Yikes...I found a banner site that has tons of countdown banners and as I'm posting this it says we have only 116 days until Christmas! (The banner will countdown everyday) Now I'm taking stock to see what I have and what I need to add to my gift baskets...hmmm lemme see....I don't have a whole lot! LOL. Usually by this time I've got a ton of crafting done, unlike my sister who waits until the last minute (wink, wink Biffy). Well I did get something done today; crabapple jelly and it looks great....I've also got two gallon jars of crabapple brandy brewing as well as a gallon of apricot brandy and blackberry brandy, all will be ready in time for Christmas. I've done apricot a number of times and this is the first time it's look like this, all mushy, my MIL used the same apricots I did and her's has stayed somewhat whole...I'll let y'all know how this batch turns out in a month or so :) Recipe posted below picture.Update: For a more detailed tutorial on homemade brandy click here.
Homemade Brandy:
Such a simple recipe:
One gallon glass jar
3 cups sugar
1 -26 oz bottle of vodka
Enough fruit to somewhat fill a gallon jar, (cherries, apricots, crabapples, etc.)
Place fruit, any kind, into glass jar...pits and all, just cut off the yucky parts. Add sugar and vodka. Set on your kitchen counter and flip it every day for three months. (If you put it away you'll forget about it!) The first few days I place the jar into a bucket in case my lid leaks, that way I can pour it back in and go hunt for a new lid. I put a sticker on it indicating the date it will be ready and "Up on even" if I happen to start it on an even day, you wouldn't believe how many times I've thought to myself "did I turn the brandy today?") In three months strain it through cheesecloth or a clean dishcloth or what have you, if you want it even clearer then strain it again through a paper coffee filter. Bottle it and wowee it's delicious! I do up a nice label on my computer and bottle it into smaller than micky bottles to tuck into my Christmas baskets.
Now I'm off to bake some bread, have a great day :)
10 comments:
Great idea!!
WOW!!!
I've got to try this recipe out. Sounds delic.
Thanks, Peggy in Utah
Hello,
Can you add more sugar after the sitting period? We've had ours on since Sept. and tasted it today. It's needs a bit more sweet. Can we salvage the batch?
Hi Charlene...I think I would heat up some, say 1 cup, of it in the microwave or stove top and add sugar until it's dissolved, then add the sugar mixture back to the whole batch. Stir it up and taste. I would think adding just sugar now it would be too grainy. Let me know how it turns out!
I've a childhood friend who did hers up all in one day, without the long wait. She'd heat it on the stove to a bare simmer - not enough so that it was boiling at all - and would let it go for about 1/2 an hour. Then, she'd throw it into a large jar & let it cool, after which she'd filter it & bottle it. It'd age a bit, but was good right after she'd done it.
Thanks for pointing this out - it reminds me that I need to make Kahlua. ;)
sounds great. I can't wait to get started. Great christmas presents. Is there a recipe for crabapple wine without the tablets and ensymes?
Wow! seems super simple! Too bad I didn't think of looking for a recipe 3 months ago. cant wait to get it started.
I only have quart mason jars, can I break this down into smaller jars or do I have to try and find gallon jars? I am using mini plums from my front yard and they are not super sweet should I add a little more sugar? I use organic cane sugar which does not disolve at the same rate as white sugar should I boil the sugar with water first?
I would imagine quart jars would work fine, you'd just get a smaller amount. I wouldn't change the sugar for the less sweet plums (I didn't for the tart blackberries I used and it was fine). You can boil the sugar but I can pretty much say that the sugar will be all dissolved in 3 months no matter what kind you use. :)
Thank you for getting back to me! This will allow me to have a better variety of flavors as well as save me the cost of purchasing more jars. I started a rose, lavendar, lemon and apple one today!
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