Ruin the kitchen time again :)

9ball · Post: # 71306Post **9ball** » Mon Sep 17, 2007 2:18 pm

The kitchen looks like a bomb's hit it, foam is sprayed playfuly around the sink, there is a faint wiff of bleach and yeast in the air, demijohn's are balanced precariously next to yesterday's loaf of courgette bread, sprinklings of sugar dust the cooker, butchers block and floor like the first snow of winter, and the stock pot is bubbling away with strange fruity concoctions. Hurray it's home made alcohol time again!
Inspired as usual by the forums to get off my backside I had a quick browse through CJ Berry and discovered his recipe for Ribena wine, I very rarely follow recipes for wine and this is no exception. Down to the shops for three bottles of high juice then. I'm giving them a quick boil each with a dash of water and half a pack of Silver Spoon's finest, bunging it into a freshly sterilised demijohn topped up with water and then adding wine yeast and nutrient. The Cranberry and Apple is sitting in the homebrew cupboard already bubbling away like a lentil harvest in a jacuzzi. The white grape and peach is cooling back down in the pan as I type, and the obligitary summer fruits is still awaiting it's magical inebriating transformation.
God only knows how they'll turn out, I just hope the boiling has done for the preservatives in the concentrates, if it has, I'm sure they'll be lovely.

Shirley · Post: # 71307Post **Shirley** » Mon Sep 17, 2007 2:24 pm

Sounds like you've been having fun anyway :D

Hope they turn out well... how long will you have to wait to find out?

9ball · Post: # 71308Post **9ball** » Mon Sep 17, 2007 2:38 pm

Not too sure, it looks like they are fermenting reasonably quickly right now, and they won't be too strong, only 10%ish so hopefully they'll be ready for christmas. The problem being if they're too quick they may well be drunk before christmas. If they still look like they're doing ok in a few days i'll probably do another few demijohns worth to be on the safe side :). Now I'd best get tidying the kitchen.

the.fee.fairy · Mon Sep 17, 2007 2:47 pm

oooh...they sound great!

Hi-Juice ha a lovely Cherry, Apple and Raspberry squash that i'm totally addicted to. might have to make some of that into wine - now, where's the book gone!

Stonehead · Post: # 71310Post **Stonehead** » Mon Sep 17, 2007 2:55 pm

I'm about to start on mangel ale and mangel wine as the courier has just shown up with the yeast, hops and other goodies. The ale should take about two months in total, the wine about a year. Should be interesting.

As for the spice potato wine, it still bubbling away (albeit slowly) while a few calculations reveal it's around 17.5% ABV already. It does taste a bit rough and is slightly oily on the tongue, though. Still, it will take until next Christmas to mature so hopefully it will smooth out...

9ball · Post: # 71311Post **9ball** » Mon Sep 17, 2007 3:44 pm

You do realise you'll have to sample it listening to the Wurzels don't you Stoney.

the.fee.fairy · Mon Sep 17, 2007 4:47 pm

What are mangels?

hoomin_erra · Mon Sep 17, 2007 6:57 pm

Them roller thingy's wots you dry yer washin' wiv!

(Sorry, couldn't resist.)
I think there was a thread about them a few weeks back. Iirc, it's a kind of fruit. Looks a bit like the bulbous rosehip to me.

red · Post: # 71334Post **red** » Mon Sep 17, 2007 8:52 pm

my kitchen is always a mess....

and tonight i made a big batch of mincemeat (yes i know thingymas stuff already .. against my own rules.. but i have no freezer space and apples going bad.. so processing them into things i will use, and besides mincemeat is good if allowed to mature a bit)
steamed some beetroot,
blanched and froze french beans, cauliflower, brocolli (calabrese)
made tea - cauliflower/carrot/sweetcorn/courgette cheese with brown rice
yesterday we made apple and elderberry wine.. frothing away nicely, and attempted blackberry cordial.. but its set!!! so will remake into jam now.. since thats what it is!, and there is red juice stains about the place...
the table has tomatoes ripening in bowls and there are boxes of apples on the floor.
I have now come to the computer and abandoned kitchen as have to work (I prepare wages for other people so it has to be done tonight.. what can i do?) so mess is all still there....

Martin · Post: # 71336Post **Martin** » Mon Sep 17, 2007 9:03 pm

a groovy fruit, related to the beetroot!

http://www.mangoldhurling.co.uk/html/the_mangold.html

(the rules are a hoot!)

the.fee.fairy · Tue Sep 18, 2007 12:22 am

See, i though they might be related to Earthy Mangold, but i wasn't sure where!

I've not seen them before. Where do you purchase these lovely sounding fruits?

Cheezy · Post: # 71387Post **Cheezy** » Tue Sep 18, 2007 2:14 pm

Stonehead wrote:As for the spice potato wine, it still bubbling away (albeit slowly) while a few calculations reveal it's around 17.5% ABV already. It does taste a bit rough and is slightly oily on the tongue, though. Still, it will take until next Christmas to mature so hopefully it will smooth out...

I had some a very long time ago and left it years in the garage. It was lethal, but too sweet for my taste. Luckily 99% of the wine I make is slightly on the dry side, so I used the potato as a taste balance and fortifier

.

Stoney I've lost my OG to ABV calculation, I particually want to calculate m'cider this year as I totally got the perry wrong last year it was at least twice as strong as I thought (and half a pint turned m' ears bright red, a pint effected m'speech!)

Could you let me know what it is