Dandelion Time !!!!!

[Luc]

It's time !!!!
They are out there, go get them !!!!!

I just (read yesterday) picked a 10 liter bucket of dandelions for my first Dandelion wine.
I have put them in the freezer because I want to pick some more.

Anybody who wants to do the same be carefull and beware.
The first time I picked the dandelions I put the whole flowers in a bucket and
went home.



At home I started to take off the yellow leaves because I want a wine made with no greens. But to my amazement the flowers at the bottom of the bucket were closed or were starting to close...... And at that moment were not usable anymore.



So if you want to make a wine with only the yellow leaves, clean the flowers 'on site' instead of waiting until you get home.

Luc

 

[smurfe]

Too bad I don't care for Dandelion wine. Lord knows I have an ample supply of them in my yard.

Smurfe

 

[Caplan]

Luc,

The picked flowerheads in the bottom of the bucket that closed - did they not re-open when the light hit them again?
I know some flowers 'close' during darkness. I just wondered if picked dandelions did it?

 

[Luc]

Luc,

The picked flowerheads in the bottom of the bucket that closed - did they not re-open when the light hit them again?
I know some flowers 'close' during darkness. I just wondered if picked dandelions did it?

No, I put them straight under a lamp and they did not open again.

The phenomenon is quit strange, because I picked a few days ago a dandelion which was totally open and put it in a dark drawer. This one would not close !!!!

Now there is a possibility that these little critters have a sense of time !!!!
The one I picked and put in a drawer was picked at 11 o'clock in the morning.
The ones in the bucket were picked at 6 o'clock in the evening.
Now ain't that strange.........

Luc

 

[Caplan]

Luc,

I've managed to free up a few demi-johns by (finally!) bottling some wines from last year. So what recipes are you considering for your dandelions?

 

[Luc]

Luc,

I've managed to free up a few demi-johns by (finally!) bottling some wines from last year. So what recipes are you considering for your dandelions?

Well I didn't quit decide yet.
I thought of making it from scratch.
Loads of recipes are available on the net and from reading I learned
that best is to soak them in boiling water. I now have 20 liter flower petals in total so I should be able to make 20 liters wine of that...... And maybe I decide to make 2 batches of 10 liters. I am sure I will pick some more in the next days.
I think about adding banana's for body and some lemons for acidity. But I will certainly
do some calculations on sugar and acid myself.

I am open for suggestions.

Luc

 

[Caplan]

Luc,

Like you I've never made one but like to experiment so I wondered what you had planned!

The few recipes I've read include lemon juice for acid as you say and not a lot else really - raisins or banana for a little body and that's about it. I can't recall tasting anything with dandelion petals in so have no idea what goes.

Let us know what you come up with!

 

[alley rat]

dandelion intrest

i'm anxiously awaiting dandes as well. I'm thinking about enhancing the body with rhubarb, and wondered if anyone had any thoughts regarding this. Also curious about what yeast would be best and why. Keep the faith, Alley Rat.

 

[Luc]

So I thought I start a small batch to experiment.

What I did so far:
At picking I measured that 75 grams dandelion petals is 1 liter.
So I took 340 grams (I made zip lock bags of 170 grams) and put them
in a nylon stocking. I added 3 liters of boiling water.

The plan is first to add lemon juice of 2 fresh pressed lemons and the juice
of 2 fresh pressed oranges and some pectic enzyme.
I also plan to add 50 cl of banana juice (made with the steamer and left over from a previous experiment).

Then after 3 days I plan to add the sugar, remaining water and a yeast starter.

But now the problem:
It smells like someone just had mowed the lawn and boiled the weed, not very attractive. And the color is not yellow but a bit brownish.
Any thoughts ???


Luc

 

[smokegrub]

I started a 2 1/2 gallon dandelion using a Jack Keller recipe. I also used the petals, although a bit of greenery is almost impossible to exclude. I poured boiling water over a straining bag containing the petals and the zest from 4 lemons and 8 oranges. As you experienced, my must started looking like very dirty, brown dishwater and smelled like stale grass clippings. Now, 24 hours later, the dominant smell is citrus and not nearly as bad. A lot of labor goes into this wine so I hope it turns out well.

