LONG night of winemaking!

[jobe05]

Martina:


My daughter just baught a house that had been sitting up closed for about a year. When they went in for the first time, there was mold in all the basement and in many places upstairs. They hired a contractor who came in (for $22,000) and repainted everything adding a mold inhibitor that you can buy at any paint store. They also used this inhibitor on a wet rag (with gloves on) and wiped down doors, trim and other woodwork. He said as long as it stays on the wood, or other surfaces, it would work against the mold coming back. You may want to try that in you basement.


And yes, they did more than paint for $22 grand, there was a lot of demolition in the basement that they had to do.

 

[pkcook]

Martina,


Do you have a sump system in your basement (I'm guessing no since you have a really old house)? When I bought my house in Dayton, I had negative grade on all four side of my house and the sump pump ran all the time. I filled in around the the foundation of the houseallowing all runoff to flow away from the foundationand put in underground extensions on all five of my downspouts from my roof runoff. This has cured my damp basement problem completely! During rainy times I would have standing water around my foundation walls. With this simple fix, all water flows away from the house and the gutters from the roof drain into the underground extensions that deposit the water 10 feet away from the foundation. Just a thought.

 

[MedPretzel]

Jobe,


If you could get me the name of the stuff, I would be greatly appreciative. It sounds like they have a great house (I love old houses with all their quirks), which is very nice to hear. I'm in love with this house, especially since no woodwork was ever touched in the process of living here. For 30 years, there was the same owner, who never even as much put a nail in the wall (let alone update anything, but thank God for that).


pk,


No, no sump system. I wish. It's an old cellar with single-pane windows (next on the list to update, but we're both really in a double-bind situation on that one), and we dry-locked and everything when we redid the basement. We were just going for "quick, clean, and nice" and we have learned that we goofed. The concrete walls are just too porous for the paint. For the windows, though, we love them. They are oversized for today's standards, and we would have to get custom-made windows (6 of them) if we want to keep (and we do) the windows in that size. As old as the cellar is, it's very bright. Unusual to say the least. But, we're going totry some new stuff out this winter (insulation) to see if that helps in the wintertime.


Other than that, our ceiling is now falling down (old plaster ceiling) in the basement. Maybe the ceiling will be the next big project. :S


M.

 

[jobe05]

Martina:


I'm going out of town for a long weekend, but I will find out what it is they used as soon as I get back.


I too love older homes, older victorians in the north and older farm houses in the south. Fortunately, for my daughter, the house the bought was only 2 years old and is a big, very nice house that they got for less than half the value.


Have a good weekend all.

 

[MedPretzel]

Well, I finally got my act together and got myself registered (ahem, at the last minute) for the annual county fair. I will be entering in the following wines:


Daylily
Marigold (yellow)
Pumpkin
Niagara (from fresh grapes/grape juice)
Cab Franc
Chardonnay
Ancient Orange Mead
American Wheat Beer(thanks Frank)




My "husband" is entering in the following:
Chrysanthemum
Marigold (orange)
Rose-Hip


The county fair is in September (Labor Day weekend). I'm getting antsy!

 

[MedPretzel]

Oh darn,




I just bottled my juniper wine, and it is excellent!


Semi-dry, and very.... warm! Not as in hot, but it gives me the feeling of sitting in front of the fireplace at christmastime and enjoying a glass.


My husband thought it tasted like mandarins, and if you knew what it was, you'd taste a little bit of that "gin-ness" out of it.


But just a hint.


I think this will be a wonderful holiday gift to the few people who actually drink wine and that I know. (The rest are either pregnant, or probably going to be -- again....)


M.

 

[MedPretzel]

racked the port, the dandelion and the chickweed. The port is SO good, the dandelion was good too, and the chickweed? Well... Earthy.

 

[Waldo]

Port

 

[jojo]

seeking recipe for juniper wine


as an accompaniment to venison

 

[MedPretzel]

*****************************



Search for Juniper


Here's what Jack Keller had to say about it:


"I certainly loved the Juniper. It was the best-balanced wine I tasted at WineFest, and that includes the several wines I tasted at Boordy Vineyards. True, it was a bit sweet, but it sure did satisfy."


WOAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[jojo]

Thanks Martina

I got a hold of 4 ounces today at the vitamin/herb store.I am all over this!


I've used them in venison recipes. The flavor and aroma is great.Edited by: jojo

 

[MedPretzel]

No problem.


The only thing is: is that you have to tell me how it turns out.

 

[jojo]

Delightfully pungent. I love this smell. The must is cooling off now. I followed the recipe to the letter. I am curious about the full teaspoon of tannin. I've never used so much before butam not worried.

 

[MedPretzel]

The tannin is what I used. I know it's a lot, but it's what I used.


Trust me, it's a good one.





M.


Oh, BTW, I bottled the plum today. Edited by: MedPretzel

 

[Waldo]

MArtina. Is your plum really tangy?

 

[MedPretzel]

I don't know, I have to say.... I think it's rather bland, with a hint of "bite" to it. I simply do not understand this wine. I think something is missing, but it might be a factor that is missing in my palate. My husband thinks it's great. It's very young, but for being a young wine, it tastes quite mature.


Tangy is something i probably wouldn't use to describe the wine.

Did you make one that's tangy?


I have to say, I used canned plums in water. I probably didn't use enough, but who knows. Perhaps fresh plums would make a bit more "tangier" (try figuring out how to spell THAT!) wine???


M.

 

[Funky Fish]

M, Jack Keller'sright - your juniper was definitely the best wine there!

While some of your other wines were quite pleasant, I could have taken a bottle of the juniper and sipped away all night!

 

[NorthernWinos]

Here is a Site with words to describe your wines...other than 'good' and 'great' and.....

http://www.bcawa.ca/winemaking/words.htm

 

[MedPretzel]

Thanks Psy--- uh--- funky (or as I say, Funkayyyyy!)!


I appreciate the comments on it. It's amazing how something you never thought would get so much attention actually did!


Woah!


M.

 

[Waldo]

I don't know, I have to say.... I think it's rather bland, with a hint of "bite" to it. I simply do not understand this wine. I think something is missing, but it might be a factor that is missing in my palate. My husband thinks it's great. It's very young, but for being a young wine, it tastes quite mature.


Tangy is something i probably wouldn't use to describe the wine.

Did you make one that's tangy?


I have to say, I used canned plums in water. I probably didn't use enough, but who knows. Perhaps fresh plums would make a bit more "tangier" (try figuring out how to spell THAT!) wine???


M.

Perhaps "Tart" might be the word I am seeking...NAW!!! I'm sticking with tangy