Marrow Wine

[Elmo]

Hi Everyone,

I am having a crack at marrow wine on the back of my cherry success. It sounds a bit suspect I know but it smells fab and its got to be a good use for the marrow glut!! Fingers crossed I will let you know how I get on.

[Shortie]

Excellent, do let us know how you get on!

[Birdie Wife]

You could try this too (found on another forum):

"Prizewinning or Runner Up (big) marrow with seeds removed, packed with brown sugar, juice of an orange squeezed in and teaspoon of dried yeast - put top of marrow back on (tape works). I've heard of some people adding root ginger, but I didn't find it needed it. Hang/rest in a bowl in a warm place and forget it for three or four weeks - this part takes longer than you think it should. Only when you get really convincing signs that the bottom is about to fall out is it ready to go to the next stage.

Be ready for sticky mess and catch as much juice as poss. Cut off base of marrow and get as much of the sugar/marrow mix into a bowl as you can. It gives off an interesting scent at this point, not offensive but curiously non alcoholic. Sieve and funnel into demi-john, you can mash it a bit to get as much of the marrow flesh in as poss. Top the demi-john up to about three quarters full with cooled boiled water - barely luke-warm if you are in a hurry. Add another teaspoon of dried yeast and juice of half an orange, bung it with a wine making airlock and put it at the back of an airing cupboard where you forget for weeks at a time, but its always warm and snug. Isn't it great, such fab wine making and half the art is in leaving it to do its own thing for the most part!

In a year's time you should have about five pints of golden liquer-type rum, ready to filter off from the rubbish at the bottom. For extra points in style and irony invite your cycnical friends to dinner with stuffed marrow in the main course and serve the rum afterwards in pretty small glasses - half a wine glass will do most people - and gain a reputation for King/Queen of Marrows (use of, not necessarily growing!). If they drink more than a glass full you'll probably have legendary folk songs telling the tale of your success, but record it, 'cos no one will be able to recall it the next day!"

Sounds

[Don Vincenzo]

Hi Birdie Wife
it is a fantastic post, perhaps it would work also with pumkins and other squashes. I am going to try it using a different system known as the osmotic pressure. That is dicing/slicing the squashes and then adding the sugar and the other ingredients, the sugar by osmotic pressure will extract the juices from the squashes, then I will follow the same principle as you mentioned.
I shall let you know the results in a year time
Regards
Don Vincenzo

[Snadger]

I think I made marrow rum once before but I didn't add the yeast as I had been told that natural yeasts would do the trick. From what I remeber I ended up with a sticky mess!

Two of my courgettes that were hidden at the back of my plot have blossomed into marrows so I think I might give it another try....

[Elmo]

Love the sound of that and I have three marrows left over!!!!

My wine making has really taken off the other half keeps laughing and calling me the chemist as there is bottles bubbling away all over the place .

I started Damson and Elderberry with runner bean this weekend. Beetroot to start next weekend I love it. What started as a use for a glut of cherries has now escalated to 10 demijons bubbling away and I am buying 6 more this weekend cause they are the limiting factor at present and I can't fit any food in the freezer till I use some of the fruit thats in it waiting to be brewed.

[Waffler]

I have 1 HUGE marrow sat waiting for me to do something with it; the plan was to make marrow rum, but it seems I need a demi-john, which I don't have. I imagine it'll be one of those things that I just don't get round to, but it does sound nice.

[Elmo]

You can get plastic demijohns for about £2 on the internet now:

http://www.homebrewshop.co.uk/Mercha...egory_Code=DEM

[Waffler]

Thanks for that Elmo.
I've never made wine before so not exactly sure what I need. If I buy a demi-john, do I need an 'attachment' for allowing the gases out? if so, what is this called?

[hils]

You can get plastic demijohns for about £2 on the internet now:

http://www.homebrewshop.co.uk/Mercha...egory_Code=DEM

Thanks Elmo, good prices. Mouth watering already!

[Snadger]

Thanks for that Elmo.
I've never made wine before so not exactly sure what I need. If I buy a demi-john, do I need an 'attachment' for allowing the gases out? if so, what is this called?

Its called an attachment for allowing the gases out or Fermentation Trap

You will probably see hundreds, along with demijohns at any car boot sale for next to nowt!

[Snadger]

I got ten demijohns from a carboot sale for nothing as the guy was packing up and didn't want the bother of taking them home with him!

Being the kind and thoughtful person I am though I gave him 5p each for them!

[NEWTO THE PLOT]

if yoy live anywhere near dartfod waffler i got a demi john and some bits you could have

[Waffler]

Thats kind of you, but I live nowhere near Dartford: I'm north wiltshire. Thanks for the offer though!

[rustylady]

Please be careful

My daughter decided to make marrow rum in the airing cupboard of a shared house. Unfortunately she forgot she'd left the marrow packed with sugar in there and the whole thing collapsed, fell out of the bowl she'd stood it in and she had to spend ages scrubbing the carpet to try and get rid of the smell.

TOTALLY TRUE, but seriously I've made quite a few home wines. Car boot sales are a good source of equipment (demijohns etc). Boots used to do a good range, but I think they've decided home made wine is not PC any more.

Try an internet search for wine making equipment.

My favourite bit was always the siphoning off - somehow you always managed to swallow quite a bit of the wine even though you were supposed to be transferring it into either a clean jar or bottles.

I've had some very good results (blackberry and elderberry especially) but I think it's the challenge of trying something new that makes it special. Yeah you can buy plonk from the supermarket (as you can veggies) but it's not the same as doing it yourself, is it?