Shan Kendall grew up on a farm in central Illinois. Following a career that included work as a microbiologist, a mother and a Waldorf teacher, she returned to the “farm” as a local food activist and teacher. Shan has been a strong supporter of the local food movement for the past ten years, especially since becoming a local Chapter Leader of the Weston Price Foundation. The main job of a Weston Price Chapter Leader is to locate local sources of nutrient dense foods, such as those grown by Joel Salatin on Polyface Farms or those grown locally by the farmers of the Living Lands Agrarian Network. Shan has taken it a step further by helping to educate local farmers and consumers and to personally attempt to grow some of those foods herself: raising chickens on sprouted grains and pasture for eggs and meat, raising cows and goats for meat, milk and cheese, and growing organic and biodynamic fruits and vegetables. In addition to farming and supporting local farmers, Shan teaches cooking classes at “In the Kitchen” in Nevada City. For more information about nutrient dense foods, you can visit www.westonaprice.org or email Shan at [email protected]

Applesauce or Apple Butter Autumn is the perfect time for using all those wonderful local apples that are available: especially this year with unusually heavy crops. Organic apples tend to have some blemishes, worm holes or wormy cores, so sort your apples. Unblemished apples are great for eating “out- of-hand”. The “seconds” make great applesauce, fresh apple cider or apple butter.

*Applesauce

Makes about 2 quarts

4 pounds apples, stemmed and quartered. Remove any wormy spots or wormy cores. If there are soft spots, remove, then taste a thin slice of the remaining apple for any “off” flavors. Discard if it tastes bad. A pinch or two of Celtic sea salt (unrefined salt with all of the minerals found in the sea water) Water to come to just below the level of the top of the apples in your pot

Bring apples slowly up to the boil and reduce heat to simmer. When the apples are soft and tender, remove from the heat and allow the apples to cool until safe to handle. Run the apples through a *Mouli or Foley food mill, to remove core material, seeds and skins. (Kids of all ages love to help with this step!) Keep at it until the rejected pulp is quite dry – a large part of the apple goodness is closely connected to the skin.

I use and store my applesauce plain, but you may wish to add a little honey for sweetening, or spices such as cinnamon, allspice, cardamom, cloves, nutmeg or ginger. Fresh ginger may even be added during the cooking .

Store the applesauce in 1 quart jars and use within a few days. If you want to keep the applesauce longer, you must can it or freeze it. For freezing, I use 1 quart plastic yogurt cartons, about 7/8 full.

Serve for breakfast with cream, for dessert with crème fraiche or on the side with pork chops and sauerkraut!

*If you don’t have a Mouli or Foley, you will need to core the apples, and then run the cooked apples through a food processor, blender or mash with a potato masher.

Apple Butter

Follow the applesauce steps above, adding your favorite spices and honey to taste. Return the sauce to the heat – I use a slow cooker, uncovered, on low setting. Stir every hour or so and cook until thickened to your desire. This may take a day or more! Meanwhile, the delightful fragrance will drive you wild!

• You may use apples, pears and quinces in these recipes: combined or plain!

Tasting Week is sponsored by Sierra Harvest, a Nevada County based non-profit whose mission is to educate, inspire, and connect families to fresh, local, seasonal food. We also sponsor the Farm To School Program, connecting over 6,000 youth with fresh, local food and the farmers who grow it. To learn more about our work, or view more seasonal recipes, visit www.sierraharvest.org