Anyone got a recipe for dandelion wine please?

[Scottishnewbie]

Been going out walking over the last couple of weeks in a keep fit/lose weight bid and have been noticing hundreds and hundreds of dandelions around. As we live in the country, there's not much traffic and i thought it would be good to pick and use them.

i've made wine a couple of times (very much the amateur) so wondered if anyone on the grapevine has a tried and tested recipe for dandelion wine that a newbie like me would be able to follow please?

many thanks

[Hilary B]

Best dandelion wine recipe I ever saw was from 'First steps in wine making' (CJJ Berry). There are 2 recipes for dandelion wine in the book, I used the second one, the one with lots of oranges in. Made it from the book for several years. Had a go this year with a slightly adapted recipe.

2 quarts dandelion flowers (get most of the green off, but don't panic about a little bit)
4 oranges
3lb sugar (a bit less works OK, you can always add more)
6 pints water (or a bit more, but it is easy to get a bit too much).
Yeast and nutrient
Put the flowers in a bucket, pour boiling water over, leave for 2 days (NOT MORE)
Put flowers, water, and zest/thinly peeled rind of oranges in a big saucepan, bring to boil boil 10 mins.
Strain hot liquid onto sugar, add juice of oranges, stir to dissolve sugar.
Allow to cool to blood heat, add yeast and nutrient, put in demijohn, (top up with extra water if needed) fit airlock.
If you've made wine before, you should know what to do from there on.
Ready for Christmas, but even better next summer!

[Scottishnewbie]

Thanks Hilary, I'm definately going to give that a go and will pick the dandelions when I'm out my walk tomorrow. A couple of question though (if you don't mind):

1) how do measure 4 quarts? Can I just fill up an empty milk carton do you think? And do i squash them down or what?

2) how much yeast and nutrient??

thanks

Laura

[Hilary B]

I used my kitchen measuring jug (2 quarts = 4 pints, or about 2½ litres). Press down VERY lightly! They will spring up again somewhat, and that is how you want it.
half a teaspoonful of nutrient, one of yeast.

[janeyo]

My book says that a quart is half a pound. Sounds like we have the same book reading your recipe.

I have started some off today - but couldn't quite manage a pound of heads, only managed 3/4 pound from both lawns! EEK that's a lot of weeds.

I guess I can just add more water to the demi-john when ready for that bit?

I will alter the other ingredients to match the dandelions.

[Hilary B]

I didn't weigh them, just measured in the jug. I think one recipe we found said something about weight-volume conversion, but I can't remember the figures. I doubt it would be anything like that much!
The reason for starting with 6 pints of boiling water is to avoid having too much liquid when it gets into the demijohn, so you top up at that point.


OK I checked the recipe with conversions on. It reckons a quart of dandelion petals weighs between 80-100grams, depending how tightly packed it is. Since this was from an American site, and American pints are a little smaller than British ones, I would say up to 4oz to the quart, MAX! That is for 'just petals' and the recipe I used is a little less fussy, but I don't think it would affect that conversion.

[pdblake]

If you look in my blog (in my sig) I started off a batch the other day (first try with dandelions though)

[miss_corerupted]

just started doing this just up to pouring the hot water on and leaving for 2 days.

A few questions

What is nutrient???
And how long do i have to leave it in the demijohn

i have never made wine before

[janeyo]

I think the nutrient helps to make the yeast work and is used for lots of 'hedgerow / flower/ wines.
I got some in Wilkos - only a few pence.

The wine will slowly get clearer and when it stops bubbling you can bottle it. Every wine is different in the time it takes to finish fermenting and clear. But wait before you drink it.

Mine is going great guns, got it in the cupboard under the sink and everytime we open it we get a lovley boozy whiff lol

[Scottishnewbie]

So today was the day folks....off I went to collect the delightful bright yellow little fellows!!!! Filled my bag in no time at all and then set to the job of removing the greenery.............OMG!!!! I had NO IDEA that it would take hours and hours and hours!!! So I told big John (OH) when he came home from work tonight that he had better savour every last drop of this nectar when it's ready cos I ain't EVER making it again! Or do I just have zero patience I wonder?

What do other think? Is it worth the time and effort required?

Laura

[Hilary B]

So today was the day folks....off I went to collect the delightful bright yellow little fellows!!!! Filled my bag in no time at all and then set to the job of removing the greenery.............OMG!!!! I had NO IDEA that it would take hours and hours and hours!!! So I told big John (OH) when he came home from work tonight that he had better savour every last drop of this nectar when it's ready cos I ain't EVER making it again! Or do I just have zero patience I wonder?

What do other think? Is it worth the time and effort required?

Laura

It does get quicker with practice, but I suspect you were being fussier than you need be. The technique is to grasp the petals (and probably a scrap of the green outside them) with thumb and a couple of fingers of one hand, and the lower part of the flower (the bit that the seeds would sit on if it was left that long) using the other hand the same way, then dig in thumb nails slightly, and twist. Once you get the hang of it, you should be able to do 20-30 blossoms a minute without any problems, and I got enough for a gallon of wine in about half-an-hour.

[Scottishnewbie]

Blooming Heack, Hilary B!! It took me nearly FOUR HOURS! I definately didn't do it the way you are suggesting......am i brave enough to try again i wonder...just to practice????? maybe i'll just go and chop up some rhubarb tomorrow instead!

thanks though

L

It does get quicker with practice, but I suspect you were being fussier than you need be. The technique is to grasp the petals (and probably a scrap of the green outside them) with thumb and a couple of fingers of one hand, and the lower part of the flower (the bit that the seeds would sit on if it was left that long) using the other hand the same way, then dig in thumb nails slightly, and twist. Once you get the hang of it, you should be able to do 20-30 blossoms a minute without any problems, and I got enough for a gallon of wine in about half-an-hour.

[miss_corerupted]

can anyone tell me what blood tempp is?

[mrdinkle]

37C is it not?

[miss_corerupted]

thank you. i have now put my wine in the demijohn

didn't fill it but that doesn't matter