Amish Friendship Fruit
Starter
3/4 C. canned sliced peaches with syrup
3/4 C. canned
pineapple chunks with syrup
4 oz. red maraschino cherries, drained,
halved
1 1/2 C. granulated sugar
1 pkg. active dry yeast (some recipes
will
substitute 2 T. brandy)
For later addition
1/2 C. canned
sliced peaches with syrup
1/2 C. canned pineapple chunks with
syrup
To Replenish Starter
DAY 1
1 1/2 C. starter
juice
2 1/2 C. granulated sugar
1 (32 oz.) can sliced peaches with
syrup
DAY 10
2 1/2 C. granulated sugar
1 (32 oz.) can pineapple
chunks with juice or 1 (16 oz.)
can pineapple chunks and 1 (16 oz.) can fruit
cocktail
DAY 20
2 1/2 C. granulated sugar
2 (4 oz.) jars maraschino
cherries, drained and halved
(You can use 1 jar of red and one jar of green
for color,
or use 1 (10 oz. jar)
In a 1-gallon glass jar with wide
mouth and lid, combine the peaches,
pineapple, maraschino cherries,
sugar and yeast (make sure the yeast is well mixed with
syrup).
Stir two times the first day. Stir once a day afterwards.
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 several days, stirring daily,
then 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 begin the
process for
renewing starter and making 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 32 ounce can of peaches
with syrup.
Stir daily. Keep loosely covered. Do not
refrigerate.
DAY 10: Add 2 1/2 cups granulated sugar and pineapple chunks
with juice.
Stir daily. Keep loosely covered. Do not
refrigerate.
DAY 20: Add 2 1/2 cups granulated sugar and 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 Amish Friendship Fruit
Cakes,
give excess starter juice to friends,
and start a new batch of fruit (repeat aforementioned
process).
NOTE: 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.
Vernalisa
