Dandelion Wine-oh Yeah

Dandelions have lost their place in this world.  What was once used for beverages, pickling, and in salads - is now only known as a nasty weed.  People go to great lengths to rid their yards of the unwanted guest - worst of all spreading chemical herbicides.

Dandelion wine requires very little work and time.  Dandelions have a sweet-bitterness that translates well into a sweet wine.  I made some this week.

Collect two quarts of dandelion flowers.  Leave the stems and as many leaves out of it as possible - the stems and leaves are the bitter parts of the plant. 

Wash and rinse the dandelions so that you do not end up making dandelion/bug wine.  Cover them with cold water and allow them to soak in the refrigerator for up to two days.

Place them into a large stock pot with 4 quarts of water.

Add 8-10 whole cloves, 1/2 teaspoon powdered ginger, 1 1/2 cups orange juice, the juice of 1 lemon, the juice of 1 lime, the zest of that same lemon, the zest of 1 orange, and 6 cups of sugar.

Bring the liquid to a boil, reduce heat to a rolling boil and allow to cook for 1 hour.

In the meantime, sanitize your fermentation vessel (mine was a glass carboy), stopper and airlock, and funnel.

When the liquid mixture has cooked for 1 hour remove from heat and strain.  I used a mesh strainer lined with cheese cloth.  If you're using a large fermentation vessel you can afford to do this because you will eventually need to rack the liquid into bottles, therefore eliminating much of the sediment that will most definitely accumulate.

If you are planning on placing the liquid directly into bottles, strain the liquid again through something like a coffee filter. When fermenting in bottles the easiest way to create your own "airlock" is to poke a few holes into a balloon and place the balloon over the bottle opening.  This allows fermented CO2 to escape while preventing oxygen from entering.

While your liquid is cooling empty your wine yeast packet into a bowl containing a small amount of cool water and warm dandelion liquid (allow to sit for at least 15 minutes).

Add 2 quarts of cool water to your fermentation vessel, then add all dandelion liquor.  Once your yeast is showing good signs of starting (should be a foamy, bubbly substance in your bowl) add that to the vessel as well, and give the whole thing a good shake.

Immediately top the vessel with whatever airlock you are using and store in a cool, dark area (between 60 - 70 degrees F).

Allow the wine to ferment for a few weeks or until you no longer see signs of fermenting.  Rack into bottles, cork, and store in a cool dark place for at least 6 months - but preferably 1 year.

Good luck, enjoy, eff yeah.