or nutmeg, or top with toasted sliced almonds. Makes 3 to 4 desserts.

. Count on applesauce to go with grilled pork chops, lusty sausages, crispy roast pork loin and tenderloin. Delicious with goose and duck too.

. Mix into pureed rutabaga to temper the rutabaga's bitter edge.  Or stir into pureed parsnips or sweet potatoes to add another dimension to the vegetable. 

. Preserve applesauce either processed in jars (see above) or in plastic freezer containers in handy 1 cup (250 mL) amounts. Then you have applesauce handy for Applesauce Raisin Loaf, Applesauce Muffins and much more. Even a fancy French Charlotte.

Glazed Applesauce Loaf

The recipe is slightly adapted from Judith Comfort and Katherine Chute's Apples, Apples, Apples published by Doubleday in 1986 - still one of the best books on the fruit. 

1/2 cup (125 mL) butter, softened

1 cup (250 mL) granulated sugar

2 large eggs at room temperature

1-3/4 cups (425 mL) all-purpose flour

1 tsp (5 mL) baking powder

1/2 tsp (2 mL) baking soda

1/2 tsp (2 mL) each salt, ground cinnamon and nutmeg

1/4 tsp (1 mL) ground cloves

1 cup (250 mL) applesauce, unsweetened preferred

1/2 cup (125 mL) walnut halves, chopped

1/2 cup (125 mL) raisins or dried cranberries

Glaze:

1/2 cup (125 mL) icing sugar

1 tbsp (15 mL) apple juice or milk

. Line a 9 -x 5-inch (2 L) loaf pan with parchment paper - 2 layers are best, or grease; set aside.

. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar until well blended and light. Beat in the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each.

. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Add to the butter mixture in 2 additions, alternating with 1 addition of the applesauce.  

. When the last addition of the dry ingredients is almost incorporated, sprinkle the surface with the walnuts and raisins. Mix just until the ingredients are combined.

. Scrape into the prepared pan, spreading the batter evenly. Tap the pan lightly on the counter. 

. Bake in the centre of a 350°F (180°C) oven until a cake tester inserted into the centre comes out clean, about 50 to 60 minutes. 

. Let cool in pan on rack for 15 minutes. Turn out onto a rack, using a second rack or a small rimless baking sheet to turn the loaf upright and to slide it back onto the rack, top up. 

. Glaze: In a small bowl, stir together the icing sugar and juice. For a clear glaze,  brush the glaze over the loaf while the loaf is warm , or for an opaque glaze, drizzle over a cool loaf. 

. Makes about 10 to 12 slices. 

Make-ahead Tip: The loaf freezes well thoroughly cooled and without the glaze. Freeze either the entire loaf, sections or slices that suit your household's needs. Wrap the pieces using quality plastic wrap and enclose in a freezer container or bag. The loaf also stores well at room temperature. Wrap or enclose in an airtight container, sneaking the odd little slice to test for mellowness and keeping qualities. 

Applesauce Muffins

This is an easy bake recipe, ideal for kids interested in helping make school lunches or make-ahead breakfast items.

2 cups (500 mL) all-purpose flour

3/4 cup (175 mL) granulated sugar

2 tsp (10 mL) baking powder

1/2 tsp (2 mL) baking soda

1/2 tsp (2 mL) ground cinnamon, optional

1/4 tsp (1 mL) salt

1 large egg 

1 cup (250 mL) applesauce, unsweetened preferred

1/3 cup (75 mL) canola oil

1/2 cup (125 mL) diced peeled and cored apple

1/2 cup (125 mL) chopped walnut halves

Cinnamon Crunch Topping:

4 tsp (20 mL) granulated sugar

1/2 tsp (2 mL) ground cinnamon

. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners or grease; set aside.

. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda , cinnamon, if using, and salt.

. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, applesauce and oil. Pour over the dry ingredients. Sprinkle the diced apple and walnuts over the wet ingredients and with a wooden spoon, swiftly and neatly stir the ingredients until just blended.

. Scoop into the prepared muffin tins.

. . Cinnamon Crunch Topping: Stir together the sugar and cinnamon. Spoon a generous 1/4 tsp (1 mL) over each scoop of muffin batter.

. Bake in the centre of a 375°F (190°C) oven until domed, firm to the touch and fragrant, about 20 minutes.

. Let cool in pans on rack for about 5 minutes; remove from pans to cool on a rack. (Make-ahead: Let cool; store in airtight container for up to 3 days. Or wrap in quality plastic wrap, then enclose in a freezer container. Freeze for up to 2 weeks.)

. Makes 12 muffins. 

Early in the 1990s, the Canadian Living Test Kitchen received a letter from reader Emilie Dore.

