Massive Rhubarb Plant

[Wolfpup]

Girlfriend is still out camping but have a message in to her for another Amazon order.

In the meantime, a friend of hubby's called and asked if we had all our wine making equipment. Said no, we were probably just skimming the surface and getting what we need as we go along. He told us about this ad he spotted. I got a hold of the lady and look what we ended up with... all for 25.00.



It the beaker in the box with the wine cork covers or whatever those are called is a combination SG and "wine" alcohol meter too. There's labels in there and her book of recipes and a cool bottle washing system. Not to mention all the other stuff. Oh and her fermenter (well mine now) is the kind with the gallons showing on the side.

I know, probably not a big deal but it sure seemed like a great find for us. Just had to share.

 

[Venatorscribe]

That is an outstanding haul at such a good price. The recipe book sounds interesting. Anything old and unusual ( the book ).

 

[Chilkat]

Girlfriend is still out camping but have a message in to her for another Amazon order.

In the meantime, a friend of hubby's called and asked if we had all our wine making equipment. Said no, we were probably just skimming the surface and getting what we need as we go along. He told us about this ad he spotted. I got a hold of the lady and look what we ended up with... all for 25.00.

View attachment 49608

It the beaker in the box with the wine cork covers or whatever those are call is a combination SG and "wine" alcohol meter too. There's labels in there and her book of recipes and a cool bottle washing system. Not to mention all the other stuff. Oh and her fermenter (well mine now) is the kind with the gallons showing on the side.

I know, probably not a big deal but it sure seemed like a great find for us. Just had to share.

That's a big deal. That's how I started my brewing again. Great score!

 

[Wolfpup]

That is an outstanding haul at such a good price. The recipe book sounds interesting. Anything old and unusual ( the book ).

Digging further into the note book, not a whole lot of recipes. More instruction and things like "Notes for Bottling Day". Very informative.

There is no rhubarb recipe and strange, in her alphabetized recipe holder (which is filled with wine labels) there is no R. Of all things, hey.

She does have an Onion and a Pumpkin recipe. Those struck me as a bit odd.

 

[meadmaker1]

Sounds like you got the fever to me.
Great haul.
Your batch should be starting to get clear, and looking good.

 

[Wolfpup]

Hee hee, me thinks you're right. Things seem to be coming together nicely. It just feels right to be pursuing this hobby. We are both really enjoying the adventure.

Here's what the wine is looking like today. No, I have not put it away yet. It seems to enjoy being on the counter. A dark closet, shut away in another room, just doesn't quite feel right yet. Maybe once the next batch gets started...



It doesn't seem to have changed much and maybe a bit hard to see here but it's getting a bit more sediment on the bottom. The top part, up in the neck, is looking pretty clear.

 

[Wolfpup]

Almost finished these 74 pages. https://morewinemaking.com/web_files/intranet.morebeer.com/files/wredw.pdf

Very informative even though this isn’t a red wine. Thank you Ajmassa. Along with the info from cmason, PH readings are making a lot more sense now, as well as a few other things.

Not crystal clear and I can still see questions on the horizon, like the whole gases issue, but a very good read. And speaking of apparent good reads, look what arrived yesterday!



Girlfriend had some issues ordering the PH meter solution. The one I gave her also didn’t ship in Canada, despite being on the Canadian site (geez, our little liquid bottle container rules. You should try boarding a plan here. A bottle of water could have you swimming to your next destination).

She was hesitant to order anything different as she didn’t know what it was. We finally got together last Thursday, selected a different one and got both items ordered. The book came yesterday but my PH meter nodes are still dry. She said the stuff has been shipped, just hasn’t got here yet. Maybe today.

 

[abrewkat]

Just found this thread when searching for "crabapple". I do however have a batch of rhubarb wine on the go right now-clearing, as I just started mine in July. So many great tips here!!! This is my second batch, the first we decided to try the "old fashioned German" version, which included 3/4 oz bruised ginger and 3/4 oz cloves per gallon. We managed to produce 5 gallons of a very effective oral anaesthetic, although it was quite nice when mixed with warm apple cider! Things would be done differently if repeated.

As to Canadian suppliers (I'm near Medicine Hat, AB), there is one in Calgary that I've ordered from a couple of times. They have quite a range of yeasts and additives and flavourings, and etc, and shipping wasn't completely ridiculous. http://grapestoglass.com/

One note about the pH meter- I work in a lab and in a pinch we have used half and half of the 4.0 standard calibrator and a KCl solution. I'm sure you got the storage solution though by now.

