Walking through a farmers’ market for an adult is much like a kid walking through a fair. The child is drawn by all the colorful sights, prizes and the various sounds of the bells and games going off in all directions, along with the smells of cotton candy, popcorn and other treats. At the farmers’ market, there are all those different fresh fruits and vegetables with their bright colors and smells, but there also are all kinds of homemade breads, pastries, crepes, jams and spreads that add to the aromas. It is such a great assault on your senses that it will keep you so off balance as to any direction of travel, that it is only the most disciplined shopper on a tight time schedule who can walk any semblance of a straight line from end to end.
I often get home from the farmers’ market and realize there is no way I’m going to finish all the fruit I just purchased.
The final rewards of your shopping are something you get to savor. It is best to make a full pass through at least once to get an idea of what there is and then go back around to buy. Of course, that is the wise way to shop, but at least for me, not the normal way, and I end up with all kinds of extra things, especially fruit. I often get home and realize there is no way I’m going to finish all the fruit I just purchased. Between the berries, pluots, peaches, plums and other fruits, I get caught up in the adage: “My eyes are bigger than my stomach.”
FIND a list of local farmers’ markets
So, what do you do when you end up with lots of fruit that you don’t want to spoil? One of the best and easiest things to do is to make a fruit compote. You can make it any way you want, either keeping it to individual fruits such as blueberry compote or mix it up with a variety of fruits.
Compote is great all by itself with a little dollop of whipped cream, vanilla or coffee ice cream, on pancakes and waffles or mixed up with oatmeal, sugar and butter and heated to make a quick single-serving crisp. I also like to vary the other ingredients and the amounts of sweeteners and lemon juice. I sometimes add a drop of vinegar. I do this because the flavor of fruits can be pretty different according to ripeness and season, as well as to give myself a little variety.
With that in mind, here is a basic compote recipe using various fruits. As always, think of whether you like your desserts sweeter or with a little more of a tartness — and add more sugar, cinnamon, lemon or vinegar to taste. The end results of making a fruit compote is that you get to enjoy the fruit in so many ways without letting it go bad. Enjoy.
Fruit Compote
(For 6-8 servings)
2 pints mixed berries (1½ pints blueberries & raspberries and ½ pint blackberries & strawberries)
2 C sliced plums, pluots, peaches, pears, apricots
¾ C brown sugar
¼ C white sugar
1 T lemon juice
1½ t cinnamon
1 t nutmeg
½ t salt
1/3 C water
Cornstarch, if needed
Combine all ingredients and heat on medium for about 15 to 20 minutes until the liquid reduces to a syrup consistency. If it is still a little too thin, thicken with a little slurry of cold water and cornstarch while it is still boiling.
