Apple onion jam with rosemary 
Makes 2 cups

This sweet and savoury jam is great dolloped on slices of roast pork or added to a charcuterie board.

2 cups onion, yellow or red, small dice
3 cups apples, small dice (your favourite cooking apple)
1¼ cups sugar
½ cup apple cider vinegar
½ cup apple cider or juice
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
½ teaspoon fresh rosemary, chopped
1 tablespoon cooking oil
Pinch of salt

In a small pot, add the cooking oil, the onion and a pinch of salt and cook over medium-low heat until the onions are browned. Add the ginger and apples and cook until they start to soften, about four to five minutes. Add the cider, vinegar and sugar and mix well. Cook until most of the liquid has evaporated and the mixture is thick and moist but not runny. Take the pot off the heat and add in the lemon juice, zest and rosemary. Stir well.

Apple butter 
Makes 1 cup

Apple butter is super simple to make and you can slather it on a piece of pound cake or your morning toast for a quick apple pie-like dessert.

2 pounds apples, approximately 5 to 6 medium-sized apples, washed
½ cup sugar
½ cup apple cider (or juice or water)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 cinnamon stick (or ½ teaspoon ground)

Remove the stems and cut the apples into eight pieces. You can leave the seeds and cores as they will be strained later.

Add the apples and cider to a pot. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, for about 30 minutes or until the apples have softened.

Add the cooked apples to a food processor or blender and blend until smooth. Strain back into a pot to remove the hard pieces and seeds, pressing on the pulp with a spoon or ladle to express all the liquid.

Add the lemon juice, cinnamon and 1/4 cup of sugar to the apple purée. Taste test to check its level of sweetness. Add more sugar if you like a sweeter butter, but remember that the purée is going to get sweeter as it cooks and reduces.

Cook over low heat, stirring often. The purée will start to caramelize the more it is cooked, so be careful not to let the bottom burn. Cook until it thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, approximately 1 to 1½ hours. Transfer to a clean jar and store in the refrigerator for up to one month.

Apple eggplant relish 
Makes 2 cups

Try this relish if you are looking for something a little different to add to your next burger or hotdog. Don’t worry. The kids won’t even know it’s eggplant, but it gives the relish more texture than apples alone.

2 cups apples, peeled and cut into small cubes
1 cup eggplant, peeled and cut into small cubes
1 clove garlic, minced
¾ cup red onion, diced
1 tablespoon red pepper, small dice
1/8 teaspoon chilies, minced (or chilli flakes)
1/2 cup vinegar, white or white wine
¼ cup sugar
1½ teaspoons grainy mustard
1 tablespoon cooking oil
Pinch of salt and pepper, to taste

In a pot over medium-low heat, add the oil, onions and garlic. Cook until the onion is soft. Add the eggplant and cook for two to three minutes, then add the apples and cook for another couple of minutes. Add the remainder of the ingredients and simmer until the liquid is almost evaporated.

Quick pickled apple wedges 
These sour apple wedges make a bright addition to a salad or a tart twist to a charcuterie board. You can adjust the length of time they spend in the pickling liquid, depending on how sour you like them.

1 apple, medium-sized

Pickling liquid
2/3 cup apple cider vinegar
¼ cup water
½ teaspoon salt (Kosher or sea)
1 teaspoon sugar
2 pieces star anise
8 peppercorns
3 pieces lemon peel

In a small pot over medium heat, add in all the ingredients for the pickling liquid. Bring the liquid to a simmer and turn off the heat. Let the liquid cool.*

Wash and core the apple and cut into quarters. Cut each quarter into four or five pieces and place into the liquid. Let the apples pickle for at least a couple of hours before using them. They can be kept in a clean container in the refrigerator.

*Note: If you are using a firm baking apple, you can cut the apples and place them into warm liquid. If using a softer apple, you can let the liquid fully cool before adding the apples to keep them from getting mushy.