I am just getting ready to harvest my rhubarb for the second time. And pick the rest of my Concord grapes, hopefully there will be enough room in the freezer with all the sour cherries in there already.

Good luck with the rhubarb, I am excited to see how yours turns out, AND how mine turns out!!

And a big THANK YOU to all the posters here, i have been well entertained and informed for the last couple of hours!!

PS. Does anyone know if you can use the calcium carbonate to counter the oxalic acid after fermentation???

 

[Venatorscribe]

Is your rhubarb too acidic or is it the teeth clenching effect and after taste of the oxalic acid. I like your comment about producing an effective oral anesthetic. I think we have all done a few of those. At the present moment I am drinking a less than agreeable Quince and Apefwine . Such is life. I will drink it - just not share it.

 

[meadmaker1]

3/4 oz per gallon cloves. WOW.
I think 1 or 2 cloves per gallon if you really like clove.
Have work now but will find and post a link on removing some acid and post later

 

[Dennis Griffith]

I should have posted earlier on this thread (sorry). The leaves on rhubarb contain oxalic acid and is considered toxic (not poisonous). As the season progresses, the oxalic acid in the leaves starts to travel down the stems. This is why it is not recommended to harvest after June. I've known of cases where people have become sick (gastric wise) after eating rhubarb harvested in September. I do not know if the acid would effect fermentation, but as the season progresses, the acidity will increase. Just thought I'd throw this tidbit out and if someone else mentioned this, I missed it.

 

[abrewkat]

I should have posted earlier on this thread (sorry). The leaves on rhubarb contain oxalic acid and is considered toxic (not poisonous). As the season progresses, the oxalic acid in the leaves starts to travel down the stems. This is why it is not recommended to harvest after June. I've known of cases where people have become sick (gastric wise) after eating rhubarb harvested in September. I do not know if the acid would effect fermentation, but as the season progresses, the acidity will increase. Just thought I'd throw this tidbit out and if someone else mentioned this, I missed it.

Well, that's interesting, thank you for sharing! I wasn't aware of that. I did harvest 80% of the growth in June, and what's there is new growth, but it has been pretty warm since then, I wonder if the oxalic acid movement is time or temperature related. I will have to pick up a TA kit sooner than later it seems.

 

[abrewkat]

3/4 oz per gallon cloves. WOW.
I think 1 or 2 cloves per gallon if you really like clove.
Have work now but will find and post a link on removing some acid and post later

Yes, it was definitely clove wine, not rhubarb. I do not recommend that amount of cloves!!

 

[Dennis Griffith]

Well, that's interesting, thank you for sharing! I wasn't aware of that. I did harvest 80% of the growth in June, and what's there is new growth, but it has been pretty warm since then, I wonder if the oxalic acid movement is time or temperature related. I will have to pick up a TA kit sooner than later it seems.

I don't know of any research that was done on oxalic acid movement vs. temperature and time. I did find this interesting article highlighting oxalic acid.

https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/science-molecule-of-the-month-oxalic-acid-1592018.html

 

[meadmaker1]

http://wijnmaker.blogspot.com/2009/09/rabarberwijn-1-rhubarbwine-1.html
Here it is.

 

[abrewkat]

http://wijnmaker.blogspot.com/2009/09/rabarberwijn-1-rhubarbwine-1.html
Here it is.

Oh! I actually saw that a few pages back in the thread, thank you! I may have to try that on my next batch!

 

[meadmaker1]

@abrewkat i probably posted it in this thread before, there is some other good info there also.

 

[Port Jerry]

Hi folks,

We have a rhubarb plant (just one) that is over 25 years old. This thing produces enough rhubarb for our small community and I still end up composting a bunch in the fall.

This year, its already over 3 feet tall and two stalks is enough to make an overflowing pie. Not complaining, the taste is wonderful. It also seems the more I use the faster it reproduces.

Hubby and I decided its probably time to try our hands at making wine. We haven't got a clue what we are doing or have any of the equipment. I did watch a couple of videos but have a bunch of questions.

I went out this morning and brought in 12 stalks, chopped it up and just got it in the freezer. This was just over 8 lbs. The video said the fruit breaks down better with the sugar if its frozen.

