Fruit & Root Sauce
Slow-cooking fruits and vegetables and combining them with healthy fats can be very soothing and healing to the gut lining and microbiota. Our children have immature digestive systems that can benefit greatly from fermented and slow-cooked foods because their nutrients have been made more accessible by the fermentation and/or cooking process.
Kids love applesauce because of the high-sugar content. I began making peeled and stewed apples with butter and cinnamon during my gut-healing journey and found that my kids loved them. Over time, I developed this recipe that contains the beautiful fiber, vitamins, and minerals present in apples, pears, carrots, radishes, and berries, slow-cooked and pureed to optimize digestibility. I always purchase organic produce to make this recipe to reduce pesticide exposure.
This kid-favorite is also a perfect opportunity to help little ones get excited about cooking and food processing. It requires a good deal of peeling and chopping prior to slow cooking and blending ingredients, so each step along the way provides ample, hands-on practice for young cooks. Plus, the kids love the finished product so much that the motivation level is pretty high 🙂
We make this recipe in bulk, store it in mason jars, and freeze it. It regularly lasts us 3-5 months. We serve the sauce mixed with homemade yogurt in reusable silicone pouches for the little ones and with spoon and spatula for our 7-year-old son, who uses them to scrape up every last bit!
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Fruit & Root Sauce
Equipment
Ingredients
- 8-10 lbs apples
- 8-10 lbs pears
- 8-10 lbs carrots
- 1 lb radishes
- 1 lb strawberries
- 1 lb blueberries
- 1 lb raspberries/blackberries
Instructions
- Assemble ingredients and equipment.
- Peel, core, and slice apples and pears.
- Peel and slice carrots; wash and halve radishes.
- Add processed apples, pears, carrots, and radishes to soup or stock pot and begin cooking on stovetop on low heat.
- Add berries to soup or stock pot; stir, and continue cooking on low heat.
- After 3-4 hours, check apples, carrots, and radishes to see if they are soft enough for blending.
- Use immersion blender to puree cooked fruits and vegetables.
- Continue blending until texture is completely smooth.
- Allow to cool, then use a ladle and spatula to transfer sauce into quart-sized mason jars for storage.
- Label, then store in the refrigerator or freezer.
Notes
This is a wonderful recipe to help teach kids about both cooking and composting. Make it as a family for a valuable lesson in the work involved in growing and processing your own food. Have you ever made your own apple or pear sauce? Leave a comment below and share your story!
