Brandied Fruit Starter
By mid summer my kitchen begins to take on the appearance of a mad scientist’s laboratory. Jars of Nocino are lined up on the window sill like specimens. Containers of brandied fruit are beginning to fizz, and demijohns of fermenting juice, capped with airlocks, are bubbling on the kitchen counter. Pots of boiling jams or jellies are on the stove. Jars of preserves are cooling on racks in the center of our dining table, almost ready to be taken to the cellar for storage. While baskets of fruit and vegetables wait on the floor for processing. The house is filled with the sweet fragrance of fruit and spices.
Brandied Fruit during fermentation process
Brandied Fruit
My mother used to keep a jar of brandied fruit going in her kitchen. I loved it with vanilla ice-cream, when I was a child.
As the fruit in our garden starts ripening, I start a jar of brandied fruit. First cherries, then gooseberries, black currents, apricots, nectarines, peaches, plumes, pears, apples and finally grapes. It is a natural way of preserving the fruit. By the end of summer I put the brandied fruit in jars and cap the jars. I place the jars in a large pot of warm water, then add water to 1 inch above the jars. Then heat the water to 180 F. for 30 minutes. This process kills the yeast and pasteurize the fruit, while sealing the jars. Afterwards, I can store the fruit in my cellar for winter.
Brandied Fruit Starter
Ingredients:
6 cups mixed fruit (fresh or canned)
Brandied Fruit Starter
3 cups sugar
1 packet of dry bread or wine yeast
Method:
Put all the ingredients in a large jar with a loose lid or cover with a clothe secured with a rubber band and leave on your kitchen counter to ferment. The fermentation process starts when yeast is added to fruit and sugar. By the next day bubbles will start forming on the surface of the liquid in the jar. The bubbles are a natural process of yeast acting with sugar to produce alcohol and carbon dioxide. The yeast converts the sugar into alcohol and carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide is then released from the fruit mixture into the air as bubbles, leaving behind the alcohol. When the alcohol level reaches 15% the fermentation will stop.
Stir once or twice a day. In two weeks the fermentation will slow down. At this point you can stop the fermentation or add another 2 cups of fruit and 1/2 cup of sugar to keep it fermenting. If you choose to stop the fermentation you can store the fruit in the refrigerator to use later or put it in jars with tight lids and process it as I mentioned before.
Bandied fruit is wonderful in cakes and desserts or over vanilla ice-cream.
Fresh Fruit from the garden
Time: 1 hour
Difficulty: easy
Nocino – A dark-colored walnut flavored liqueur with a hint of spice, It is considered a digestive in Italy, served after a meal.
Orange Ratafia – A French liqueur, flavored with bitter almond or citrus peel, herbs and spices. Traditionally ratafia can be made with brandy or clear distilled spirits. I use Tuzemak, a local Czech spirit, and my own house wine, however any wine and domestic brandy with a smooth finish could be used.
Brandied fruit – simple method for preserving fruit.
I made two batches of Brandied fruit, one with yeast and one with out. Fermentation happened on both batches and all was good. I have added 1 cup of suger and 1 cup of fruit every 3 weeks to both batches. My problem is i feel the fermentation has died, and the batch with out the yeast taste like just suger and fruit. I am 10 weeks into the process. When new fruit and suger is added I see no reaction, should it start to bubble again, should I add more yeast??
I suspect that you are storing your fruit in place which is too cold. Spontaneous fermentation is encouraged at 65 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit. If you are keeping your fruit in a refrigerator or if your kitchen is colder that 65 degrees, you need to find a warmer place for fermentation. Once the fruit is in a warm place the bubbling should begin again.
Thanks for the quick responce, I store the fruit on my kitchen counter. The temp in the house and kitchen is always at 71 degrees. I did add canned fruit, but i made sure there were no preservatives, only fruit in its own juice. I used canned and fresh fruit to start the batch and it worked. I am thinking of adding more yeast to both batches and see what happens. But i was trying to have two batches, one with and one with out to see if they tasted any different. Any more advice?????
Steve, If your kitchen is 70 degrees, I think it is just a matter of time. It is possible that your fruit has too much sugar. Add a fresh apple or other fruit to the jar, then wait. Fermentation should start up again without adding yeast. I’m sorry that I’m not sure what has happened. I have never had this problem with my fruit. I wish you well.
I did not put it in refrigerator I left it on counter top. I used 1 and 1/4 cup of Brandy not yeast and I used peaches, pineapple and cherries and apricots and sugar.I used some of the fruit for a cake and it seemed fine I even tasted of it. Then when I replaced the fruit I used with peaches and pineapple and sugar after about three or four days it has started to bubble for the first time.Why do you think it did not bubble before now?
Brandy has an alcohol level of 35% to 60% by volume. By adding brandy the alcohol level of your fruit was more than 15% prohibiting yeast from colonizing. When you used some of the brandied fruit and added new fruit and sugar the alcohol level was reduced allowing fermentation to begin. Fruit will naturally start fermenting even if you don’t add yeast. Natural yeast is on fruit and even in the air. Once the yeast is in a good enviroment it starts to grow, producing alcohol and carbon dioxide. We can give the fruit a good charge by adding yeast to the recipe, speading up the process.
My brandied fruit has been setting since 8/7/2011 on 8/28 I took out three cups of the fruit and replaced it with equal amounts of sugar and fruit I noticed today that it is beginning to make bubbles is this normal or has something gone wrong?Todays date is 9/01.
The bubbles that are starting to form is a natural process of yeast acting with sugar to produce alcohol and carbon dioxide. The fermentation process should start when yeast is added to fruit and sugar. The yeast converts the sugar into alcohol and carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide is then released from the fruit mixture into the air as bubbles, leaving behind the alcohol. When the alcohol level reaches 15% the fermentation will stop. The fruit can then be safely stored in jars with tight lids or the fermentation can be continued by adding more fruit and sugar.
My question is why hasn’t your fruit started bubbling before now. Did you put the fruit in the refrigerator or leave it out at room temperature in the kitchen? Did you add yeast to your fruit?
Love the last photo of the fresh fruit from the garden. I will be going to the Farmer’s Market tomorrow and hope to get some pretty (and more importantly, delicious) fresh fruit.