Preserve! Leftover Fruit

Cold and stormy winter days make us long for warm and delicious treats.  And one thing Potluck Paradise has taught us . . . adapting recipes can bring surprising deliciousness. Nothing proves this more than the Apple Preserve we developed for our book talk at the La Crescent Public Library. During our early summer tour through southwest Minnesota strawberry country, we demonstrated making 2 Ingredient, 2 Hour Strawberry Preserves. Now that we were heading into harvest and apple country, we wondered what would happen if we tried the same simple technique on apples.

Fabulous preserves!

Unexpectedly, but logically, the same preserving-sugar magic interaction that keeps strawberries whole, works with apple shreds. The resulting lusciousness is unlike anything we've ever had and is a new favorite. The McIntosh apples -- usually a variety that cooks into soft sauce, delicious spicy apple butter, or strains into clear jelly -- holds up perfectly. Pure sweet apple flavor, great on toast, yummy on ice cream or pound cake and wonderful on a ham sandwich.

It couldn't be easier. Or tastier. We gave a jar to a friend and her husband opened it. He said that it tasted like an unusually delicious honey, as he ate spoon after spoon. 

Amazing Apple Preserves

2 cups grated McIntosh apples

(grated on the large side of a box grater)

2 cups sugar

Mix apples and sugar and let stand for 2 hours or longer. Stir from time to time until sugar is dissolved. Put apples into a large saucepan, at least 3 quarts. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Lower heat and cook for 10 minutes, stirring from time to time. Store in refrigerator. Makes about 2 pints.  Store the finished preserves in the refrigerator for up to a month, or in the freezer for longer. 

NOTE: other varieties of apples may work just fine, but I have only tested this with the McIntosh and Gala, other apples should cook and preserve the same way. Worst case, you'll have a potluck preserve that resembles apple butter.  That's not terrible.