What's Cooking?
Wine. Well, it's not really cooking so much as it is fermenting.
A few weeks ago, Diva, our cousin, and I went melon picking at our CSA. Between the three of us we picked well over 100 melons for the specific purpose of attempting to make our own wine. Okay, so Diva's purpose was not to pick melons to make wine but she was along for the experience anyway.
After we had gathered supplies, we set to work. Our first attempt was cantaloupe wine and we made 8 gallons of it. It was a steep learning curve so a few days later when we got to work on our 8 gallons of watermelon wine, the process went much more smoothly.
We have decided that if this works out, we would like to make other types ofmoonshine booze adult type beverages, mainly just to see if we can. If you are on our Christmas lists, guess what you'll be getting as a present this year. :)
This wine making business is so incredibly easy, messy, but easy. This is what you need:
8lbs. Sugar
1 pkg Slow Acting Yeast
3 gal. Bottled Spring or Distilled Water (keep the jugs)
1 1/2 gal. Fruit, mashed or use hand blender to smoosh it down some
2 Disinfected 5 gal. Buckets
Cheesecloth
Put the fruit, water, and yeast in a bucket. Stir well and leave it 24hrs.
Skim the solids off of the top of the liquid and discard. Pour the liquid through a fine strainer (we found that a potter's glaze strainer worked really well) and into the other bucket. Stir in the sugar until dissolved.
Decant the liquid back into the water jugs plus any disinfected wine bottles or jugs you may have on hand. Cap off the jugs with cheesecloth that has been folded over itself several times and secure with a rubber band. This keeps dust and critters out and lets the wine breathe.
Leave for 2 months in a cool dark place. Makes 4 gallons of wine.
You can get food grade 5 gallon buckets from bakeries, restaurants, or donut shops and they are usually $1-2 a piece.
A few weeks ago, Diva, our cousin, and I went melon picking at our CSA. Between the three of us we picked well over 100 melons for the specific purpose of attempting to make our own wine. Okay, so Diva's purpose was not to pick melons to make wine but she was along for the experience anyway.
After we had gathered supplies, we set to work. Our first attempt was cantaloupe wine and we made 8 gallons of it. It was a steep learning curve so a few days later when we got to work on our 8 gallons of watermelon wine, the process went much more smoothly.
We have decided that if this works out, we would like to make other types of
This wine making business is so incredibly easy, messy, but easy. This is what you need:
Fruit Wine
8lbs. Sugar
1 pkg Slow Acting Yeast
3 gal. Bottled Spring or Distilled Water (keep the jugs)
1 1/2 gal. Fruit, mashed or use hand blender to smoosh it down some
2 Disinfected 5 gal. Buckets
Cheesecloth
Put the fruit, water, and yeast in a bucket. Stir well and leave it 24hrs.
Skim the solids off of the top of the liquid and discard. Pour the liquid through a fine strainer (we found that a potter's glaze strainer worked really well) and into the other bucket. Stir in the sugar until dissolved.
Decant the liquid back into the water jugs plus any disinfected wine bottles or jugs you may have on hand. Cap off the jugs with cheesecloth that has been folded over itself several times and secure with a rubber band. This keeps dust and critters out and lets the wine breathe.
Leave for 2 months in a cool dark place. Makes 4 gallons of wine.
You can get food grade 5 gallon buckets from bakeries, restaurants, or donut shops and they are usually $1-2 a piece.
Hi Pary,
ReplyDeleteLet me know when you are going to pop the top, I may show up. Hope you are having a great week end and thanks so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday.
Come Back Soon!
Miz Helen
We had great success and the longer we left it, the drier the wine got. It was surely potent though. :)
DeleteOnce the fermentation was finished, did you re-bottle or just put the tops back on? How long do you think this would keep?
ReplyDeleteLooks interesting for sure! Have you tried other fruits? We have tons of peaches here in Georgia!
We actually put them in sanitized wine bottles. Saying that, I have been given wine made from this recipe that was in the same fermentation vessel with the top put back on. It will keep for years getting drier all along. We have peach & blackberry going right now so yes, other fruits work too.
DeleteI am so excited to try this! Thanks for sharing.
DeleteI am so excited to try this! Thanks for sharing. No I am going to go read more Pary Moppins and catch up!
DeleteYou are so welcome and let me know how yours turns out. :)
DeleteJust realized you are in Marshall. One of my lifelong dearest friends is from there. We used to drive up to visit her family at least twice a year. Such a pleasant little town!
DeleteIt is indeed a pleasant little town. :)
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