Boozy Fruit

Jack and Fred helped me purchase 12 pints of fresh strawberries at the farmers market this morning, and this afternoon I made my first batch of boozy fruit! I filled seven pint jars with chopped berries, and topped three with rum and four with brandy. I must say, I think they look pretty yummy. They'll be ready in about three months.

So, I was feeling pretty pleased with my first foray into food preservation, when Bonnie suddenly realized that she and her brothers would likely not eat many of these alcoholic berries, and that the whole thing was somewhat "unfair." One of the things that appealed to me about preserving food this way is that I didn't have to worry about jar sterilization and timed boiling, but Bonnie has a valid point. I still have five pints of strawberries, so I'm going to attempt to make a small batch of (non-alcoholic) strawberry preserves tomorrow, assuming I can figure it out without any specialized canning cookware. I'm keeping my eyes out for a pressure canner, but I think I can do a simple water bath for preserves in my largest stockpot.

In the meantime, I'm still planning on making boozy fruit with other combinations of fruit, spices, and liquor as various fruits come in season.