The Great Divide Fig and Apricot Conserve Recipe from: Nadine Fletcher, Lake Louise, AB

½ cup honey (or less to taste)
1 ½ cups dried whole organic Turkish apricots, halved
2 cups dried organic Calymirna figs, stemmed and halved
½ cup organic raisins
½ tsp spearmint, fresh or dry, chopped or crushed leaves
½ tsp anise / fennel seeds
juice of 1 small lemon or ½ of a big, juicy lemon

Garnish: Toasted walnut halves and slivered almonds
orange slices
yogurt (Mediterranean yogurt or sheep yogurt is especially good!)
fresh mint

In a saucepan, bring the honey and water to a boil. Add the halved apricots and figs and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the raisins, spearmint and anise seeds Continue to cook for about 20 minutes. When the figs are thick and tender and the liquid has become a very thick syrup, stir in the lemon juice.

Serve hot, chilled or at room temperature in small dishes garnished with 2 or 3 walnut halves, a few slivered almonds and a sprig of fresh mint. Or serve plain yogurt with a tablespoon or two of the conserve on top, garnished with the nuts and mint and an orange slice… very, very good all together!

• Raisins – Thompson, Select
• Raisins – Thompson – ORGANIC
• Apricots – Jumbo
• Apricots – Jumbo – ORGANIC