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Dandelions For Homemade Wine
Dandelions grow in most parts of the country. Here in North Carolina, we see them all year, but they mainly flower from March to November. You can collect the entire plant including the root if you want a drier, more bitter wine. Use just the flowers if you want a sweeter wine. Either way, clean them well. The roots can harbor sand in the crevasses, and bacteria on the entire plant.Source - https://www.diynatural.com/dandelion-wine-recipe/
Dandelion wine is an old school recipe that has been around for centuries. The yellow petals have a honey-like flavor and they make a delicious wine! I prefer to make dandelion mead, as I feel like it is even more flavorful that way. Mead is simply wine that is made with honey instead of sugar. This dandelion mead recipe is easy to make and uses the abundance of foraged dandelions to make a delicious and highly drinkable beverage!
Source - https://www.growforagecookferment.com/dandelion-mead/
Dandelion Wine Recipe (from - https://www.diynatural.com/dandelion-wine-recipe/)
Ingredients• 1 package brewing yeast (find a versatile winemaking yeast here)
• ¼ cup warm filtered water (find the best water filtration systems here)
• 4 cups dandelions, chopped, or dandelion flowers (see explanation above to determine which one to use)
• 1-gallon warm water
• ¼ cup lemon juice
• ¼ cup lime juice
• juice from 4 oranges
• ¼ cup chopped orange peels
• 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
• 4 cups raw sugar or equivalent of sugar substitute*
• 1-gallon glass jug, or a few smaller glass bottles (find 1-gallon glass jug here)
• homebrew airlock (find them at homebrew supply stores or online here)
Source - https://www.diynatural.com/dandelion-wine-recipe/
*You will still add sugar even if you use sugar substitute.
Instructions
Step 1
1. Clean dandelions well, making sure they are free of dirt and bugs.
2. Add yeast to ¼ cup warm water and stir. Set the yeast mixture aside and move on to the next step.
3. Add all remaining ingredients to a pot and simmer for about an hour. Turn off and cool a bit. Strain through a fine mesh strainer.
4. Cool to about 100°F. Transfer liquid to your glass jug and add the yeast mixture. Stir well and top with an airlock.
Step 2
After you have the water lock in place, let the wine sit in a cool, dark place for 3-4 weeks to allow fermentation to take place. You'll know it's done when the bubbling stops.
When it's finished, you can strain off the sediment if desired. Next, bottle it in traditional wine bottlesand cork them or use Weck bottles.
Source - https://www.diynatural.com/dandelion-wine-recipe/
Dandelion Wine Method #2: Low and Slow (from - https://morningchores.com/dandelion-wine/)
Ingredients:The same recipe can be used for this method as the one listed above. You’ll just need:
• A crock or large pot
• Cheesecloth or cloth towel
• Raisins
• One sliced orange
• One sliced lemon
1. Collect the Flowers
You are going to start this method the same as you did the last, by picking flowers. Again remember, the blossoms will give your wine a sweeter taste. If you include the whole flower (including the green) it will give the wine a more bitter taste. It is all about your preference.
Be sure to clean your flowers for sanitary purposes. You don’t want any ‘unwanted natural ingredients’ getting into your wine.
2. Boil Water
Next, you’ll need to bring a pot of water to a boil. This recipe is a little less detailed so you’ll have to eyeball how many dandelions you picked to know how much water to pour over them.
If you are unsure of measurements in this recipe, borrow the same amounts from the previous method. After the water has boiled, pour it over the dandelions that should’ve been placed into a large pot or crock.
Let the water and dandelions sit for three days inside the pot or crock.
3. Add Zest
Now that three days have passed, you’ll want to zest the oranges and lemons. Remember that zest usually adds a bitter taste to any recipe. So keep that in mind as you are adding zest to your recipe.
4. Boil the Flower Mixture
After you’ve zested your lemons and oranges, you’ll want to add that to the flower mixture. Then you’ll want to put that flower mixture in a pot so you can bring the whole thing to a boil.
5. Dissolve
After the mixture has been brought to a boil, you’ll want to remove it from the heat. Then you’ll strain the mixture.
Next, you’ll need to add sugar to the liquid you just strained. Stir the sugar into the liquid until it has dissolved completely. Then let it cool.
6. Add the Good Stuff
Now it is time to add the orange and lemon slices. Again, use your judgment as to how much you think would suit your taste.
But the interesting part to this method is that it calls for raisins. So you’ll want to add those during this step as well. I’m a huge raisin fan so this really caught my eye.
7. Ferment
After you have added all of the delicious ingredients, you’ll want to put the mixture back into a crock and cover with a towel or cheesecloth.
Then you’ll need to allow it to ferment. A good way to know that the mixture has finished fermenting is when it stops bubbling.
After the fermentation is done you’ll need to strain the mixture and place in bottles. Place a deflated balloon over the top of the bottles. If the balloon doesn’t inflate over a 24 hour period then you know that fermentation is completely finished.
8. Store
The last step to making wine with this method is to cork the wine and store it in a cold and dark place for about 6 months.
After that, it is ready to be gifted or enjoyed. It is up to you. A word of caution with the corking and storage process, though. Make sure fermentation is completely finished before corking the bottles. Also, do not store in a warm location either. Either or both of these mistakes could cause your bottles to become small explosives.
So now that you know two methods of making dandelion wine, you are ready for most any occasion. This would be something unique to pull out for a family gathering. It also would make great house warming gifts. Or a great addition inside gift baskets for the holidays.
But I want to hear from you. Have you ever made dandelion wine? How do you make it? Do you make any other unique beverages that people around you enjoy? Would you mind sharing with us what you make and how you make it? I’m sure our community would love to hear your ideas!
Source - https://morningchores.com/dandelion-wine/
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