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Over here, in upstate NY, folk dislike mulberry bushes and trees because of the amount of staining fruit the trees drop and the birds help spread. I have yet to see mulberries being sold in the local farmers markets but between yesterday and today my wife and I were able to collect about 2 kg of ber...

A neighbor and I share a mulberry tree (black mulberry) and last year was the first time I tried to harvest the fruit to make a mulberry liqueur - quite lovely. This year I am harvesting the berries to make a mulberry wine. Has anyone made mulberry wine? Do I need to snip off the little green spike ...

I certainly get your point but if you are trying to get a 90% abv spirit (180 proof) down to say 45% ABV then adding a "flavorless wine" at any %abv will take far more liquid to dilute the spirit by half than simply adding "flavorless" water. True , the total volume you then have will be less if you...

Less expensive to dilute an overproofed vodka with water, or at least that's what I do when I make liqueurs. I use simple syrup to sweeten the flavored vodka. That's what I did for a violet liqueur I just bottled a few minutes ago. For something like horseradish vodka I used vodka at about 90 proof

Two quick and dirty thoughts. 1. You don't need to harvest the whole root. Dig it up and cut the few cm from the root and then replace the root. It will continue to thrive. 2. I just made another small batch of this horseradish vodka and strained the vodka after 24 hours. Much less intense than the ...

I routinely make mead and there is no reason why honey will not ferment brut dry if you know what you are doing. 1. The amount of honey to water can inhibit fermentation: you want a starting gravity of no more than about 1.100 or about 3 lbs of honey in water to make 1 (US) gallon. You can use less ...

Sour dough is essentially a mix of yeast and lactobactria but it is fairly easy to cultivate sourdough. If you make regular bread pull off a tablespoonful-sized piece of the dough and simply keep that fed every day with say, a tablespoonful of flour and a tablespoonful of non-chlorinated water. Keep...

Hi Brewtrog, Out here in upstate NY my yard is producing lots of dandelions. I don't use any chemicals on my grass and we have indoor cats so I am harvesting about a quart of the heads of these flowers every day and storing them in my freezer. Tonight my plan is to take a pair of scissors and snip o...

I don't know that rational leadership is panic -stricken. Can only speak about NY City (I live 180 miles north of the city) where more than 500 people are dying every single day due to this virus. It's not "panic" that is forcing our governor and the mayor of NY City to demand a stay in place and wo...

I think you can sprout beans even more simply, Green Aura. You soak the beans as you did , although I might soak them for two or three days. You want to be sure that they have taken up all the moisture they can to awaken the enzymes that will bring them out of dormancy, and then drain them and cover...

Weedo, I would be a little hesitant about using mouthwash as a sanitizer as our CDC suggests that to be effective the sanitizer should be about 60% alcohol by volume (120 proof) but mouthwash is typically about 50 % of that... but (and I am not a doctor or an expert in public health) I would argue t...

Not a doctor but I think the issue is close proximity to others with the virus. Those "nomads" are not doing anything if they drive from point A to point B and then stay in their caravans or RVs.. I live in upstate NY and the governor of NY State is telling people that if they have come from NY City...

Can you treat all the "gloopy stuff" from any bean as aquafaba? Wow! If that's true that is wonderful news. Ina - here's a technique you might try: don't cook the beans but simply allow the water you have covered the beans in to boil and then switch off the heat but allow the beans to cool in that p...

Someone in the hairdressers today said that if all the over 70s self isolate, what happens when they all reappear and the virus is still about? Another sudden rise in cases and deaths? It's a thought. Certainly cannot speak about what may be happening in the UK but across the water in NYS , I think...

Sorryelfcurry, but the idea is not to stop the fermentation. That's a lot like a stage magician stopping a bullet between his (or her) teeth. Great on stage but will likely cause you a great deal of pain if you try to do it at home. What you do is a) determine the level of alcohol (ABV) you want in ...