Fruit Cocktail Vinegar

Extended Shelf Life for: Pear Skins, Apple Skins and Lemon Peel

Recently, I made Apple Cider Vinegar, it was easy and turned out a DELICIOUS pot of vinegar of which the man and I have enjoyed a daily shot (which is beneficial in terms of boosting our immune system AND regulating our blood sugar, meaning we aren't starving 2 hours after breakfast - awweeesome!)

Anyway, in learning to make Apple Cider Vinegar, I discovered that basically the scraps of any fruit or veggie can easily and quickly be turned into a health-packed (and surprisingly delicious) vinegar product.

So, with some aging apples, pears and another few lemons I set to work with another batch of vinegar with was the cores and skins of a few pears, a few more apples and the peel of a single lemon. I put these scraps into our large crock and covered with water and sugar (one quart of water + 1/4 cup of sugar) until the peels were completely covered. Cover the crock with cheesecloth, let set in room temperature (60-70 Fahrenheit) for about a week before straining out the peels, transferring the liquid to another crock (or glass jars) and covering with cheese cloth for another 2-3 weeks until you have the degree of fermentation and vinegary taste that you love and desire. The lemon peel here makes the vinegar quite tart and sour, but completely enjoyable!

Pear Cobbler

Extended Shelf Life for: Pears

Frankly, I do not like pears. I like Asian pears, the big ole pears that look like apples and abound during the fall and winter in places like South Korea, but Bartlett pears...not so much.They're just too grainy.

Not to mention, when we dive pears, they just look a little rough and I have a hard time biting into them. But I have no problem skinning and slicing them and making a nice pear cobbler on a cool fall evening!

Ingredients/Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Prepare cobbler topping by stirring together 1 cup Flour, 2 Tbsp. Sugar, 1 1/2 tsp. Baking Powder, 1/4 tsp. Salt and 1/2 tsp. Cinnamon. Cut in 1/4 cup butter with a pastry cutter, fork or two knives. 

In a large sauce pan stir 6 cups sliced and peeled Pears, 1/3-1/2 cup Sugar (to taste) and 1 Tbsp. Lemon Juice, bring to a boil. Stir occasionally once fruit begins to release it juices. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, about five minutes until fruit is tender. Combine 2 Tbsp. Cornstarch with 1 Tbsp. Water, stir into filling and cook until thickened.

In a small bowl, stir together 1 egg and 1/4 cup milk. Add to flour mixture and stir until just moistened.

Fill 2-quart baking dish with filling before spooning dough on top of filling. Bake 20-25 minutes or until top is golden brown. Let cool for about an hour. Serve with ice cream or at least enjoy with good friends you haven't seen in a long time!