If you are interested in food preservation then there are plenty of interesting activities to enjoy at this time of the year. When you think of preservation, it is most likely that your mind will turn first to freezing, canning and dehydration. But another interesting thing to consider is making fruit infused alcohols.
Infusing alcoholic drinks with fruits (and usually sugar too) can be a good way to preserve their flavours and aromatics, and you can potentially obtain two yields from your efforts – boozy fruits that can be enjoyed as dessert or in cakes or baked goods, and, if you leave your fruits in alcohol for longer, a fruit-infused liqueur.
These liqueurs can be a delicious addition to midwinter meals. They can also make very good gifts for the festive period. There are plenty of great recipes to choose from – from sloe gin, to plum vodka, to apple infused brandy, to bramble whisky to name but a few…
So why not forage some late season fruits, or grab some of an earlier harvest from the freezer, and give this a go. By Christmas you could be enjoying the results of your enterprise, and it really doesn’t take much effort at all.
This is just one more method that you can employ in a zero waste home to make sure none of the fruit in your area goes to waste. And you can experiment with adding other ingredients – herbs etc. from your garden.
Infusing alcohols is far easier than making your own wines or other alcoholic drinks, and could be a good place to begin when finding new ways to use up seasonal fruits. For more information, please do not hesitate to get in touch.
EWSP Consultancy 