 

[Luc]

The smell gets better afther a few days smokegrub.
And the color becomes yellow.

I made last week a second batch of 25 liters.

The procedure is as follows: I took 25 liters of dandelions, put them in nylon stockings and poured 20 liters of boiling water over them.
Then I stirred the mesh 3 times a day for 3 days.
I added juice of 15 lemons and 10 oranges.

In the meantime I made a starter from 1 liter apple juice, nutrient and 150 grams sugar.
It started fermenting vigorously after a day.
Also with my steam extractor I made 1.5 liter banana juice from 3 kilo banana's.

Tuesday I strained the nylon stockings, added the starter, some extra nutrient, and 4 kilo sugar dissolved in 2 liter water to the batch.
The acid test showed me that acid was 1 gram per liter so I added acid.
As there is no acid in dandelions I added a mixture of 1 part tartaric, 1 part malic and 2 parts citric acid. I made the mixture myself.
I also added the banana juice and the yeast starter which was still fermenting vigorously.
I put this all in an open fermentor covered with a cloth.

Wednesday it sounded like it was raining like hell.
But is was the dandelion must fermenting, you could really hear it from the other side of the room

Sunday I will transfer it to a glass carboy and add the last bit of sugar (about 1,8 kilo).

The boiled grass smell has been gone since it started fermenting.
The color is still a bit brownish but I know from my last batch it will turn out yellow when I rack it to the carboy.

I will rack it through a funnel with a nylon stocking in it. First this will bring in for the last time some extra oxygen, and the nylon stocking will prevent any dandelion petals left in the must to transfer.

Luc

 

[smokegrub]

Excellent post, Luc. Your recipe appears almost identical to mine except that I am doing 2 1/2 gallons. Picking and removing petals from all those dandelions was such a chore that I did not do more until I had an opportunity to evaluate the final product. If it turns out well, I will probably do 6 gallons next spring.

I just finished a Vintner's Choice Chardonnay and the color is beautiful. However, it has too much oak for my taste. I will age it and see if it improves. If not, I will have to make another batch and blend.

Up next, strawberries, wild blackberries, apples, wild elderberries and, hopefully, enough wild strawberries to make a least a gallon.

Best wishes.

 

[Luc]

smokegrub look at my post on 9 march: making wine from jam.

I just made 7 bottles of strawberry wine from strawberry jam.
It is really awesome. I bottled it and will be making another
batch -- but now 20 liters --- because it is a fast fermenting blush wine
which could be drank in the summer.

Luc

 

[smokegrub]

Very interesting. I had wondered whether or not you would have had problems with clearing given the amount of pectin used in jam.

Did you use bentonite and/or a fining agent such as Sparkaloid or Isinglass?

 

[Luc]

Very interesting. I had wondered whether or not you would have had problems with clearing given the amount of pectin used in jam.

Did you use bentonite and/or a fining agent such as Sparkaloid or Isinglass?

It cleared fantastic on its own.

The only thing I used was extra pecto enzyme at the start of fermentation
about 3 to 4 tea spoons.

Luc

 

[smokegrub]

Doggone it! Now you've compelled me to start yet another wine! I will experiment with about 1.5 gallons which should easily yield 1 gallon to bulk age plus some for early use.

 

[Luc]

Today it is about three months after this thread had started.

It is also three months after I made my dandelion wine.
And as you know I am the hasty one so I bottled a 5 liter batch
today. It is perfectly clear, no gas in it and a dry wine.

The taste is like nothing I have ever tasted before.
Mind you: not awfull but quit enjoyable.
This is a perfect wine when cooled for a lazy sunday afternoon, in the summer time (sorry couldn't resist with such a kinky wine).

Luc Volders

 

[smurfe]

Luc, glad your wine has turned out to your liking. I tried a batch once and it was a bit to "herby" tasting to me. I used it for cooking. I always wondered what it would of been like if I had back sweetened it a bit.

 

[Paco]

Are there a particular yeast better suited for dandelion wines? What would be two suggestions?

 

[Wade E]

I started gathering some the other day and will gather up a whole bunch this weekend to finally make a batch.