[Wizard]

I have a basic method I use for all my PETAL wines. Put the flowers in a fermenting vessel (a 99p pail 2 if you want one).Boil half the sugar in 6pints of water and while the mix is still very hot pour it over the flowers.Cover immediately.When its cool add the lemon juice,tea synthetic must,some yeast and nutrient stir it well and cover with the lid with a damp tea towel between a damp tea towel alone if no lid is available and stir well twice a day for week You do this with all my wine recipes.After 4 days peel the bananas and compost the peels pulp the bananas then boil in a pint of water for 5 minutes When this has cooled add it to the pail along with the Pectozyme stir well and cover again as before.On the 8th day strain the wine into a clean pail through a piece of fine clean muslin.OK strain it with a jelly bag who cares so long as the juice is strained from the pulps.Boil the remaining sugar in 1/2 a pint of water for a couple of minutes and allow to cool now stir it into the rest of the wine in the clean pail and allow it to ferment another 3 to 4 days keeping it well covered.After this syphon the wine from the lees into a gallon Demi john and leave as much sediment as you can in the pail.Fill the jar to the start of the neck Insert a airlock (Or stuff the hole with cotton wool) its easy to see fermentation has ceased with an air lock and leave until all fermentation has finished (There are no bubbles in the lock)The reason for adding Pectozyme is there is a risk that boiling bananas which are essential may give rise to a pectin cloud in the finished wine.So I use pectozyme to avoid this possibility.So

Dandelion Wine
Dandelions should be picked on Dandilion Day/ St Georges Day 23rd of April because that is when they are at their best
Dandelion is best made medium or dry  Dry does not improve much with keeping but medium is better kept for a year.
You need 2 quarts of petals (no green stuff from the head only the yellow)
1/4 pint of strong tea (for the Tannin)
2 lemons
1/4 bottle of synthetic must
Sugar for dry use2lb and for medium use3lb
3 fully ripe bananas,1/4 T/spn of Pectozyme, Yeast of your choice and some nutrient.Then use the method for an approx
gallon of wine yield.

Rose Petal Wine
Use Rose petals instead of dandelion petals for a delightfully aromatic wine

Gorse Wine
The Gorse Flowers make a lovely aromatic golden wine You need 3 quarts of flowers for Gorse not two as in  Dandelion and Rose Petal

Hawthorn or May Flower
You need 11/2 pints of flowers to make this wine in June

And now Elderflower
Fewer flowers say 1-11/2 pints of this very pungent flower it makes a fine wine when well kept

Go on give it a go and see the difference

[Wizard]

Now should you like to make them fizzy like champagne .Into a sterilized Empty champagne bottle place 3 or 4 unwashed raisins from the Health food shop and a 1/4 Tspoon of caster sugar Then pour a bottle of wine in and seal and wire down the cork DO NOT DO THIS IN AN ORDINARY WINE BOTTLE.iT IS VERY LIKELY TO BURST The best it will do is blow out the cork and spill the contents all amongst the linen in the airing cupboard.Mother will be pleased

[Helencus]

Hi George going to start my elderflower champagne and cordial this weekend yumm !

[Sharondp]

Thanks George

I remember making ginger beer and it exploding in the airing cupboard when I was small!

Will definitely give your recipes a try!

[Wizard]

I promised to tell you how I make some of my favourite wines.So lets do it as the fruits as they become ready.Now this is Wizard's opinion only There is no such thing as a nice root wine what ever its called Carrot Whiskey Ugh Tastes like soil spun in 1/2 a pint of water and the soil allowed to settle then the resultant juice filtered and bottled.Make you pixilated though,as will Parsnip Potato and Mangold Wurzel but pleasant tasting No not ever so I never do them .I did experiments years ago and formed this opinion.The only vegetable worth considering is pea pod and you must not get any pea in at all only the washed and cleaned any peas must be removed from the  pods.Always make a Campden solution with an egg cup of warm water and 1 tablet stirred until dissolved
First fruits in my world are Raspberry's they can be made medium or dry It is a difficult wine to make well but heres how I do it because it should always be light and dry for the best results
11/2lbs Rasps hulled and definitely NO GREEN ALLOWED
1/2lb Sultanas 1/4 pint of freshly made strong tea cooled
Yeast of your choice Nutrient and a gallon of water as in method
Place the hulled Raspberries in a pail and squidge them through your fingers Chop the sultanas and add them add the tea and a campden tablet crushed and mixed well with a egg cup full of warm .This will kill the natural yeasts on the sultanas.Boil all the sugar 11/2lbs say (experiment as the years go by and keep a note so you know which you like best.Don't forget it should be light and dry.for 3 minutes until dissolved.When it has cooled add to the pail of fruit add the yeast and nutrient stir well in and cover with the damp tea towel allow to ferment for a week.Then strain into the other pail and allow to stand for a couple of hours then syphon into a demijohn leaving as much of the lees behind as possible.Top up with cooled boiled water to the neck and then insert an airlock Leave until all fermentation has finished then bottle in glass wine bottles to develop.
This recipe can be used with Loganberries/Tayberries/ Blackberries with great success.Blackberries can be made sweet medium or dry dependant on how much sugar you use.Adding sugar more than 3lbs will not make it more alcoholic just sweet and sickly.
Rhubarb is also a nice wine to be made now
Medium sweet This recipe is fruity and fresh without being over acid
21/2lbs Rhubarb - 1lb of raisins - Yeast of your choice nutrient 1/2 a pint freshly made strong tea  and a gallon of boiled water as in method
Wipe the sticks with a damp cloth and cut into small pieces crush as much as possible but don't loose any juice Place the pulp and juice in your pail with the chopped raisins add 1/2 a gallon of water and a campden tablet dissolved in an eggcup full of warm water. boil 1/2 the sugar in a quart of water When its cool add it to the pail and stir in well Add the yeast nutrient and tea and cover let it ferment for 8 days stirring daily After this time strain the juice into your other pail and leave to stand an hour or two boil the rest of the sugar in a pint of water let it cool and place it in the pail and recover and allow it to ferment a further 4/5 days then syphon it off into a demijohn and top it up to the neck with boiled water insert an airlock and allow it to ferment out Then bottle in glass bottles and store in the dark