Emilie wrote that she had been invited to a party, a Hallowe'en party if my memory serves me right, and asked to bring finger food.

Her inventive mind took the request literally, and using an icing sugar-based vanilla cookie dough, shaped the dough into long ovals, pressed a whole almond into one end for a fingernail, and near the other end, used the back of a knife to mark knuckle creases. Into the oven, and out came the cookies. And here's where finger-shaped cookies turned into witches' fingers.

You probably all know that nuts stuck into a cookie are like  loose teeth, and as soon as the cookies are jiggled, the nuts falls out. How well this looseness worked for the ensuing Witches' Fingers! Emilie Dore removed the almonds, piped a good blob of red decorator gel into the cavity and replaced the almonds. The gel held the almonds secure, but more important, oozed up around the almond fingernails, creating truly gruesome looking fingers. Witches' Fingers. 

Canadian Living published the recipe, and in the same year, the magazine moved from Yonge and Eglinton to Yonge and Sheppard in Toronto, with two different test kitchen facilities in the intervening months as we waited for appliances, flooring and cupboards in our lovely new kitchen. In the packing up and unpacking, Emilie Dore's letter was lost, as was credit for Witches' Fingers. 

In the meantime, her recipe became the Hallowe'en recipe for countless Canadian Living readers, and many others, including bake shops and catering facilities that baked as many fingers as they could, and saw an eager public buy them all up in a trice.

I can't tell you how delighted I was to be contacted by Emilie Dore a couple of years back. She emailed me introducing herself, and asking what we could do to let readers, and especially her family know that it was she who devised the fabled Witches' Fingers. The Canadian Living website did just that, and when in 2008 we published The Complete Canadian Living Baking Book, I took the opportunity to give credit to Emilie Dore for introducing us to Witches' Fingers. 

In late summer 2009, I was invited to appear on the cooking stage. Book 'n' Cook at Toronto's Word on the Street, as it turns out, yesterday September 27. With the line-up organized by Emily Richards and MCd by the Cookbook Store's Alison Fryer, the stage attracted a large standing-room only crowd of food and word enthusiasts. In my thinking about what to demonstrate, my mind went to Witches' Fingers. With October on the horizon, ideas for parties leading up to Hallowe'en are always needed, and what better way to entertain party goers - you may think only kids, but teens and adults love these fingers too, than to prepare a batch of dough and invite participants to shape their own fingers, see them baked, do the squishy-gel-under-the-nail-step, and then get to take a few home. 

And yes, even though many in the Word on the Street audience were familiar with Witches' Fingers, some were horrified to see  them for the first time, and everyone was able to learn about the reader who shared her Witches' Fingers with Canadian Living Magazine readers.

Even when the flour has been incorporated, the dough is still too soft to shape. The refrigerator is your friend.

Witches' Fingers

1 cup (250 mL) butter, softened

1 cup (250 mL) icing sugar

1 large egg at room temperature

1 tsp (5 mL) each vanilla and almond extract

2-3/4 cups (675 mL) all-purpose flour

1 tsp (5 mL) baking powder

3/4 tsp (4 mL) salt

3/4 cup (175 mL) whole blanched almonds, about 65

1 tube (19 g) red decorator gel

. Line 2 rimless shiny baking sheets with parchment paper or grease; set aside. (Parchment is recommended.)

. In a large bowl, beat the butter until fluffy. Beat in the icing sugar until blended. Beat in the egg, vanilla and almond extract, beating until the batter is smooth.

. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Stir half into the butter mixture, then stir in the remainder to make a soft smooth dough.  

. Flatten into a disc; wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes or up to 1 day.

. Working with a quarter of the dough at a time, and keeping the remainder refrigerated, roll heaping teaspoonfuls (generous 5 mL) into elongated ovals, about 2-1/2 inches (6.25 cm) long. Press an almond firmly into 1 end of dough for a nail. Press the dough to thicken slightly in the middle to create a wider knuckle. Using the back of a paring knife, press across in 3 places to form knuckle wrinkles. Place on prepared baking sheets leaving about 2 inches (5 cm) between fingers. 

. Refrigerate fingers on baking sheets until firm about 45 minutes.

. Bake 1 sheet at at time in the centre of a 325°F (160°C) oven until pale golden underneath and the almond has darkened slightly, about 18 to 20 minutes. Let cool on pan on rack for about 5 minutes.

In spite of the chilling, the cookies spread. Be sure to leave space between the raw fingers.

. Lift up almonds, 1 at a time. Squeeze red decorator gel into the cavity (aka nail bed) and press almond back in place so gel oozes out from underneath and frames the fingernail. Transfer to racks to cool. (Make-ahead: Layer between waxed paper in airtight container and store at room temperature for up to 5 days.)

