Christmas in February
January 30, 2021 5:02 PM Subscribe
I have a two-week break coming up and it occurred to me that there might be some gifts from the kitchen that are relatively easy to make, but need to be aged several months. I could prepare them in my break, put them away to age/ferment/sit and have a lot of Christmas presents prepared 11 months early.
I've been thinking of homemade vanilla extract, but what else would work? I'm not thinking of gifts that take a long time to make, but gifts that take better part of the year to age or mature.
Small batches of mead.
You can make them in 2 or 4L jugs, and add things like berry juice or vanilla or cloves or vanilla (towards the end).
Vanilla extract is a fun idea, but we haven't done it in years because the beans got so expensive!
Kombucha is also pretty easy and fun, and can be customized like mead.
Kimchee is not my favourite, but the process is fun!
posted by Acari at 5:26 PM on January 30, 2021 [2 favorites]
You can make them in 2 or 4L jugs, and add things like berry juice or vanilla or cloves or vanilla (towards the end).
Vanilla extract is a fun idea, but we haven't done it in years because the beans got so expensive!
Kombucha is also pretty easy and fun, and can be customized like mead.
Kimchee is not my favourite, but the process is fun!
posted by Acari at 5:26 PM on January 30, 2021 [2 favorites]
Olives?
Italian infused liquors like nocino or limoncello?
Fruitcake? Haha
posted by music for skeletons at 5:39 PM on January 30, 2021 [1 favorite]
Italian infused liquors like nocino or limoncello?
Fruitcake? Haha
posted by music for skeletons at 5:39 PM on January 30, 2021 [1 favorite]
+1 eggnog sufficiently boozy to keep. I have some in the fridge my friend made in October - it's thickened a bit over time but I like it better that way. This could be a lot of fridge space to lose all summer, though.
Mead is good but I think you'll want to bottle it before the summer if you want to use it for Christmas presents (you can use saved glass bottles but will probably want to buy a capper).
A lot of ferments (kimchi, kombucha) are going to be way past their prime by Christmas.
posted by momus_window at 8:22 PM on January 30, 2021 [1 favorite]
Mead is good but I think you'll want to bottle it before the summer if you want to use it for Christmas presents (you can use saved glass bottles but will probably want to buy a capper).
A lot of ferments (kimchi, kombucha) are going to be way past their prime by Christmas.
posted by momus_window at 8:22 PM on January 30, 2021 [1 favorite]
Oops, just reread the post. I don't think the rum balls would last that long.
posted by zorseshoes at 12:34 AM on January 31, 2021
posted by zorseshoes at 12:34 AM on January 31, 2021
Pickled garlic Persian-style is our favourite thing to give the garlic lovers, the "quick and dirty" recipe on this page needs at least 6 months' ageing and ends up sweet and delicious.
posted by Flora Poste at 12:51 AM on January 31, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by Flora Poste at 12:51 AM on January 31, 2021 [1 favorite]
Neither of these things are particular favourites of mine, but FWIW, the classic British answer for a Christmas food which can be made many months in advance would be Christmas pudding. Mincemeat (for mince pies) is also generally thought to improve with a bit of age.
posted by Bloxworth Snout at 12:54 AM on January 31, 2021
posted by Bloxworth Snout at 12:54 AM on January 31, 2021
Or sloe gin, but you might not be able to get sloes where you are. If you have some different kind of local wild fruit which is sour and astringent it might be a fun experiment, though.
posted by Bloxworth Snout at 1:01 AM on January 31, 2021
posted by Bloxworth Snout at 1:01 AM on January 31, 2021
Traditional answer for this would be sloe gin, but sloes may be a bit thin on the ground right now. I don’t have a recipe myself but an infused alcohol with fruit and sugar would probably work for this sort of project. (Jinx Bloxworth!)
