How To Preserve Fruit In Alcohol

How to Preserve fruit in Alcohol.

Similar to Lacto-fermentation, alcoholic fermentation involves the action of living organisms on pre-existing components of the beginning meal or juice to convert them.

Alcohol is produced when living yeasts interact with sugars, greatly simplifying a process that many craftspeople spend their whole careers perfecting. Glucose is converted by yeast activity into pyruvic acid, which then turns into ethanol.

Grapes naturally have the ideal ratio of sugar, acidity, and natural yeast to form a balanced fermented product, which is why they have come to be associated with wine even though wine may be produced from other fruits.

Because of this, the ancient stomp-and-wait technique of creating wine was effective. The effective fermentation of fruits other than grapes may need the addition of sugar, yeast, or acid.

Starting material for distilled alcohol is a naturally fermented substance like wine.
The amount of alcohol in the finished product is increased by distillation by using machinery that can subject the fermenting liquid to heat and evaporation without losing any of the alcohol.

Because it is so highly stable and antibacterial, distilled alcohol may be used to long-term preserve food. When exposed to air, lower alcohol drinks like wine or beer often attract the acetic acid bacteria that turn alcohol into vinegar (there is no vinegar that wasn’t once an alcoholic brew).

However, distilled alcoholic drinks, such as brandy, rum, and vodka used in several of the recipes below, are quite stable.

Peaches in Brandy

20-minute preparation time 20 minutes for canning 2 quarts of output
These peaches go wonderfully with meats like hog, duck, or game as well as sweets (try brandied peaches on top of a hot peach or apple pie—yum!) (similar to serving applesauce with a pork chop, only better).

Once all the fruit has been consumed, take pleasure in drinking the peach-infused brandy as a comforting flavor of summer throughout the chilly months.

Plums and other tree fruits work nicely in this dish as well. Spices may be changed or eliminated, and sugar can be added or subtracted according to preference. The essential component securely preserving the fruit is alcohol.

Although I’ve included canning procedures here, if you have the refrigerator space, you may just store the food in the refrigerator. In a frigid basement, they will likewise keep quite well.

INGREDIENTS
three pounds of delicious peaches
80-proof brandy, 2 cups
(Clover, orange blossom, or wildflower are nice choices here) 112 cups sugar or 1 cup light honey
(2) 2 cinnamon sticks (optional)
two whole cloves (optional)
Vanilla bean pod, cut into two 1-inch pieces (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

Bring a lot of water to a rolling boil. Set up a large dish of cold water.
Using a paring knife, score each peach’s bottom in a little X. Carefully add the peaches to the water after it has reached a full rolling boil. Carefully add the peaches to the water after it has reached a full rolling boil. The fruits should be blanched for 1 minute before being removed with a slotted spoon and placed in the dish of icy water. Give them five minutes in the chilly water to soak.
Heat the brandy and sugar (or honey) in a medium-sized saucepan over low heat while stirring to dissolve the sugar or honey. As soon as the ingredients have liquefied and mixed (do not allow the liquid to even reach a simmer; remove the saucepan from the heat).
Peach pits should be removed before peeling. If the peaches are freestone, you should be able to cut around the fruit and then twist it into two tidy halves to release it from the pit. Don’t stress yourself out trying to obtain halves if they are clingstone.
Slice the peaches from the pits instead of using a paring knife.
Place the chopped peaches in tidy pint-sized canning jars. As you add the fruit, tuck the spices, if any, in. Leave about one inch of headspace and pack the fruit securely. Pour the brandy syrup over the other ingredients, covering the fruit completely and this time leaving only a half-inch headspace.
Use a cloth or paper towel to cleanly and thoroughly dry the jar rims. The canning lids are screwed on. Adjust the canning lids and process in a boiling water bath for 20 minutes. Process for 20 minutes in a boiling water bath (modify the canning time if you live at a high altitude; see the sidebar in the chapter on boiling water bath canning).
Peruse your brandied peaches after at least a month to let the flavors meld.

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