. Makes about 60 cookies. 

Important Tip: Red decorator gel is available in supermarkets with the decorator collection of sprinkles, icings and coloured sugars in the baking section. Get your tube as soon as possible as red seems to be scarce.  If red is not available, talk to your store manager as soon as possible. Otherwise, you are going to have to persuade your children that witches' blood is green, or heaven help us, blue.

Chocolate Witches' Fingers

. Make as directed for Witches' Fingers with the following easy changes.

. Replace 1/4 cup (50 mL) of the all-purpose flour with cocoa powder.

. Instead of whisking the dry ingredients, you need to sift the cocoa with the flour, baking powder and salt. Sift twice or until the dark cocoa and white dry ingredients are perfectly blended.  

. To bring out the chocolate flavour, you can replace the 1 tsp (5 mL) almond extract with vanilla bringing the vanilla up to 2 tsp (10 mL).

When making a batch of cookies, I find it easier if I measure out all the blobs of dough (bottom), then shape them into rounds before forming the elongated oval. The final step, top, is pressing in the almonds and marking the knuckle.

Jamming with Nicolette Novak is fun- not work.

I met Nicolette Novak during peach season about 20 years ago. Not an unusual time to meet a tender fruit farmer in the Niagara Peninsula, expecially one who bonded with me in two respects: a dual passion for preserving and baking, especially, fruit pies. The location of our rendez-vous? Nicolette's retail outlet along the Queen Elizabeth Highway where her business focused on baskets of ripe-picked local fruit, homemade fruit pies and preserves. 

 It was around preserving that we got together in mid August for a day of jamming. Nicolette's life has shifted in the last two decades. From fruit farmer, Nicolette has created a a whole new business based on her passion for where she grew up and lives - The Twenty area of the Peninsula, Beamsville being the major centre of this fruit and wine region. Her enterprise is called The Good Earth, and while its roots are cooking school and catering, with tutored taste travel, it now encompasses weddings, picnics in the orchard, a line of pantry products, notably preserves, apricot jam, for example, plus stocks and other cooking items you may not have time to make at home, take-away lunches, a model 3-season garden, vineyards and a winery. The Good Earth  has had an enormous role in nurturing young chefs in the region and bonding locally grown food to the ever-growing wine industry. 

The Good Earth operates year round in a large airy and country-smart compact new"barn", appropriately set in the Novac orchards. Early on Nicolette built an outdoor barbecue area where her teaching chefs, notably pit boss Mike McColl conduct classes all-good-weather-long. I recommend that you check out www.goodearthcooking. com for a list of the upcoming special events and fall classes with resident chefs Isa DiIorio and Patrick Engel plus a sprinkling of local chefs. Soon Nicolette will be posting news about her new winery.

But back to that morning in August when I arrived to find a flat of just-picked apricots waiting our time, knive and long wooden spoons.

The Good Earth Apricot Jam 

Apricot jam just happens to be about my most favourite jam - not that I grew up with it. I was smitten years ago as a grad student, my first day in Paris, when breakfast in the tiny oh-so-chic hotel (I was easily awestruck - it was my first trip abroad) consisted of a big bowl of strong coffee and hot milk, a crackling length of baguette with sweet butter...and apricot jam. Hard not to think of Paris without my mind slipping into reveries of apricot jam. 

For a chunky apricot jam, start with halved or quartered apricots, depending on the size of the apricots, and look for apricots clearly on the firm side.

Nicolette's Apricot Jam is suitably Paris-style  soft set - not like most of the commercial apricots jams set firm enough to slice. Her jam is meant to drool over a slice of toast, buttered baguette, croissant or hot scone. The ratio is basically 4 parts prepared fruit to 3 parts sugar. Add some water to help soften the fruit, and lemon juice for tang and set, and you're jamming.

The fastest way to measure out ingredients is with a small scale.

4 lb (2 kg) washed, quartered and pitted apricots

3 lb (1.5 kg) granulated sugar

1 cup (250 mL) water

1/4 cup (50 mL) lemon juice

. Wash and air-dry 15 (1 cup/250 mL) canning jars with new lids. Set out all canning equipement: tongs: funnel: metal 1/2 cup (125 mL) measuring cup. Fill a boiling water canner about 2/3 full of water. Arrange canning jars on rack; cover and set over low heat to warm to steaming. Set 2 small plates in the freezer. Place new lids in a heatproof bowl; cover with hot water a few minutes before filling jars with jam. Do not boil lids or bands.

. In a large preserving pan or Dutch oven, stir together the apricots, sugar and water.

This flared, heavy-bottomed preserving pan is from Lee Valley.

