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Post by Alan on Dec 25, 2009 13:54:51 GMT -5
;D
Broke into the one year old 18% alcohol mead the other day! Wow! It has improved majorly, no more burning, and just as crystal clear and light as can be. It was an amazing transformation which occured in that bottle over a 12 month period!
Anyhow, even though my orchard is just now going in and growing I made sure to collect what I could, when I could and where I could this season for wine making. In my collection of material for seed stock I would always take enough of any local fruit to make some wine from this season as well. On the docket for this season (after I fight off this nasty cold) are the following:
Blackberry
Raspberry
Mullberry
Blueberry
Alpine Strawberry
Pear
Perssimmon
Mead
Apple
I love making wine and updates to come for sure!
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Post by mnjrutherford on Dec 25, 2009 17:10:44 GMT -5
That's still a new meade my friend. Stash it for at least another 6 years. We opened a 10 year old bottle on our Anniversary. We served it originally, new, at our wedding. Gorgeous wine. We have a blueberry wine near ready for bottling at the moment. I don't think we will be making any more wines for another 2 to 3 years though. Just cause we aren't producing enough fruit to do such with yet. YET mind you.
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Post by stratcat on Dec 25, 2009 20:36:59 GMT -5
The black raspberries in my yard went nuts this year. I picked/froze 13 1/2 quarts (almost 15 pounds) and took to my friend's place. We have 6 gallons of wine going and all the cuts on my arms and legs from harvesting were worth it!  |
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Post by plantsnobin on Dec 26, 2009 9:09:05 GMT -5
How about some Rhubarb Alan. The French Lick Winery sells it. They have enough of it to wholesale too. I am tempted to contact them to see if they would buy local produce for their wines. They sell elderberry too, btw. They have a 3 acre vineyard in Martin county. but I just wonder if this couldn't be a great opportunity for locals to sell some unusual fruit crops.
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Post by paquebot on Dec 26, 2009 11:19:52 GMT -5
Don't make as much as I used to 20 years ago. At my peak, had 23 carboys and 22 were almost always full of something. Now down to 16 after selling some. This year's project began on 16 October with apple, pear, and apple-pear blend for 70+ gallons. Began with possible Northern Spy, Jonathan, and a juicy type of Red Delicious. Then Seckel pears followed by more red apple mixes. That was on an all-purpose yeast. (EC-1118, I think.) Topped it off with 15+ gallons of Golden Russet on a champagne-type yeast. Final gathering from that tree was under 4 or 5 inches of snow. It's going to be a pretty wine with the apple flesh also being yellow. All of that is full-bodied and won't be ready for a year. Pure juice was obtained via steam extractor. First 40 gallons racked once and looking good.
Also have about 8 gallons of wild grape on a burgundy yeast. Waited until well after frost to sweeten them naturally. Less juice resulted but will be a much nicer wine in the end. May be ready in a year since the later harvest reduces a lot of the harshness normally associated with those grapes.
Martin
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Post by mnjrutherford on Dec 29, 2009 7:44:30 GMT -5
Wow Martin. Sounds awesome. I'm interested in the "steam extractor"? Is that a "speciality" item or something that can be made? We've never done more than 15 gallons at a time and I don't really think we ever will unless the boys get into it, but even if they do, it won't be for a few more years. Do you ever add honey to your wines and what's the oldest you've ever done?
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peapod
gardener
Zone 4, acidic soil, and sandy loam that I have worked on for 4 years. Fixing the bad stuff.
Posts: 175
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Post by peapod on Dec 29, 2009 10:26:40 GMT -5
I tried my hand at home made wine with dandilions that I picked and froze this summer. Not the worst wine but not the best either. I need to imporve thats for sure.
My sodas turn out much better than my booze.
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Post by mjc on Dec 29, 2009 11:40:35 GMT -5
Dandelion wine takes a while to mature...give a couple of years aging before you write it off.
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Post by sandbar on Dec 29, 2009 13:28:09 GMT -5
My sodas turn out much better than my booze. You make your own soda? As in soda-pop? Is that hard and/or time-consuming? |
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Post by paquebot on Dec 29, 2009 13:57:54 GMT -5
Steam juicers are the most convenient way to obtain sterile juice ready to go into the fermenter and free of any pulp. Been using that method for about 25 years. www.canningpantry.com/a12.htmlMartin |
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Post by Alan on Dec 29, 2009 21:54:27 GMT -5
I'm gonna have to get me one of those there steam juicers man, looks and sounds so much easier!
Today I preppped the must for 3 gallons of persimmon wine, pretty excited about this one, I'm actually going to use a champaigne yeast for it just for fun, special heavy duty bottles and all.
This weekend I start the others!
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Post by freedomsailer on Jan 7, 2010 14:36:23 GMT -5
i always make wine every year, have been doing so for the last hmmm 25 or so years an some even before that. usualy i make muskidine wine, strawberry and a ocasional rose wine from petals off the wild roses that grow everywhere around here.
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Post by cornishwoman on Jan 27, 2010 9:46:32 GMT -5
Well I miss my scrumpy,so since I have lived here I have tried my best to make a passable scrumpy,good job the family has no idea just how it should taste. The first few attempts were really really bad, they drunk it any way,sneaky suspicion they probably spat it out when I wasn't looking.Now I make a good scrumpy from the 4 old apple trees we have here which I still cant id,but the apples are nice and tart.Elderberry wine was a favourite of mine,but to date I cant find an elderberry bush any where up and down these lanes here.I made some cucumber wine this fall,only a gallon just to see what it actually tastes like,course that wont be for around a year.I used local honey rather than sugar,first time I have done that.All through the year I make a fruit liquor,sad to say this year I wont be doing that as I broke my rum pot,any how its just a large fat pot with a lid,all you do is plonk a cup of whatever fruit is in season in the pot then add half a cup of good brandy,then in about months time repeat with the next fruit that's in season and the brandy right up till Christmas,the result is very drunken fermented fruit and sipping fruited brandy,I use the fruit pulp over ice cream.I miss the family tradition of making sloe gin for new years.My brothers and I knew where all the sloe bushes were up on the moors,each autumn we would collect baskets of sloes,stain our hands purple , mum would then wash the berry's and prick each small berry with a silver hat pin and drop them into either bottles or fancy decanters,then fill them up with beefeater's gin which my dad considered was the best gin there was.Mum would daily gently shake the bottles or upend them,this went on for a few weeks,then come new years the sloe gin would be given away as gifts.Tell the truth I have no idea if sloes even grow here,never taken the time to find out,would be interesting to know.
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Post by mnjrutherford on Jan 27, 2010 10:55:37 GMT -5
Last decent fruited liquor I've had was blackberry pulp and soju. Soju is Korean liquor and clear like gin or vodka. I would love to have a rum pot! Any potters in this group? You MIGHT want to check with the state forestry service for elderberries. I acquired "mulberries" from NC forestry and just last year discovered (when they bloomed for the first time) that they were elderberries rather than mulberries! My hubby was MOST pleased, I was NOT!
As for sloe berries... sounds like sumthin to check into...
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Post by mnjrutherford on Jan 27, 2010 11:00:10 GMT -5
Eh, just checked, neither TN nor NC forestry have elderberries.  |
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