Fresh fruit

[dantrubak]

How long can I leave fresh fruit floating in my primary before it gets moldy or anything?

 

[dantrubak]

Here is what i did

I added 3 pounds of frozen strawberries to 5 cups of simple syrup boiling (10 cups of sugar). Let cool. Added cool water to 3 gallons. Sg is at 1.07. I added my yeast with the fresh fruit still in there. Is this ok so far? How long can I leave the fruit floating in my primary?

 

[Rocky]

Dan, you should be all right. You need to stir the wine a couple of times daily during this period. Leave the fruit in the wine until the first racking (SG 1.020 or so) at which time you will transfer the wine to a carboy and squeeze everything out of the fruit and add that to the carboy. Install an airlock and allow fermentation of finish.

 

[Midwest Vintner]

Dan, you should be all right. You need to stir the wine a couple of times daily during this period. Leave the fruit in the wine until the first racking (SG 1.020 or so) at which time you will transfer the wine to a carboy and squeeze everything out of the fruit and add that to the carboy. Install an airlock and allow fermentation of finish.

yep. You can wait till much lower than 1.020 (such as 1.005), but you want to avoid the point where fermentation slows and leaves the wine to open air.

 

[PCharles]

When using fresh fruit such as strawberries, blueberries, cranberries, ect, I find it easiest to keep the fruit tied up in a strainer bag. At the end of fermentation, it's easy to pull the bag from the wine. A gentle squeeze goes a long way to getting the juice out or you could press it in a colander. I kept my fruit bags in the wine until the SG was about 1.000 without any problems. Make sure to punch the bag down several times a day until the SG is 1.020.

Make sure to add yeast nutrient and energizer several times during your fermentation. With the cooler weather, also make sure your must is kept warm enough, say over 68F.

Good luck,

Paul

 

[Tom]

FYI
If this is for 1 gallon 3# is not enough I suggest 7-8# per gal. Like above add to a straining bag and dont forget Pectic Enzyme.

 

[dantrubak]

I can sir when the yeast is active on the top? I can just mix all this up? It won't mess with the fermentation?????

Thank you!

 

[djrockinsteve]

You want to punch down the fruit cap to keep it moist, this will slow oxidation. It will also mix the yeasts and fruit/sugar for them to feed upon. You are also releasing trapped CO2 and adding much needed O2 during fermentation.

I stir several times a day however twice is okay as long as you have a clean area. I prefer to ferment in the 60's if I can.