. Set over high heat and stirring constantly, bring to a rapid foamy boil. Add the lemon juice. Boil hard until the seething mass is reduced by a generous quarter, apricots begin to soften and break down, and syrup surrounding them thickens, about 15 minutes for this quanitity of fruit.

The Queen of Jam wills the apricot jam to set. Note how vigorously the jam is boiling and how important it is to use long-handled wooden spoon to stir the jam. It keeps your hands and arms away from molten spatters.

. Nicolette is such a pro at jamming that she doesn't need the Wrinkle Test*, but if you aren't as experienced as she, check out the information below. Instead, as the jam cleared, we both listened for the now big bubbles to crack and pop as she stirred, indicating that the liquid had thickened as it reduced. We also did another witch-over-the-cauldron-style test: we stirred the jam with a long wooden spoon, then held the spoon high above the pan, parallel to the pan and watched the jam drop off the spoon back into the pan. Early on the jam flowed off quickly, then it started to hesitate, finally hung in a single drop from the bottom side of the spoon. At that point the jam was done.

. Remove from heat; skim off any foam and let settle for about 5 minutes, stirring.

. Using the funnel and metal measuring cup, fill the hot jars with jam to 1/4-inch (5 mm) from the top. With a damp paper towel, wipe any jam slopped over the rim. Cover with lids and bands, screwing on bands until you meet resistance, then tighten just a tad more to finger-tip tight. 

.Using preserving tongs, set as many filled jars as will fit onto rack in boiling water canner; lower rack. Add boiling water if necessary to bring water level at least 1-inch (2.5 cm) above tops of jars. Cover and bring to boil.

. Boil for 10 minutes. Remove from heat; uncover canner. Let boiling water settle for 5 minutes. With preserving tongs  transfer jars to a rack or folded towel to cool. Repeat boiling any jars that didn't fit into the boiling water canner the first time round. 

. Do the usual wipe, label and storage in a cool dark place until the morning when you want to bathe your breakfast in a touch of Niagara summer - or a memory of Paris. The cafe au lait, crusty baguette and sweet butter are optional, but recommended. 

. Makes about 14 jars, 1 cup (250 mL), of jam. 

Tip: Nicolette used very snazzy preserving jar with a single-piece lid. All of her jars sealed to perfection. If by chance any of your canning jars with the two piece disc and band don't pop and seal, store that jar in the fridge and enjoy its contents within about 3 weeks. 

* Wrinkle Test: set two small plates in the freezer when you're assembling your jars and equipment. When a preserve has been boiling and from the pull on the spoon feels as though it's thickening, do a test with one of the plates. Remove the preserve from the heat. Dribble about 1/2 tsp (2 mL) preserve on the plate; let the preserve on the plate cool, about 2 minutes. Run the tip of a spoon through the preserve; if the surface wrinkles, the preserve is set. If the dribble is runny, return the plate to the freezer and panful of preserve to the heat. Boil hard, stirring constantly until the preserve on the colder plates of the 2 plates wrinkles. 

Peach Conserve

There is a little problem with apricot jam - the season is short, and alas, fresh apricots may not still  be available. You may have to wait until next summer to make a batch of Nicolette's Good Earth Apricot Jam. Peaches to the rescue, in a heritage recipe  that like apricots, makes a very soft-set preserve. The word "conserve" in the title of a preserve indicates a jam-like preserve with citrus fruit. There are sometimes spices as well, but not in this conserve. The original peach conserve recipe  I found hand written by my aunt Bessie Babb of Sebringville, Ontario, included maraschino cherries - and even though I don't usually include them, I've offered them as an option - in her honour. 

2 medium navel oranges, Cara Cara if available

1 large lemon

2 cups (500 mL) water, approximate

8 cups (2 L) coarsely chopped peeled and pitted peaches, about 9 large peaches that fit into a 3 L basket, or about 4 lb (2 kg)

6 cups (1.5 L) granulated sugar

Optional additions: 1/2 cup (125 ml) slivered maraschino cherries and/or 3/4 cup (175 mL) slivered blanched almonds

. Wash and air-dry 9 (1 cup/250 mL) canning jars with new lids. Set out all canning equipement: tongs: funnel: metal 1/2 cup (125 mL) measuring cup. Place 2 small plates in the freezer. Fill a boiling water canner about 2/3 full of water. Arrange canning jars on rack; cover and set over low heat to warm to steaming. Place new lids in a heatproof bowl; cover with hot water a few minutes before filling jars with jam. Do not boil lids or bands.

. Scrub oranges and lemon. Cut our stem and blossom ends, and any blemishes. Cut oranges in quarters; slice crosswise very thinly, discarding any seeds. Pare off lemon rind: cut into very thin strips about 1-inch (2.5 cm) long. Squeeze lemon to make about 1/4 cup (50 mL) juice. Set juice aside.

