All Mixed Up

Over the summer, I have developed a fondness for 'topping up' my breakfast cereal, with yogurt and/or fruit. In Cyprus, Wendy prepared a lovely bowl of chopped fruit each morning [with fresh figs from her garden] and had a tub of Greek yogurt alongside. Staying with my SIL, there was fresh fruit, and also a tub of summer fruits compôte. Back here, I have a jar of home made compôte and one of home-made yogurt in the fridge, which I put out on the breakfast table. 

Bob refers to this as fruit compost. But this jewelled red delight is not to be confused with compost heap jelly.  [See Sue's post from earlier in the year] I have made CHJ in the past, they are two very different products.

The jelly is made by cooking the fruit, straining it, and boiling it up with sugar and water. Quite a long process, but it does yield a proper preserve which keeps for ages. The compôte is much quicker - chop up the fruit, add a little water and sugar to taste, bring to the boil, then simmer for 2-3 minutes, cool and keep in the fridge, use within 4-5 days.

My latest batch was some ripe strawberries and plums from the fridge, and in place of sugar, I emptied a tiny Tiptree pot of blackcurrant jam which came with a scone recently.
But I started wondering - where did the name come from? The word compôte is French, and the circumflex over the ô indicates a historical missing S [like pâté for paste, and hôtel  was originally hostel]

But how does this connect with my garden compost bin?
I finally found the answer - the word comes from the Latin compostum - which means to put together, or to mix.

So mixed fruits in a jar, or mixed decaying materials in a garden bin, are both compost. As usual, Bob was right!