Suzan, I admire you for canning, self-taught or otherwise. I used to, but now I freeze fruit rather than jamming or syruping it. (Okay, occasionally I do make drunken cherries and can those. But only a few pints at a time.) Though now that I've moved to a house with century-old pear and apple trees (the latter with a full compliment of coddling moth larvae in the fruit, I am sure), I may have to start canning again. I'll see. Good luck with staying sane through canning season!
Thanks! Hmm, I'd like to know more about drunken cherries...yum. Well, moth-eaten apples are still good for cider (maybe there's a press in that old basement!) and apple sauce. Enjoy!
Drunken cherries are just pitted cherries (usually sweet, but sometimes I do it with pie cherries) simmered with orange peels and cinnamon sticks. You just pour enough port (or brandy) into a pot to cover the cherries, add the cinnamon sticks and simmer them for about half an hour. Then you take out the cinnamon sticks, add the orange peel strips, and let them soak up that flavor in the fridge for a few days. Take out the orange peel strips, add a lemon peel strip to each jar for pretty, and fridge-can them for as long as you like (Meaning put them in jars but keep them in the fridge.)
My house doesn't have a basement, and if there ever was a cider press, it's long gone. I live in a valley with orchards and commercial cider-makers (both alcoholic cider and not), so unused cider presses don't hang around long!
Once picked if you need to store quickly rinse cherries in a 10% solution of water and white vinegar. This will retard growth of any mold and will not alter the taste! Tip from my Gran!
I too have been picking and processing cherries. I don't deal with mulberries, I just eat them off the tree. I decided this year that I would just make cherry juice and drink it in my fizzy water (carbonated from my Sodastream). I added a splash of cherry juice to vodka and a bit of fizzy water and behold, I have a nice summer cocktail. Good luck to you with all your processing. I too taught myself and am ok with "good enough."
Ooh, Denise, for the first time this year I made elderflower cordial, which is really just elderflower infused lemonade once you water it down and put ice in it. But vodka works! And fizzy water. So many possibilities...(we got an Illinois Everbearing mulberry from Tom and Kathy - you've NEVER had mulberries like those!!)
Suzan, I admire you for canning, self-taught or otherwise. I used to, but now I freeze fruit rather than jamming or syruping it. (Okay, occasionally I do make drunken cherries and can those. But only a few pints at a time.) Though now that I've moved to a house with century-old pear and apple trees (the latter with a full compliment of coddling moth larvae in the fruit, I am sure), I may have to start canning again. I'll see. Good luck with staying sane through canning season!
Thanks! Hmm, I'd like to know more about drunken cherries...yum. Well, moth-eaten apples are still good for cider (maybe there's a press in that old basement!) and apple sauce. Enjoy!
Drunken cherries are just pitted cherries (usually sweet, but sometimes I do it with pie cherries) simmered with orange peels and cinnamon sticks. You just pour enough port (or brandy) into a pot to cover the cherries, add the cinnamon sticks and simmer them for about half an hour. Then you take out the cinnamon sticks, add the orange peel strips, and let them soak up that flavor in the fridge for a few days. Take out the orange peel strips, add a lemon peel strip to each jar for pretty, and fridge-can them for as long as you like (Meaning put them in jars but keep them in the fridge.)
My house doesn't have a basement, and if there ever was a cider press, it's long gone. I live in a valley with orchards and commercial cider-makers (both alcoholic cider and not), so unused cider presses don't hang around long!
Yum! Now if I can put this somewhere so I can find it NEXT year...
Hah! Good luck with that. :) BTW, you can use the same method with peaches too. Just don't simmer them for that long or they'll fall apart.
Once picked if you need to store quickly rinse cherries in a 10% solution of water and white vinegar. This will retard growth of any mold and will not alter the taste! Tip from my Gran!
SEE? That's the wisdom I'm talkin' about! OK good to know. Now I have to put that little nugget somewhere so I have it for next year!
You’re so much fun to read. Thanks for this smile maker.
Thanks Peter!
I too have been picking and processing cherries. I don't deal with mulberries, I just eat them off the tree. I decided this year that I would just make cherry juice and drink it in my fizzy water (carbonated from my Sodastream). I added a splash of cherry juice to vodka and a bit of fizzy water and behold, I have a nice summer cocktail. Good luck to you with all your processing. I too taught myself and am ok with "good enough."
Ooh, Denise, for the first time this year I made elderflower cordial, which is really just elderflower infused lemonade once you water it down and put ice in it. But vodka works! And fizzy water. So many possibilities...(we got an Illinois Everbearing mulberry from Tom and Kathy - you've NEVER had mulberries like those!!)