. Place orange slices, lemon rind strips, squeezed lemon halves and water in a Dutch oven. Cover and bring to a very low simmer. Cook the citrus fruit, stirring occasionally, until rinds are very tender, almost mushy when pinched, about 55 minutes. Watch carefull and add more water if necessary to keep the rinds steeping in water. When finished, there should be a shallow pool of water keeping the rinds juicy. Remove the squeezed lemon rinds. Let them cool enough to squeeze any liquid  back into the cooked rinds. 

. Stir in the peaches, sugar and lemon juice. Bring to a full rolling boil over high heat, stirring constantly; boil hard until conserve is reduced by a generous quarter, about 20 minutes. 

. Remove conserve from heat; let cool slightly. Either whiz about a third of the conserve with an immersion blender ( a Nicolette Novak trick to give body to soft-set preserves) or scoop out 3 cups (750 mL) of the conserve and puree in a blender. Return pureed conserve to pot. Add cherries and/or almonds, if using.

. Bring back to boil, reduce heat to medium and continue cooking and stirring constantly until thickened and setting point is reached, about 10 minutes.

. Remove from heat;  let settle for about 5 minutes, stirring.

. Using the funnel and metal measuring cup, fill the hot jars to 1/4-inch (5 mm) from the top. With a damp paper towel, wipe any jam slopped over the rim. Cover with lids and bands, screwing on bands until you meet resistance, then tighten just a tad more to finger-tip tight. 

.Using preserving tongs, set as many filled jars as will fit onto rack in boiling water canner; lower rack. Add boiling water if necessary to bring water level at least 1-inch (2.5 cm) above tops of jars. Cover and bring to boil.

. Boil for 10 minutes. Remove from heat; uncover canner. Let boiling water settle for 5 minutes. With preserving tongs  transfer jars to a rack or folded towel to cool. Repeat boiling any jars that didn't fit into the boiling water canner the first time round. 

. Do the usual wipe, label and storage in a cool dark place.

. Makes about 8 jars, 1 cup (250 mL), of jam. 

Because some of the conserve was pureed, the spread has a very pleasing thickness. It is almost sauce-like.

Tip: This conserve, while lovely in all jam uses, is also quite a nice topping for rice pudding, ice cream, vanilla pots de creme, mascarpone cheese or drained yogurt.

By the basket? By the pound? When it comes to peaches in the fruit belt regions of Ontario like the Niagara Peninsula and the Lake Erie shores, you can indeed buy peaches by the pound, but at markets and in most local supermarket, peaches come by the basket, often crowding up over the top.

Roadside stands like this one on Lincoln Avenue in Grimsby, Ontario has a trusting policy. You pick up your fuit and/or vegetables and put your money in the box.

The baskets are the same for apples, pears and plums, and now mostly hold 2 L or 3 L. Gone are the hot August days when peach lovers lugged home bushels, pecks and more commonly 11 and 6 quart baskets to can, make jam, fruit chili sauce, chutneys and frozen peach slices. It seems that the peaches are now going home to be eaten - out of hand with a towel handy to catch the drips - or in family favourite pies, cobblers, compotes or simply and deliciously sliced over ice cream. A drizzle of honey optional.

There are two very important things to know about peaches. Number 1: Ripeness. A bit of a catch 22 situation as peaches are divine when tender, - "pinch-ripe" according to William Morris. I defy anyone to find "pinch-ripe" peaches in a supermarket. Orchardists know that for their peaches to make the journey to supermarket shelves, they have to be picked firm and slightly underripe. Sans fragrance. For peaches of this texture and with peachy aroma, a trip to a pick-your-own farm is in order. Or a few tricks up your sleeve to turn firm peaches into ones that "give" with the tenderest of pressure.

Number 2: Fuzz. Get over it. The peach's downy cover is one of its most alluring characteristic. Once a peach is washed, the fuzz flattens and shouldn't interefere with peach enjoyment. However, enough consumers are bothered by the fuzz that some growers buff off the fuzz - and as you can imagine, the peaches have to be very firm in order to withstand the buffing so chances are defuzzed peaches will be on the underripe side. Hence the need for ripening.

Buffin/defuzzing g brings out the colour of the skin.

Ripening Peaches

Set peaches out in a single layer on a tray - lined with a cloth if desired. Place the tray on the counter away from the sun and let the peaches soften and loose any green near the stem. This will take 2 to 3 days. Once peaches "give" to a slight pressure, eat them, use them for baking or if you have to, store in the fridge for a couple of days. The whole point of peaches, though, is to pick,peel and eat.

