Dandelion Wine

[baymule]

@Carol Dee my dandelion garden started a few years ago when one popped up in the garden. I left it there. My DH started gripping about it and asked me why didn't I pull it up. With a smile, I picked a puffy seed ball and gently blew on it and watched the seeds float away. "Didn't you ever blow on dandelions when you were a kid?" He just shook his head and called me nuts. Yeah, so what? I introduced our grand daughter to blowing dandelion seed balls and we had fun with them.

The next year, yeah-you guessed it-there were lots of them. I liked the sunny yellow flowers, so I left them. Got to figuring there must be something I could do with them and hit the internet. Made dandelion jelly. Liked it and so did everybody I gave it to. Made tea. Yummy! This year, I added wine to the product list and as I selectively pull them, I save the roots. The roots, roasted and ground like coffee are supposed to be a liver cleanse and I need my liver cleansed after drinking all this durn wine! haha

The garden beds where they grow is where I grow tomatoes. The dandelions are looking scraggly now, with so many tall flower stalks with nothing on the end of the stalk. I have made jelly and dried petals for tea, have enough in the freezer for 2 more batches of wine, so will start pulling them up to make the tomatoes look better. I'll leave a few clumps in the yard for fresh tea until they play out.

I haven't gone hunting in years. Even though we own some land, I would rather watch deer than shoot them. There isn't any hogs on our property, I would hunt them if there were. Feral hogs are destructive and they make good sausage!

 

[bobm]

Bay, check out any biology and/ or any anatomy book and one will find that the liver is the body's cleansing organ for toxins, etc. as well as cleansing itself constantly. That is it's job ! Therefore, any of the liver detoxification hearsayings as well as snake oil salesperson's pills and potions is just a way to sell their products. So ...what you are saying is that Jimmy Dean shot all of your feral hogs to extinction before you could hunt them for your own breakfast sausage ? Not only did he trespass, he also then charges you for his illegally procured bounty for your breakfast and deprived you of the joy of the hunt . Oh the horror of it all !

 

[Jared77]

This looks fabulous @baymule. p.s You a lefty?

Probably assumed that because of the pill bottle in the picture

 

[baymule]

@bobm I don't buy liver pills, just read that dandelion roots are supposed to flush out the liver, so why not roast and grind some up to make tea. I am amusing myself by concocting dandelion products.

I'm so mad at Jimmy Dean for beating me to the free hog meat, that I protest by buying Owens breakfast sausage. Take that Jimmy Dean!!

 

[baymule]

Probably assumed that because of the pill bottle in the picture

That's my mommas pills, I am pill free.

 

[bills]

One of the most beautiful wines I ever drank was made from dandelions..wonderful elixir!

Baymule, I expect that cloudy jar will eventually settle. If your careful you can probably pour off most of the clear wine, and then discard the remainder. That, or maybe try siphoning off the clear layer, as you may get a little more..

I understand the recipe pushing the old "Crock", or glass ONLY method of fermentation, as that's been pretty traditional. I think they really just want to to make sure people don't use a metal pot for the job..
A plastic carboy would work perfectly well, and may be better in that you can use an airlock, (bubbler) with it. They are cheaper than the glass carboy too.
I just can't see letting the fermentation take place, just left open to the air, IE open bottles, uncovered crock?..More possibility for mold to rear it's ugly head..

 

[baymule]

@bills I put the wine in a gallon glass jar with a paper towel rubber banded over the top. I just could picture bugs or something like um....... uh...... elephants or something falling in the open jar.

 

[Kassaundra]

I've been experimenting w/ some wine making lately too. My cherry wine turned out awesome. Next up is going to be green tomato wine.

 

[Carol Dee]

I've been experimenting w/ some wine making lately too. My cherry wine turned out awesome. Next up is going to be green tomato wine.

Green Tomato Wine !?!?! That is a new one.

 

[Kassaundra]

Most of the reviews said it was good, not tomatoey at all, a chardoney to amber colored wine. I had never heard of it either until I started looking up what to do w/ them.