To fill your home with flavors of the season, create a cauldron of spices that you can cook on low heat to clear negativity from your home and invite ancestral spirits to warm and bless your hearth. The following combination is one we use every year at our temple because it can also bless the air while making a delicious compote. Enjoy!

In a large pot or slow cooker, combine the following:

• 3 oranges, sliced
• 2 apples, seeds removed
• 2 cups mashed pumpkin
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 1 vanilla bean
• 6 cloves
• 3 allspice seeds
• 2 cups apple juice
• 1 cup honey

Cook for four hours on low heat, then remove the cinnamon sticks and pulverize the mixture in a food processor Serve over ice cream or on the side of roasted poultry for a seasonal delight. Store in canning jars for up to one month. This compote tastes wonderful on toast and takes waffles or pancakes to a whole other level with the spices and harvest warmth of the season.