Peeling Peaches:

If peaches are properly ripe, all you need to do to peel them is to start at the stem end, and with a paring knife, get under an edge of the skin and pull it off. You will need about 6 pulls to completely disrobe the peach. If you are doing a vast number of peaches, it's faster to place the peaches in a pan, cover them with boiling water until skins are very loose, about 10 seconds, use a slotted spoon to remove them to a bowl of cold water and then to a tray to peel. If you are doing only about a dozen or so peaches, and your peaches are ripe, pulling off the skin is the way to go. If you have to peel a peach like an apple, it is underripe or an import - or both. And shouldn't cross your lips. 

Schnitz Peach Pie

My mother, Olive Davis - and her sister Bessie Babb and Helen Harris, Perth County farm girls all, knew how to make pies. Over the spring, summer and fall a succession of "schnitz" pies came out of their ovens, starting with rhubarb, moving onto peaches and plums and finishing off with the fruit most people associate with a crumble topping and creamy filling, apples. Having to choose one fruit over the other or to pick which sister was the best pie maker would be just too stressful, each fruit is glorious in its own season, each baker talented. But since it's peach season, and I am my mother's daughter, here's the pie that said company-for-supper in my mother's August  kitchen.

Single Crust Sour Cream Pastry (see below)

2/3 cup (150 mL) packed light brown sugar

3 tbsp (45 mL) all-purpose flour

Tiny pinch salt

2 tbsp (30 mL) cold butter, diced

6 large ripe peaches

2 tsp (10 mL) fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup (50 mL) whipping cream

1 large egg yolk

1/4 tsp (1 mL) ground cinnamon

. On a pastry cloth or flour-dusted work surface, roll pastry out to 11-inch (27 cm) circle. Do not trim edges. Roll up on rolling pin and unroll over deep 9-inch (23 cm) pie plate. Without stretching, ease pastry into pie shell. Using kitchen shears, trim edge to within 1/2 inch (1.25 cm) of rim of pie plate; fold overhang under pastry on rim. Flute  pastry on the rim, or press gently with fork to create a pattern.  Refrigerate this pie shell while making the filling.

. In a medium bowl, use fork to blend the sugar, flour and salt. Add the butter and cut in with fork to make a crumbly mixture. Spoon about a third of this crumble into pie shell. 

. Peel, halve and pit peaches. Cut each half into 3 wedges. Arrange wedges on crumble in pie shell - concentric circles recommended. Drizzle with lemon juice.

. In measuring cup, whisk cream and egg yolk; pour over peaches. Sprinkle with remaining crumble mixture; dust with cinnamon.

. Bake in bottom third of 425°F (220°C) oven for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 375°F (190°) and bake until pastry is golden brown underneath, peaches are tender and crumble is golden, about 35 to 40 minutes.

. Let cool on rack and serve within 4 hours. If you have any leftover, cover and refrigerate. But remember that pie from the fridge is never as good as fresh.

. Makes 8 servings. 

Edythe Diebel, daughter of Helen Harris, cousin and excellent cook, cuts into her version of peach schnitz pie - note the thick slices of peaches.

Single Crust Sour Cream Pastry

1-1/4 cups (300 mL) all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp (1 mL) salt

1/4 cup (50 mL) cold butter, cubed

1/4 cup (50 mL) cold lard, cubed (or butter, but lard gives the flakiest crust)

2 tbsp (30 mL) ice water (approx) 

4 tsp (20 mL)  sour cream

. In medium bowl, whisk together flour and salt. Sprinkle butter over flour mixture; cut in with pastry blender until mixture is crumbly with a few visible pieces of butter about the size of small peas. 

. In measuring cup, whisk together  the 2 tbsp (30 mL)  water and sour cream; scrape over dry ingredients. With a fork, toss wet and dry together, adding a few drops ice water if necessary to moisten the dry ingredients. The dough will look ragged at this stage.

. Press dough into disk; wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 40 minutes. (Make-ahead: Refrigerate for up to 2 days. Let come to room temperature before rolling.)

. Makes enough for 1 single -crust 9-inch (23 cm) pie.

Peach Galette 

Free-form pies are always the centre of attention. There's something about the edge of the pastry pulled up over the filling that gives the impression that skill is needed, when in fact, this method of holding in the fruit is something everyone can do. Ice cream with the pie is de rigueur. 

