We started out by picking about 3 quarts of dandelion flowers pinching off as much of the green stem as we could. We then soaked the little yellow gems in water for a time to rid them of any buggy pests. Next we boiled the dandelions for approximately ten minutes. At this point, they really smelled like Polk greens. Then yet another straining took place. This is the part where we discarded the flowers themselves and only used the strained liquid in our wine making mixture. While letting the boiled liquid cool for a bit, we grabbed a thoroughly sanitized glass gallon jug (Discarded apple cider jugs are perfect for wine making!) and added 5 cups of sugar to it. Once the dandelion water had cooled to slightly above room temperature, we filled the jug to its neck with the dandelion liquid. One packet of dry yeast was the last ingredient added to the jug. Time for the lid! After tightening it well, I shook the jug like a madman until everything was thoroughly mixed. At this point, I removed the lid and replaced it with an airlock. The wine was then placed in a cool, dry area out of the light. In the past I've only had to let my wine set for about 6 weeks, but in the case of this dandelion wine...it was still perking well past that date and it was closer to 9 weeks before I felt comfortable with bottling it.
Let me just say, patience paid off and the wine turned out great! It resembled a dry white wine and all who partaked seemed to enjoy it!! Simply put, dandelion wine is fine!!!
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| Dandelion wine on ice |
Want to try making dandelion wine yourself, but don't want to be all fancy-like with an airlock or just don't own one, you can use a balloon attached to the top of your jug with the help of a rubber band or two. When it's time to store it in a cool, dry place make sure that if you are going to go the balloon route that you have plenty of head space. If everything is working properly the balloon will fill with the spent gases created by the yeast/sugar reaction. The balloon should go down as the yeast finishes its job. Only then should you think about moving on to the next phase...bottling. In situations where you are unsure if the yeast is totally spent, and thus through with its alcohol-inducing chemical reaction, just put your bottled wine in the fridge rather than racking it. The cold temps will halt the yeast in its tracks and keep you from experiencing the unintended busted bottle or blown out cork. Feel free to post a comment about your experience!
