Friendship Fruit Starter Without Brandy Food

FRIENDSHIP BRANDY FRUIT STARTER

Steps:

• TO START: Combine all ingredients in a clean, large glass jar.
• Stir gently with wooden spoon.
• Cover and let stand at room temperature for three weeks, stirring at least twice a week.
• Fruit is fermented when it is translucent.
• CARE AND FEEDING: Stir mixture daily.
• Every two weeks add one cup sugar and one cup of fruit and stir gently. Alternate fruits each time.
• Cover and let stand at room temperature at least three days before using.
• Do not add fruit more often than once every two weeks.
• Do not delay adding fruit for more than one or two days past schedule.
• IMPORTANT: To keep the starter going, retain at least three cups at all times.
• SHARING: Whenever you have more than six cups of fermented fruit, you may divide it into two portions, being sure there are at least three cups in each portion.
• Do this just before you would do a normal feeding.
• Feed each portion.
• Give one portion to a friend (with Care and Feeding directions) and keep one for yourself.
• Search on "friendship fruit" to find recipes that use this.
• There is also a Friendship Sourdough Starter (Recipe #647936) - yum!

STARTER FOR FRIENDSHIP FRUITCAKE

Steps:

• In a 1-gallon glass jar with a wide mouth and lid, combine the peaches, pineapple, maraschino cherries, sugar and yeast (make sure the yeast is well mixed with syrup).
• Stir mixture two times the first day.
• Stir once a day afterward.
• Do not refrigerate this mixture.
• Keep loosely covered.
• Two weeks after starting the starter, add 1/2 cup peaches and 1/2 cup pineapple with syrup.
• Wait for several days, stirring daily, and drain 2 cups of mixed fruit and use to make cake as directed in the cake recipe.
• Reserve 1 1/2 cups starter juice and leave in glass gallon jar.
• Count this as Day One, and start the process for renewing the starter and making the cake.
• DAY 1: To reserved 1 1/2 cups starter juice (or to starter juice given you by a friend), add 2 1/2 cups sugar and a 2-lb can of peaches with syrup.
• Stir daily.
• Keep loosely covered.
• Do not refrigerate.
• DAY 10: Add 2 1/2 cups granulated sugar, a 2 pound can pineapple chunks with juice.
• Stir daily.
• Keep loosely covered.
• Do not refrigerate.
• DAY 20: Add 2 1/2 cups granulated sugar and 8 to 10 oz drained and halved maraschino cherries.
• Stir daily.
• Keep loosely covered.
• Do not refrigerate.
• DAY 30: Drain fruit, reserving 1 1/2 cups juice for renewing starter.
• Use drained fruit to make 3 cakes (see recipe), give excess starter juice to friends, and start a new batch of fruit (repeat aforementioned process).
• At the end of 30 days, you will have enough excess starter juice to give to about four friends.
• Be sure to keep enough juice (1 1/2 cups) for your own starter.
• At the end of 30 days, there will be enough fruit to use 1 3/4 cups fruit in each cake, which makes the cake better and doesn't waste the fruit.
• The cakes can be frozen.
• It is not necessary to bake all three cakes the same day, but stir the remaining fruit mixture every day until it is used (this fruit mixture can be refrigerated until used).
• The drained fruit can be frozen until you are ready to bake the cakes.

FRIENDSHIP FRUIT STARTER

Steps:

• In a large glass jar, combine drained pineapple chunks, drained apricot slices, drained sliced peaches, drained maraschino cherries, brandy and sugar. Stir gently with wooden spoon. Cover and let stand at room temperature for 3 weeks, stirring at least twice a week. Drain and reserve the liquid - This liquid is your starter for the Thirty Day Friendship Cake.

FRIENDSHIP FRUIT STARTER

Steps:

• In a large glass jar, combine drained pineapple chunks, drained apricot slices, drained sliced peaches, drained maraschino cherries, brandy and sugar.
• Stir gently with a wooden spoon.
• Cover and let stand at room temperature for 3 weeks, stirring at least twice a week.
• Drain and reserve the liquid. This liquid is your starter for the "Thirty Day Friendship Cake".