2-1/2 cups (625 mL) all-purpose flour

2 tbsp (30 mL) granulated sugar

1/4 tsp (1 mL) salt

3/4 cup (175 mL) cold butter, cubed

3/4 cup (175 mL) ice water

Filling:

1/2 cup (125 mL) granulated sugar

1/4 cup (50 mL) all-purpose flour

7 cups (1.75 L) peeled thickly sliced ripe peaches, about 8

1 tbsp (15 mL) lemon juice 

1/4 cup (50 mL) crushed amaretti cookies or vanilla wafers

1 tbsp (15 mL) cold butter

Glaze and Topping:

1 egg yolk

1 tbsp (15 mL) water

2 tbsp (30 mL) granulated sugar

3 tbsp (45 mL) apricot jam, heated and strained

. Have ready a piece of parchment paper 20- x 15-inch (50 x 38 cm). Set out a 12- to 14-inch (30 to 35 cm) pizza pan or large rimless baking sheet. 

. Meanwhile, in large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar and salt; using pastry blender, cut in butter until mixture is in large crumbs. 

. Drizzle ice water over dry ingredients, tossing them together with a fork to create a ragged dough. Gather into a ball, then into a disk; wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes. (Make-ahead: Refrigerate for up to 3 days. Let soften slightly before rolling.)

Filling: In large bowl whisk together sugar and flour. Add peaches and lemon juice, turning them in bowl to coat evenly with sugar mixture; set aside.

. Sprinkle parchment paper with flour. Using floured rolling pin, roll out pastry on paper into a 17-inch (43 cm) circle, leaving edges ragged. As the pastry will extend over two sides of the paper, dust the counter with flour to keep the pastry from sticking. Slide paper onto pizza pan,

. Sprinkle pastry with cookie crumbs leaving 3-inch (7.5 cm) border uncovered. Spoon filling evenly over crumbs; dot with butter. Lift pastry up over filling to form 11-inch (27.5 cm) circle, letting pastry fall nautrually into folds around the edge and leaving center uncovered. 

. Glaze: Beat yolk with water. Brush over exposed pastry. Sprinkle with sugar.

. Bake in bottom third of 425 °F (220°C) oven for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350°F (180°C)  and bake until peaches are tender, filling is bubbling and crust is golden, about 50 minutes. 

. Let cool on pan. Brush filling with jelly. (Make-ahead: Store at room temperature for up to 6 hours.)

. Makes 8 to 10 servings.

July 1st is Canada Day. A holisY to celebrate all that makes Canada the best place to live. But since 2004, food activist  and passionate advocate for Canadian food, Anita Stewart has been promoting the Saturday of the August long weekend as "The World's Longest Barbecue". How can it be the longest barbecue? Simple, Canadians are lighting their barbecues from coast to coast to coast, grilling Canadian-produced food to recognize and support our farmers, fishers and everyone else who delivers our edibles. And drinkables.

Stewart's yearning to make the day more than a barbecue, Canada Food Day, if she succeeds, is a more focused name. And of course, this tribute is not just about firing up the grill and celebrating local and seasonal foods to keep farmers et al in business. It's about community, getting together to share what we  have plenty of - lucky, aren't we!

To be part of Canada Food Day, aka The World's Longest Barbecue, all you have to do is go to Stewart's website, sign up and describe the menu you're having on Saturday. (I suspect if  you have the party on Sunday or Monday Steward won't quibble. But there is something electric about people sitting down together all over Canada. A virtual picnic without all the technology.) On Stewart's site you'll see the outline of what she would like to know about your dinner so write about what's on the menu, andy regional food or special dishes worth mentioning, where the food came from with information about the producers if you know them. It's the stories that will make the difference, so be sure to include details. Canada Food Day sounds like fun, and the good part is that it will help make a difference. Log onto www.anitastewart.ca. To quote Anita, "Large or small, every celebration is important!"

So...what am I planning? Well, as I'm from Stratford in the heart of Perth County, good food and farming, I'm grilling (or roasting) a loin of pork. Not with thyme, mustard, salt and pepper as my mother would have done as befitted her era and Celtic roots, but porchetta-style, with herbs of an Italian provenence - less Stratford than Toronto where porchetta sandwiches are widespread, and wonderful.

To go with, Island Potato Salad from Anita Stewart's Canada, The Food/The Recipes/The Stories, (Harper Collins, 2008, $34.95), see above,  and since I know we need vegetables, corn on the cob - straining to be the Canadian national vegetable. Again, not just butter, salt and pepper, but with a wash of exotic spices as discovered in Toronto's Little India by Andrew Chase, food editor of Homemakers Magazine. All the recipes follow.

Barbecue Loin of Pork with Porchetta Flavours

To make sure the herb and fennel flavours penetrate the whole loin, the meat is butterflied, then rolled. The instructions may seem long, but if you're looking for great flavour, press on! The step-by-step photos should help - just leave yourself enough time when you're tacking the recipe for the first time. 

