Dandelion Wine (4)

• 3 qts dandelion flowers
• 2 lbs 6 ozs granulated sugar
• 1 lemon (juice and zest)
• 7 pts water
• 1 tsp yeast nutrient
• Champagne wine yeast

Put water on to boil. Meanwhile, wash flowers and trim away all greenery. Best wine uses only the petals. Put flowers, juice and zest of lemon in primary and add boiling water. Stir and cover primary and set aside for 7 days. Slowly pour contents through nylon straining bag and squeeze to extract all liquid. Combine one quart of the liquid and the sugar in pot and stir while bringing to a boil. Add half of this back to strained liquid, stir in yeast nutrient and pour into secondary to cool. Store remaining half of sugar liquid in capped bottle in refrigerator. When liquid in secondary is at room temperature, add activated yeast and fit airlock. After seven days, rack and add reserved sugar liquid and stir. Refit airlock and ferment to dryness. Rack, top up and refit airlock. Repeat every 60 days until no further sediment is deposited during 60 day period. Stabilize, wait two weeks and rack into bottles. Set aside 6 months before tasting.

[Adapted recipe from George Leonard Herter’s How to Make the Finest Wines at Home]