Gosh, you guys are getting me excited about wine making again. It was so long ago and my old farmhouse kitchen so cold it was hard to keep the wine fermenting and most got poured down the sink, too horrible for even me to drink. I had two wonderful successes tho. One was, yes, gooseberry, and the other was gorse. Nobody in Dublin seems interested and I can't find any suppliers of equipment. I recycled the demijohns and I'm sure the procedures, materials are much better now.....those horrible campden tablets that wouldnt crush!
last year I got totally carried away making syrups, cordials. My best was rhubarb, so pretty to look at, easy and adaptable and not too sweet. Found a bottle last week, still terrific. I count it one of the successes of the allotment last season.
I'm a wine-making newbie. I would say if you're thinking about trying it then go for it. I was given a great (simple) book for Christmas 2011 and found a local shop which sells all the "equipment" (you don't need much), some of it second-hand and none of it as expensive as I expected. Inspired by the book, I've made all sorts over the last year or so, but have only tasted a couple of them so far. Damson was boring (like pop but maybe it'll improve with age), apple was better, but my rose petal wine has turned out lovely! One of the batches of pumpkin went fizzy accidentally, so I'm leaving it in the jar to see whether it settles down.... Have also made nettle, peapod, lemon balm, parsley, sage, runner bean, various pumpkin combinations, blackcurrant, rhubarb, raspberry and medlar.
Having got a bit carried away over the last few months (ok, I needed the freezer space), I've now got 6 demijohns still clearing, so might have to give it a break until I can bottle up some more. Haven't tried gooseberry yet, but will do this year hopefully. I think it's great fun - I make my own labels and enjoy the bottling process - and it's a good way to use up allotment gluts and anything that's in season. Just hoping most of it will be drinkable........
Garden Jeannie; Pickled garlic (sorry I didn't get back to you before; you know how it is; so much to do and so few people to do it for me)
It is a recipe from Thailand, where they pickle whole bulbs, but their garlic has apparently a softer outer casing, so we do it differently.
To make 225g (?)
10 garlic BULBS, separated into cloves, but UNPEELED
1 pint white wine vinegar (BUT I use white Balsamic, jolly cheap at Lidl)
1 teaspoon salt
100g sugar
Boil vinegar in pan and add salt and sugar, stir until syrup is smooth and simmering. Drop in the garlic, bring mixture to boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
Pack the garlic into clean sterilised jars and pour the liquid over, making sure the cloves are covered. Put on lids (I use cheap Kilner type jars from IKEA)
They will be ready to eat in 1 week, but improve with age. I keep them in the fridge once opened, but am slowly using a 1 litre jar made 2 years ago. You will want to peel off the skin before eating. I have a friend who just eats them from the jar; I use then in soups and stews.
With the wine making, elder flowers will be out soon; had some stunning elder flower wine at a friends last week; the scent and the flavour were wonderful.
If you get a glut of radishes, I have a recipe for pickled minted radishes from a recent Waitrose mag; haven't tried it yet, but always end up with more radishes than I can use. Radish wine anyone
Gardenjeannie, sorry for not getting back but couldn't remember the thread. This is from The Allotment Cookbook published by Dorling Kindersley. I says.... One lb rhubarb cut into short lengths, 350 g granulated sugar, 8 scented pink rose petals, 2 tbsp rosewater, 1 tsp citric acid. Put enough water in pan to just cover base. Add rhubarb, sugar, petals. Bring to boil, cover cook for about 20 mins til pulpy. Strain through muslin or fine sieve, pressing to get max juice. Return to pan, bring to boil. Remove from heat and stirr in rose water and citric acid. Pour immediately into sterilized bottles. Store in fridge and keeps re a month.
observations. Nice idea about rose petal but doubt they add anything specially after 20 mins boiling. It does not make as much as it suggests, but I vary all amounts and times wildly and all works. As I said still have some nearly a year later, and it's still good, but maybe a fluke as I prob didn't even sterilize. Don't dilute too much.
Pickled radishes!! Cool. I just wish I could find my enormous packet of French Breakfast cos I could be planting now. Last year I 'pickled' the olives from our standard olive trees in an Ikea kilner jar. But I went too far with the salt for the brine, so put them in ordinary water in the hope they would get less salty, but now the top of the water has gone a bit mouldy. Don't know if they would be safe to eat, but the mould is a good two inches from the olives. I also made quince jelly, which is actually really nice, and when I am no longer on a diet, I plan to eat it on granary toast with danish butter for breakfast.
