Apple sauce is so completely easy to make that it hardly seems necessary to write a recipe.  Peel apples, add sugar, cook, cool, that’s about all there is to it. However, there are a few tips that help assure that your results with be top.  Here are a couple:

• Apple sauce is a great destination for bruised or damaged fruit or even apples that have insect damage. Just cut out the bad parts and use the rest for applesauce. This is especially helpful if you have your own apple tree and need to use fallen or overripe fruit.
• Peel or not to peel?  Well, leaving the peel means that your apple sauce will have a maximum of good nutrients, most of which are concentrated in the peel.  But not everyone likes having pieces of peel in the finished sauce, its not a great textural thing. My solution is to simmer the peels with the water to capture all the nutrients, then strain this cooking liquid over the apples to make the sauce.
• If you are not a fan of white processed sugar, use honey. By selecting a honey with a flavor profile you like, you can add a lovely flavoring element to your applesauce. Ask your local honey artisan, as honey from different parts of the year can taste very different. Also, you can vary the amount of sugar or honey you use to suit your taste for sweetness.
• While peeling and coring your apples, it is best to hold them in a bowl of water acidified with lemon juice or apple cider vinegar. This will prevent them for oxidizing and give a better color to your sauce.

Nettles pop up in our yard pretty much any place we leave to grow wild.  Which is fine by me, as nettles are not only very useful in organic gardening, they are also one of pleasures of the spring table.  We save the tender new leaves for recipes, and chop the tough, older stems and leaves for energizing our compost pile of for macerating in rain water for purin.

There are many great ways to cook nettles. I have enjoyed them in a white bean soup with bacon and nettles.  They can take the place of spinach or sorrel in a cream sauce to accompany fish. But my favorite way to cook them is as pistou.

Pistou is the French version of pesto and is usually made with basil and pine nuts. However, I think that the mildly menthol flavor of nettles, paired with walnuts and lemon zest, makes for a milder pistou that goes well with lighter spring flavors.

When harvesting nettles, be sure to wear heavy gloves to avoid getting stung by them.  Once they are blanched, the leaves no longer sting.

Flavorful enough to stand up to grilled steaks, lamb or sausages, it still feels fresh enough for summer eating. Its also great spooned over grilled tomatoes.

Our recipe is very simple, quick to prepare and may be made ahead  for easy serving.  If you do prepare in advance, set in a warm place for 20 minutes before serving.