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Can you eat the strawberries in moonshine?
THE MANUAL -Midnight Moon is so good it used to be illegal By Even though Johnson family hooch isn’t made in copper stills out in the woods any more, the recipe lives on in the (now legally distributed) Midnight Moon. The family took a huge risk bootlegging corn alcohol before, during, and after prohibition, and the decades of hard work and fast driving paid off in the form of one of the most recognizable moonshine brands in the country.
Junior Johnson’s legacy extends far beyond crafting some of the finest corn whiskey around, though. A big part of distilling moonshine is transporting and selling it, or bootlegging, a role that Junior took over for his family when he was 14. Junior was never caught while driving, and only spent 11 months of a two-year sentence in prison when he was caught lighting a still the police had staked out in May of 1956.
Bootleg drivers in the ’40s became the pioneers of professional racing, and Junior Johnson was well known in the early NASCAR movement. A creative and daring racer, Junior is also credited with creating the bootleg turn, a sharp 180-degree turn designed to lose police in a chase.
- Despite his car driving 22 miles per hour slower than the fastest cars in the race, Junior won the 1960 Daytona 500, one of the first documented uses of drafting in racing.
- Despite multiple distilleries making offers on the Johnson family recipe, Junior partnered with Piedmont Distillers in 2007 to bring his historic moonshine to life once again — this time legally.
Midnight Moon is now produced in small batches in North Carolina, where Junior Johnson can still get involved from time to time. Midnight Moon is available in its classic clear form, or in infused flavors: blackberry, blueberry, cherry, and strawberry, all of which are made with the real fruit included in the jar.
The apple pie flavor, for instance, is made with real apple juice and includes a stick of cinnamon inside for an added kick. The infused flavors are hand-packed with real fruit to impart flavor and color, without making the moonshine overly sweet. The fruit is preserved in the alcohol, making it safe to eat even for years after the jar has been opened, even if Midnight Moon recommends against it.
Since the fruit absorbs the alcohol as well as imparting its flavors into the jar, it’s important to remember to “respect the fruit” and think carefully before you start snacking on those blueberries, as tasty as they are. The strawberry infused Midnight Moon has a quiet sweetness to it, but it doesn’t distract from the huge taste of real fruit.
The vibrant red and pink spirit goes down deceptively smooth, considering that the infused varieties are bottled at 100 proof. Serving it chilled brings out the fruit flavors and corn sweetness even more, but it’s great in a glass of lemonade, too. By the time the jar hits the shelves, the blueberry infused Midnight Moon has turned the clear liquid a deep, opaque purple.
The mass of blueberries at the bottom of the jar can only be seen by tilting the glass so their dark lines can be seen moving around. The result is a drink that’s smooth and just a little tart, with the corn alcohol coming a bit more to the front than in the strawberry and apple pie infusions.
- The apple pie flavor is a bit different than the other infused flavors.
- Rather than dropping a pile of fruit into the bottom, the classic Midnight Moon is mixed with real apple juice and cinnamon.
- The result is a cocktail in a jar, and while Midnight Moon offers up a number of simple to go along with each flavor, the apple pie is sweet, warm, and tastes great on the rocks or with a splash of ginger ale.
Link to article: The Midnight Moon website has for all of their infused moonshines, as well as a handy tool so you can taste it for yourself. : THE MANUAL -Midnight Moon is so good it used to be illegal
Can strawberries become alcoholic?
How to Ferment Strawberries – The basic instructions for fermenting berries say to mix the berries with honey, whey, water, and a bit of salt. Fill a pint mason jar with strawberries, leaving at least 1 inch of headspace. To make a brine, mix 2 tbsp honey, 2 tbsp of whey (or 1 probiotic capsule), 1/4 tsp salt, and roughly 3 tbsp of water.
Pour the starter culture over your berries, and top with additional water to completely cover the strawberries. If you’re an avid fermenter, you likely have a mason jar fermentation kit, If you don’t have one, but you plan on doing a lot of fermenting, they’re a great investment. Strawberries only need a very short ferment, so you can get away with just covering them with a towel on the countertop.
Strawberries only need 1-2 days to ferment at room temperature before they can go in the refrigerator. After about 2 days, they can start to become a bit alcoholic and they’ll lose their sweetness as more of the sugars are consumed. It is important that the berries stay submerged in the liquid, so use a fermentation weight,
How do you infuse alcohol in strawberries?
