Start this when fruits are plentiful, and add varieties as they come into season.
Difficulty: Average
Make Ahead
Yield: 12 cups
Ingredients:
- 2 cups oranges, peeled and sectioned
- 2 cups pineapple, chopped
- 2 cups pears, pared and chopped
- 2 cups peaches, peeled and chopped
- 2-1/2 cups sugar
- 2 cups grapes, halved or maraschino cherries
- 2-1/2 cups brown sugar, packed
- 6″ of cinnamon sticks, broken
- 1 pint apricot brandy
Instructions:
- In a large bowl, combine fruits and sugars. Let stand 3 hours, stirring once or twice.
- Tie cinnamon in cheesecloth bag; add to fruit along with brandy.
- Pour into jar and cover loosely.
- Let stand at least 1 week, stirring once a day with a wooden spoon, making sure to stir up sugar from bottom of container.
- If mixture will not be used for sometime, refrigerate it.
- Remove and let stand at room temperature to reactivate fermentation.
- Serve as is or over ice cream, cake or pudding.
If you wish to prolong the life of this mixture (or “starter”), add 1 cup sugar and 2 cups chopped fruit to replace every 2 cups of fruit and syrup removed. If only fruit is used and you have too much syrup, add 2 cups of fruit and no sugar.