I was planning on going to town today to get some supplies. Can someone give me a list of the necessary basics.

The videos said to use glass, not plastic but a plastic bucket is ok right? Then a large glass thing for it to set in. And how much sugar would go with 8lbs of rhubarb? And, and and?? I'll stop there.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Hi Wolfpup,
You can start a lot simpler than some of the other posts.
I've been doing it for 5 years.
This is what I did this summer
27 lbs of rhubarb before freezing(I don't chop it fine about 1/2 in sq chunks) use 1 gallon freezer bags, any bigger and it takes too long to thaw. A patato ricer works as a press.
My yeald was 2.75 gal juice. I added 3.75 gal of water.
I use a 7gal plastic waste basket as my primary fermenter
Add less than a 1/8 sodium metabisulphate to kill unwanted yeast.
Let sit at room temp for 24 hrs but not a lot longer. I learned the hard way letting it set 3 days.
I needed more than just the 7 gal waste basket when I added 13 lbs sugar.
At room temp I spread the yeast over the tops and gently stirred it in.
Covered it with cloth.
Next day it was starting to ferment.
Day 3 going good. Room was about 72 deg.
8 days later it slowed to were I siphoned it into the secondary fermenter, carboy, and put an air lock on.
Two weeks ago I racked it a second time.
Siphoned into my plastic primaries, cleaned the jug and siphoned it back to the jug. I will bottle it in October.
You will need to figure out quantitys that work for you.
Good luck

 

[Wolfpup]

Hi everybody, I must apologize for not posting sooner. Busy summer here and I’ve just been deployed from my regular job to help out at our wild fire center for the next two weeks, starting Monday, which was supposed to my long weekend. Thoughts of a brief reprieve quickly vanished. Some fun was had when a bunch of friends descended on our home for a wet and wild weekend of river tube running.

As for the wine, check this out….



Placed a jar of pink sea salt behind the glass jug to show how clear it is.

Hubby said last night, I think it’s time to bottle this stuff. I said I don’t know, the guideline says not until middle of September. Then he said, well can’t you ask your friends on that wine site. And it was… OMG, the wine folks!

In amongst everything, we did rack it again on July 20. There is currently little bit of sediment on the bottom. At that time I put in ¼ tsp of that Meta stuff. And if there's one thing you guys taught me well, it was...Take a reading at every stage and record it. These were the readings at the time:



Had to fill the wine stealer to the top because the SG reader hit the bottom. It did float with the full tube. And recalibrated the PH meter. We had ourselves another little taste. I put a little honey in mine and hubby put too much sugar in his. We liked the hint of honey. It was such an interesting taste, we both REALLY liked it. I think that's why hubby is anxious to bottle, he just wants to drink it.



Needless to say was going to post that night but our testing and all the work had us in bed in no time and it’s just been a whirlwind of non-stop since.

Haven’t had that leisurely opportunity to sit down with the book either. Maybe some nice winter reading, we’ll see.

So we’re wondering, does this look ready to bottle or are we still waiting until the guideline mark of September 18?

 

[Wolfpup]

Hi Wolfpup,
You can start a lot simpler than some of the other posts.
I've been doing it for 5 years.
This is what I did this summer
27 lbs of rhubarb before freezing(I don't chop it fine about 1/2 in sq chunks) use 1 gallon freezer bags, any bigger and it takes too long to thaw. A patato ricer works as a press.
My yeald was 2.75 gal juice. I added 3.75 gal of water.
I use a 7gal plastic waste basket as my primary fermenter
Add less than a 1/8 sodium metabisulphate to kill unwanted yeast.
Let sit at room temp for 24 hrs but not a lot longer. I learned the hard way letting it set 3 days.
I needed more than just the 7 gal waste basket when I added 13 lbs sugar.
At room temp I spread the yeast over the tops and gently stirred it in.
Covered it with cloth.
Next day it was starting to ferment.
Day 3 going good. Room was about 72 deg.
8 days later it slowed to were I siphoned it into the secondary fermenter, carboy, and put an air lock on.
Two weeks ago I racked it a second time.
Siphoned into my plastic primaries, cleaned the jug and siphoned it back to the jug. I will bottle it in October.
You will need to figure out quantitys that work for you.
Good luck

Hi Jerry, this looks like a great recipe, nice and simple, where were you 3 months ago. We are pretty happy with the way things are going with our batch too.