[Wizard]

Oh Shar Memories come flooding back being about 12 at the time.Do yer want a Ginger Beer plant GB you can have 1/2 mine and in a Corona bottle comes this awful lookin off brown uck.Now mix some sugar in some water and then pour this into the big bottle leave it a couple of days then syphon the clear beer off the top into Corona bottles pour 1/2 the plant away thats in the bottom and keep doin it as long as you like.Now this is fine as long as you use Corona bottles but not having enough I put some in Redgates Screw tops and this was my first experience of Flyin glass

[plumseverywhere]

George I love your recipes!! will be out to pick some elderflower in a mo...

don't suppose you have a blackcurrant one do you? the girls love their ribena so I have to 'ribena' bushes growing in the garden all covered over so the birds don't get first dibs!!

[doganjo]

.I did experiments years ago and formed this opinion.

I agree.  We tried beetroot wine once - even after 5 years, YES 5 years in the demi john it still ahd an earthy taste so we binned it!

[Wizard]

Yes Annie love I temporarily forgot beetroot its bloody horrid at best.I cannot describe middle of the road quality

[Wizard]

Special for Lisa First it is one of the most flexible fruits in my opinion Dry Medium or Sweet Use my Method system
Blackcurrant DRY A top class dry fruit wine
2lbs  Black currants   2lbs of sugar   Yeast of your choice and nutrient approx gallon of water as in method
Place the fruit in your pail and add 1/2 the water and squidge the fruit through fingers until its all a mushThen add the campden solution
Boil all the sugar in 3 pints of water for a couple of minutes and allow it to cool Then add it to the mix and add the yeast and nutrient mix well then cover and leave for a week well covered but you must stir it twice a day for the week.After the week strain into the clean pail Cover and leave for a further five days.Then syphon into a sterile demijohn top up to the base of the neck with cooled boiled water and insert an airlock.Allow to ferment right out then bottle in sterile bottles and cork.Good to drink by Christmas.


                                         A Blackcurrant and Sultana Wine Medium or Sweet
                       For a medium sweet use 21/2 lbs of sugar for a sweet wine use 3lbs sugar
21/2 lbs of Blackcurrants - 1 lb of sultanas - 4 really ripe bananas - Yeast and nutrient and approx 1 gallon of water as in Method
Put the currants in the pail and squidge well add the chopped sultanas Pour on 1/2 a gallon of water and add the campden solution and squidge again making sure its well mixed Boil 1/2 the sugar in a quart of water for 2 minutes allow to cool add it with the yeast and nutrient cover and leave for 10 days stirring every day.On the seventh day peel the bananas discard the peels Pulp the bananas and  stir into the wine recover for the last 3 days still stir daily.After 10 days strain into your other pail.Boil the other 1/2 of the sugar in 1pt of water for 2 minutes allow it to cool then add it to the wine allow the mix to ferment for another 4/5 days Now you can syphon the wine out of the pail into a Demijohn and top up to the neck with cooled boiled water fit the airlock and allow to ferment out,Then bottle and cork.Store in a dark place.


                                                        Blackcurrant and Raisin wine
                        If you have 4lbs of blackcurrants to spare this wine is a very good wine indeed

Follow exactly the sultana version but use Raisins instead.Use 4lbs of blackcurrants and instead of 21/2 lbs of sugar use 3 lbs This wine is best kept for a couple of years to reach its best It is definitely worth the wait

 You can use Redcurrants or Whitecurrants as in the Blackcurrant Wine as above (NOT THE AND RAISINS OR THE SULTANA VERSIONS)

[plumseverywhere]

  thank you George - the girls will be chuffed with ribena from their own garden this year!!

Lisa xx

[Wizard]

I received an Email that asked why my way took at least six months and most of the others only six days I replied to the mail Do a six week one and then freeze the petals/berries and save until six weeks before Xmas and make up a batch.Open one of the bottles you have done my way and tell us all the difference.

[Wizard]

Hello Plums I have just looked at your profile to see if you had an Email address listed but I saw on the map you live close to the A46 do you know where it starts or ends depends which way you are traveling .Up north way or south way so if south way It starts in Cleethorpe and through Grimsby to Lincoln. Through lots of places Cabourne and Caistor and Market and Middle Rasen,that I write about.Must investigate how far down you live I have not heard of.

[plumseverywhere]

we live a couple of miles from Long Lartin the category A prison (!) I think that's our most famous landmark - oh and we can see Broadway tower from our hill  so I guess we are cotswolds as to where the A46 ends, not sure - will ask Tony!
Lisa

[Wizard]

It supposed to go to Bath but it changes its name just East of Bath.Sorry lass to unintentionally miss lead you Not heard of any of the places you mention .What is the nearest town or city I will know about know about