Wine Making: That time of year

[tanya]

How to Make Dandelion Wine
Dandelions are in season during the summer and spring months, but they lend themselves deliciously to a beverage you can serve year-round. April and May are the best months to harvest dandelions for this purpose in the Northern hemisphere. Try it out and taste it for yourself.



Ingredients1 package (7 g) dried yeast
1/4 cup (60 mL) warm water
2 quarts (230 g) whole dandelion flowers
Using 2 quarts (160 g loosely packed, 200 g tightly packed) of just the petals can make for a less bitter wine
4 quarts water (3.785 L)
1 cup (240 mL) orange juice
3 tablespoons (45 g) fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons (45 g) fresh lime juice
8 whole cloves
1/2 teaspoon (1.25 g) powdered ginger
3 tablespoons (18 g) coarsely chopped orange peel; avoid any white pith
1 tablespoon (6 g) coarsely chopped lemon peel; avoid any white pith
6 cups (1200 g) sugar
[edit] StepsPut the yeast in the bowl of warm water and set it aside for it to dissolve. (Option for prepared yeast)

This is only the first half of the dandelion blossoms!Wash and clean the blossoms well. Think of it as a fruit or vegetable; you don't want bugs or dirt in your food. Remove all green material.
Soak flowers for two days. (Option for ambient yeast)
Place the blossoms in the four quarts of water, along with the lime, orange, and lemon juices.

Boiling the blossoms.Stir in the ginger, cloves, orange peels, lemon peels, and sugar. Bring the mix to a boil for an hour.
Put the yeast in the bowl of warm water and set it aside for it to dissolve. (Option for prepared yeast)

Strain the dandelion liquid.Strain through filter papers (coffee filters are recommended). Let the wine cool down for a while. While the wine is still warm, stir in the yeast mix.
Leave it alone and let it stand overnight.
Pour it into bottles, leave them uncorked, and store them in a dark place for at least three weeks so that it can ferment.
Optional: Rack the wine several times. Racking means waiting until the wine clears, then pouring the liquid into another container, leaving the lees (sediment) at the bottom of the first container.
After that time, cork and store the bottles in a cool place. Allow the wine time to age. Most recipes recommend waiting at least six months, preferably a year.

http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Dandelion-Wine

[Redpb]

That just sounds wrong... Does it stain your teeth yellow?

[Jaxx]

"6 cups (1200 g) sugar"

You can make anything taste good with 6 cups of sugar

[cachehiker]

You can make anything taste good with 6 cups of sugar

Even Rhubarb.

Seriously though. I have a yard full of dandelions. To do away with them would mean doing away with my Crocuses, Violets, Harebells, Vetches, Spring Beauties, etc. I have to walk around spraying them individually and I'm just not motivated enough to take care of them all one by one. It's not like they're Dyers Woad or Stickseed or something truly objectionable. I just try to keep their numbers down enough that the stuff I really like has less to compete with.

I just might try this using corn sugar instead of cane sugar. Amongst zymurgists, cane sugar has a reputation for occasionally adding acrid flavors.

[tanya]

I am not a wine maker but this just looked cool and I thought others might be .. but not if it does stain teeth yellow.. ewwww.