MORE RECIPES WITH STRAWBERRIES – Strawberry Rosé Slushies (Frosé) Frozen Strawberry and Mango Margaritas Strawberry Coconut Mojitos
3 cups dry alcohol of choice, (Vodka, champagne, Prosecco, sparkling white wine) 5 ounces (150g) semisweet chocolate, broken into smaller blocks or chopped 5 ounces (150g) milk chocolate, broken into smaller blocks or chopped 2 teaspoons coconut oil 2 pounds strawberries with stems, (1 kg | about 20 strawberries) 2 oz (60g) white chocolate, for decoration
Line a sheet pan with parchment or wax paper. Set aside. Place strawberries in a large bowl. Cover completely with vodka (add more if needed). Refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or up to 5 hours if time allows. Drain strawberries, reserve vodka for future use. Thoroughly pat strawberries dry with paper towel. (The chocolate will not stick if the strawberries are not dried well). In a microwave-safe bowl, combine semisweet chocolate, milk chocolate and coconut oil. Microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring in between, until completely melted. Pierce the stem-end of a strawberry with a fork and dip strawberry into the melted chocolate. Lift strawberry just above the bowl and twist around a couple of times to let excess chocolate drip off. Place strawberry on lined pan and repeat with remaining strawberries. Chill until the chocolate sets, about 15-30 minutes. To drizzle strawberry with white chocolate for effect: Melt white chocolate using the same directions as above. Dip the tip of a fork into the chocolate and drizzle in a zig-zag pattern over the dipped strawberries. Let set in the refrigerator for a further 30 minutes, or until set.
Why does my strawberry taste like alcohol?
Old strawberries can get boozy – In the meantime, you might notice an alcohol-y flavor in older strawberries. That happens because cells inside of the strawberry, still living and breathing, can’t get the oxygen they need to keep running the strawberry engine (Yep, oxygen.
The strawberry plant takes in carbon dioxide and releases oxygen for daytime photosynthesis, but takes in oxygen for round-the-clock respiration). So, they resort to no-oxygen-required fermentation as a backup energy source. Fermentation produces alcohol. A high internal alcohol content can make a strawberry taste like a vodka shot.
As strawberries age, they also give up some of their best stuff. So, you’ll get less Vitamin C from a strawberry like the ones pictured here, but with fiber and other components, it won’t be a complete nutritional wasteland. So, give it an assessing nibble and then make an informed choice.
Cecilia N. Nunes, Ph.D. Associate Professor. Food Quality Laboratory. Department of Cell Biology, Microbiology and Molecular Biology. University of South Florida Emily Therese Cloyd. Botanist What’s in your strawberries? Simon Cotton. Education in Chemistry. Royal Society of Chemistry. A methodology for assessing the quality of fruit and vegetables. Doctoral Thesis. Azodanlou, Ramin. Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich.2001. Gain and Loss of Fruit Flavor Compounds Produced by Wild and Cultivated Strawberry Species, Asaph Aharoni, Ashok P. Giri, Francel W.A. Verstappen, Cinzia M. Bertea, Robert Sevenier, Zhongkui Sun, Maarten A. Jongsma, Wilfried Schwab, Harro J. Bouwmeester. November 2004. The Plant Cell. American Society of Plant Biologists Fermentation. Britannica. Fruit Quality, Fermentation Products, and Activities of Associated Enzymes During Elevated CO2 Treatment of Strawberry Fruit at High and Low Temperatures. Jianzhi Jenny Zhang and Christopher B. Watkins. Cornell University. Journal of the American Society for Horticultural Science.2005. Abscisic acid and sucrose regulate tomato and strawberry fruit ripening through the abscisic acid‐stress‐ripening transcription factor. Plant Biotechnology Journal.2016 Oct; 14(10): 2045–2065. Haifeng Jia, Songtao Jiu, Cheng Zhang, Chen Wang, Pervaiz Tariq, Zhongjie Liu, Baoju Wang, Liwen Cui, and Jinggui Fang Metabolic Processes in Harvested Products. Author: Kay. Accessed via the University of Florida website.
Strawberries give you that sinking feeling?