I have never heard of anyone doing Christmas pudding a year ahead of time but I don’t know everyone in the UK so... ? I have had Guyanese colleagues who make Black Cake many months or even a year ahead. I like both Christmas pudding and black cake, but if I had to choose I know which one I’d want.
posted by Concordia at 1:07 AM on January 31, 2021 [1 favorite]
I have never heard of anyone doing Christmas pudding a year ahead of time but I don’t know everyone in the UK so... ? I have had Guyanese colleagues who make Black Cake many months or even a year ahead. I like both Christmas pudding and black cake, but if I had to choose I know which one I’d want.
posted by Concordia at 1:07 AM on January 31, 2021 [1 favorite]
Similarly, this is an amazing Sri Lankan Christmas cake recipe that says it 'can be stored in an airtight container for a year or longer’. (I can vouch for the recipe, although I haven’t tried storing it for that long)
posted by Bloxworth Snout at 3:21 AM on January 31, 2021 [3 favorites]
posted by Bloxworth Snout at 3:21 AM on January 31, 2021 [3 favorites]
1. Jams and jellies and fancy preserved fruits. Your average batch makes about 8 typical "jam jar" size jars, or you can get even smaller 4 ounce jars and make 2 different jams, and pair them into 16 "gift bags".
2. Liqueurs. There are many liqueurs that call for you to simply take some vodka/Everclear and some kind of fruit or spice flavoring, dump all of that together in a jar, and then let that sit for several months. Then you strain out the flavoring, add some sugar syrup (maybe), decant that into bottles and let that age a few more months. (There's a recipe I've made for an apricot liqueur where you let things steep for a full half a year.)
I went through a phase where I made a lot of both and give them to friends as gift packs (a couple tiny jars of jam and a little bottle of some kind of liqueur) and they were very happy about that.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 7:08 AM on January 31, 2021 [3 favorites]
2. Liqueurs. There are many liqueurs that call for you to simply take some vodka/Everclear and some kind of fruit or spice flavoring, dump all of that together in a jar, and then let that sit for several months. Then you strain out the flavoring, add some sugar syrup (maybe), decant that into bottles and let that age a few more months. (There's a recipe I've made for an apricot liqueur where you let things steep for a full half a year.)
I went through a phase where I made a lot of both and give them to friends as gift packs (a couple tiny jars of jam and a little bottle of some kind of liqueur) and they were very happy about that.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 7:08 AM on January 31, 2021 [3 favorites]
Fruit cake. They aren't fire and forget though needing a couple minutes maintenance every few weeks/month depending on recipe. If you've only had commercial fruit cakes the homemade, 1 year aged, variety is nothing like those.
posted by Mitheral at 7:21 AM on January 31, 2021
posted by Mitheral at 7:21 AM on January 31, 2021
My mother in law makes her Christmas puddings every three years, and then one is eaten (or not) each year until the next three year. But let me go on record as saying I don't know if anyone actually eats this food even when it is under 1 year old. Current theories: Christmas pudding really a vehicle for brandy butter OR it is so that every but one child (or adult that did this tradition as a child) can feel left out of finding the bit of money that is so old we don't use that currency anywhere in the world?
Personally, jam, jelly, marmalade, or a butter (apple, pumpkin, etc) sounds much more rewarding. Depending on where you live you could also go and try maple syruping?
posted by mutt.cyberspace at 10:44 AM on January 31, 2021
Personally, jam, jelly, marmalade, or a butter (apple, pumpkin, etc) sounds much more rewarding. Depending on where you live you could also go and try maple syruping?
posted by mutt.cyberspace at 10:44 AM on January 31, 2021
Cherry Bounce is my favorite and you end up with a delicious cherry liqueur and a bunch of booze-infused cherries perfect for making cherry cordials or just eating out of hand or atop ice cream if you're lazy like I am. You can find all sorts of recipes for both the Bounce (and cordials) all over the internet, here's my basic recipe:
1 quart pitted sour cherries
1/2 quart bourbon
1 1/2 cups sugar
Fill a clean jar with cherries and sugar. Add bourbon and close jar. Shake to combine. Keep in a dark spot, stirring or shaking daily. After 3 months, strain cherries from liqueur and enjoy!
posted by RobinofFrocksley at 11:34 AM on January 31, 2021
1 quart pitted sour cherries
1/2 quart bourbon
1 1/2 cups sugar
Fill a clean jar with cherries and sugar. Add bourbon and close jar. Shake to combine. Keep in a dark spot, stirring or shaking daily. After 3 months, strain cherries from liqueur and enjoy!
posted by RobinofFrocksley at 11:34 AM on January 31, 2021
Most christmas delicacies in my family are made ahead of time: fruit mince, christmas pudding, christmas cake. Jams and preserved fruit are good too.
posted by eloeth-starr at 9:06 PM on February 1, 2021
posted by eloeth-starr at 9:06 PM on February 1, 2021
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posted by arnicae at 5:25 PM on January 30, 2021 [2 favorites]