Posts
Gosh, you guys are getting me excited about wine making again. It was so long ago and my old farmhouse kitchen so cold it was hard to keep the wine fermenting and most got poured down the sink, too horrible for even me to drink. I had two wonderful successes tho. One was, yes, gooseberry, and the other was gorse. Nobody in Dublin seems interested and I can't find any suppliers of equipment. I recycled the demijohns and I'm sure the procedures, materials are much better now.....those horrible campden tablets that wouldnt crush!
last year I got totally carried away making syrups, cordials. My best was rhubarb, so pretty to look at, easy and adaptable and not too sweet. Found a bottle last week, still terrific. I count it one of the successes of the allotment last season.
Cordials and syrups, too, Hester? Recipes please!
I'm a wine-making newbie. I would say if you're thinking about trying it then go for it. I was given a great (simple) book for Christmas 2011 and found a local shop which sells all the "equipment" (you don't need much), some of it second-hand and none of it as expensive as I expected. Inspired by the book, I've made all sorts over the last year or so, but have only tasted a couple of them so far.
Damson was boring (like pop but maybe it'll improve with age), apple was better, but my rose petal wine has turned out lovely! One of the batches of pumpkin went fizzy accidentally, so I'm leaving it in the jar to see whether it settles down.... Have also made nettle, peapod, lemon balm, parsley, sage, runner bean, various pumpkin combinations, blackcurrant, rhubarb, raspberry and medlar.
Having got a bit carried away over the last few months (ok, I needed the freezer space), I've now got 6 demijohns still clearing, so might have to give it a break until I can bottle up some more. Haven't tried gooseberry yet, but will do this year hopefully. I think it's great fun - I make my own labels and enjoy the bottling process - and it's a good way to use up allotment gluts and anything that's in season. Just hoping most of it will be drinkable........
Garden Jeannie; Pickled garlic (sorry I didn't get back to you before; you know how it is; so much to do and so few people to do it for me
)
It is a recipe from Thailand, where they pickle whole bulbs, but their garlic has apparently a softer outer casing, so we do it differently.
To make 225g (?)
10 garlic BULBS, separated into cloves, but UNPEELED
1 pint white wine vinegar (BUT I use white Balsamic, jolly cheap at Lidl)
1 teaspoon salt
100g sugar
Boil vinegar in pan and add salt and sugar, stir until syrup is smooth and simmering. Drop in the garlic, bring mixture to boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
Pack the garlic into clean sterilised jars and pour the liquid over, making sure the cloves are covered. Put on lids (I use cheap Kilner type jars from IKEA)
They will be ready to eat in 1 week, but improve with age. I keep them in the fridge once opened, but am slowly using a 1 litre jar made 2 years ago. You will want to peel off the skin before eating. I have a friend who just eats them from the jar; I use then in soups and stews.
With the wine making, elder flowers will be out soon; had some stunning elder flower wine at a friends last week; the scent and the flavour were wonderful.
If you get a glut of radishes, I have a recipe for pickled minted radishes from a recent Waitrose mag; haven't tried it yet, but always end up with more radishes than I can use. Radish wine anyone
Gardenjeannie, sorry for not getting back but couldn't remember the thread. This is from The Allotment Cookbook published by Dorling Kindersley. I says.... One lb rhubarb cut into short lengths, 350 g granulated sugar, 8 scented pink rose petals, 2 tbsp rosewater, 1 tsp citric acid. Put enough water in pan to just cover base. Add rhubarb, sugar, petals. Bring to boil, cover cook for about 20 mins til pulpy. Strain through muslin or fine sieve, pressing to get max juice. Return to pan, bring to boil. Remove from heat and stirr in rose water and citric acid. Pour immediately into sterilized bottles. Store in fridge and keeps re a month.
observations. Nice idea about rose petal but doubt they add anything specially after 20 mins boiling. It does not make as much as it suggests, but I vary all amounts and times wildly and all works. As I said still have some nearly a year later, and it's still good, but maybe a fluke as I prob didn't even sterilize. Don't dilute too much.
Hester, sounds fab but what is it? A cordial?
Pickled radishes!! Cool. I just wish I could find my enormous packet of French Breakfast cos I could be planting now. Last year I 'pickled' the olives from our standard olive trees in an Ikea kilner jar. But I went too far with the salt for the brine, so put them in ordinary water in the hope they would get less salty, but now the top of the water has gone a bit mouldy. Don't know if they would be safe to eat, but the mould is a good two inches from the olives. I also made quince jelly, which is actually really nice, and when I am no longer on a diet, I plan to eat it on granary toast with danish butter for breakfast.