1 pork loin centre roast boneless (single loin), about 3 lb (1.5 kg)

3 tbsp (45 mL) canola oil

6 cloves garlic, minced

2 tbsp (30 mL) minced fresh rosemary

4 tsp (20 mL) minced fresh sage

3/4 tsp (4 mL) fennel seeds, crushed

1/2 tsp (2 mL) salt

1/2 tsp (2 mL) freshly ground pepper

1 tbsp (15 mL) dry white vermouth

. Place roast, fat side up, on large cutting board. Starting at right side with knife parallel to the board, cut loin in half almost but not all the way through.

. Open like a book.

. Starting in centre of opened loin, and with your knife parallel to board, cut in half on left side almost but not all the way through. Open the flap like a book, extending the surface of the meat.

. Repeat on right side. Open flat. Cover with waxed paper; pound with mallet or rolling pin to as even thickness as possible. Set aside.

. In small skillet, heat the oil over medium-low heat; fry garlic, stirring often, until softened, about 5 minutes. Scrape into a large bowl; stir in rosemary, sage, fennel, salt, pepper and vermouth.

. Spread about three quarters of the garlic mixture over inside of loin, leaving 1-inch (2.5 cm) border along 1 short end. Starting at the other end, roll up firmly toward border.

. Tie with kitchen string at 1-inch (2.5 cm) intervals. 

. Place in the large bowl with the remaining garlic mixture; turn to coat all over. Cover and marinate in the fridge, turning occasionally, for 2 hours or up to 1 day.

. Place drip pan over 1 burner of 2-burner barbecue or over centre of 3-burner barbecue. Add enough water to come 1 inch (2.5 cm) up side of pan. Heat burner or burners not over drip pan to medium. Grease the grill over the drill pan. 

.  Place the rolled loin on the greased grill over the drip pan. Grill, turning every 20 minutes, until meat thermometer registers 160° (71°C), about 1-1/2 to 2 hours. 

. Transfer to cutting board and tent with foil; let rest for 15 minutes. Snip and pull off the string; slice across the grain.

. Makes 8 servings.

Tip: You can also roast porchetta on rack in small roasting pan. It takes about 1 hour at 375°F. (190°C). Skim pan juices and serve with slices of porchetta.

Tip: This roast is almost better cold - and it slices more thinly. 

Bilingual, and trusting signage at a P.E.I. roadside potato trade.

Island Potato Salad

Stewart credits Joy Shinn who developed the recipe when she was working with the Prince Edward Island potato marketing board, Food Trust.  To go with the porchetta that serves 8, I made one and a half of the recipe written below, and because it is going with pork, substituted 2 roasted sweet red peppers for the prosciutto. I did not use honey. 

2 lb (1 kg) P.E.I. potatoes (5 to 6 medium)

4 slices prosciutto

3 green onions, sliced diagonally

Dressing:

2 tbsp (30 mL) apple cider vinegar

1 tbsp (15 mL) liquid honey

1 tbsp (15 mL) grainy Dijon mustard

1/4 cup (50 mL) canola oil

Salt and freshly ground pepper 

. Place washed potatoes in a pot and cover with cold water. Cook, covered, over medium heat until fork tender, 30 to 45 minutes. Drain and let cool Peel and quarter or, if large, dice coarsely. Place in serving dish.

. Arrange prosciutto on rimmed baking sheet; place under broiler and broil until crisp, about 6 minutes, turning partway through cooking. Let cool, then break into small pieces.

. In serving bowl, combine green onions and prosciutto to potatoes.

Dressing: Whisk or shake together the vinegar, honey, mustard and oil until blended. Pour over the potato mixture; toss gently. Season to taste with salt and top with a good grinding of pepper. 

. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Indian-Spiced Corn on the Cob

8 corn cobs, husked

2 tbsp (30 mL) canola oil

1 tsp (5 mL) ground coriander

3/4 tsp (4 mL) each salt and ground cumin

Pinch cayenne

1 lime, halved

. Brush corn cobs with oil. Place on greased grill over medium-high heat; close lid and grill, turning frequently, until kernels are tender and lightly grill-marked, about 10 to 15 minutes.

. In small bowl, stir together coriander, salt, cumin and cayenne. Rub corn with cut sides of lime; sprinkle with spice mixture.

Makes 8 servings. 

For a little inspiration - here are some top notch Canadians and Canadian products. Enjoy them all.

Chef Chris Aerni, owner with his wife Graziella of the Rossmount Inn near St. Andrews New Brunswick. The Inn's renowned food starts with the large garden Aerni cultivates on a sloping hill behind the Inn.

A shore lunch beside Great Slave Lake in the Northwest Territories. Those are whitefish fillets browning on the griddle.

The historic building that houses the Saint John market makes it one of the most handsome markets in the country. Lots of inspiration here for your Canada Food Day menu.

By the Bay of Fundy shore there's a great choice of seafood.

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