He sat at my table that long ago day and tasted the wine. Then blinked and took a breath and tossed down the rest of the glass. A slow smile and he looked up. "You've got talents I didn't know you had." And that laugh I'll miss so much.
Last year, we were here and there and everywhere -- and I didn't take time to make the wine Deb wanted. Now it's sad to see the dandelions. But the way through sadness is to plow straight into it.
I soak this many one night and then strain and do the same thing again. But this many is enough -- I just like mine right medicinal.
Strain the flowers out and add your sugar -- 3 lbs of sugar -- juice of a lemon and an orange (or slices, but no pith). Adding the zest is good if you have organic lemons and oranges. Bring to a boil.
Take it off the heat, pour it into your crock (I use a 2 gallon crock) and let it cool enough to take yeast. Yeast likes the same temperature you do. Just touch the water on your wrist --if it's too hot for you -- it'll kill your yeast. Above 120 degrees will kill the yeast if you are the measurement kind.
Spread the yeast on a slice of whole wheat toast and float it in the brew. Tie a cover on the crock -- cheesecloth or a clean white dishcloth or the like. I put a light plate on top of mine. You don't have to do that.
Stir the mixture morning and night for two weeks. Siphon into a clean container. Add half pound of chopped golden raisins if you're going to add raisins and leave this for three weeks.
Siphon it into bottles and LOOSELY cork it. I use a clean turkey baster to lift the liquid and fill the bottles. I do this because I don't have a wine making kit and every year I put off getting one. If you get a wine making kit, you'll put your wine into the jar with the airlock on it. I age my wine in the bottles loosely corked. It always turns out and I ain't dead yet - so i guess it works.
Age it -- I like to leave mine about nine months (just like a baby).
Give some of it to your brother and when you drink yours, say here's to brothers --you can even raise a glass to my Delbert if you'd like.
3 comments:
I use only the yellow. But you like yours "right medicinal" and I think for that the green needs to stay.
I have only made it once thus far, but it turned out good, at least in my opinion. I do think leaving the green on/using on the the yellow is likely to make the biggest difference as the wine I made had none of the bitter taste/aftertaste that you get when you cook even young dandelion greens.
I have heard lots of folks say that dandelion wine tastes terrible -- though none of them have had any of mine -- but I think the "greens on" may have been the issue for them, as no one I have talked to makes it with just the yellow.
Mine is good. I made it once without the green and the only difference I noticed was color. The yellow only wine was beautiful and it cleared to a lovely LIGHTLY yellowed clear. It is worth the extra work for the color, but I really like it this way.
do you remember if you cooked yours with the sugar in it or added it after? Also, my yellow-only wine was without raisins -- though the yellow raisins are not supposed to change the color.
I love the taste, but I drink dandelion tea and like that, so it might be a matter of... well... taste.
For Rosemary and anyone else who wonders: There are as many recipes for making wine as there are wine makers. I have not decided on my definitive wine recipe yet. There are many variables.
For Dandelion wine, gather flowers, soak them (not more than 2 days) in a gallon of water -- or 3 quarts will do --
Then strain out the flowers, add 2 or 3 pounds of sugar and bring to a boil, turn down to a slow simmer -- for 30 minutes to 1 hour -- take off the heat, add lemon and orange (or other ingredients of like nature -- such as rhubarb)
You can add golden raisins at this time - or wait for that step until later or don't do it at all -- I've done it all three ways. This time I added them.
When it cools to blood temperature (test it on your wrist -- if it feels too hot -- it is -- and will kill your yeast), add yeast which you've softened and spread on toast.
Stir it twice a day for:
3 days and then siphon it off into a secondary container
or 2 weeks right in the crock
(I've done it both ways -- this one, I'm going to secondary container) and after 2 weeks...
bottle it, but don't put the cork in tightly -- leave room for it to work.
I'm going to rebottle this after it gets through working.
After I finally cork it tightly, I'm going to age it for at least 6 months.
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