Honey Wine Recipe 1 Gallon Food

HONEY MEAD

Steps:

• Sanitize all the equipment you will use: pot, jug, funnel, airlocks, spoon, etc. Follow the directions on the sanitizer package.
• Heat 1/2 gallon of non-chlorinated water in the large pot on medium heat, do not boil. Add the honey and stir until it fully dissolves. Remove from heat.
• Add the optional berries, fruit, raisins, and herbs to the one-gallon jug.
• Using a funnel, pour the honey-water mixture into the jug.
• Leave at least 2 inches of headspace at the top. Add additional cold water if needed.
• Secure the lid and shake well.
• When the temperature drops below 90°F, add 1/2 package of the yeast.
• Again, cap the bottle and shake well.
• You should see bubbles within the first 48 hours.
• Store the jug in a dark and cool place, or cover it with a towel. It will take about 4-6 weeks to ferment.
• It is ready when the bubbling has stopped or slowed to once every minute instead of every few seconds as it did initially.
• The liquid will be clear, and the yeast will settle to the jug's bottom.
• Do a taste test. Use a clean straw for tasting but be careful not to backwash into the mead.
• If you like the flavor, it is ready to bottle the mead.
• If it is too dry and you prefer a little sweeter, you can back sweeten the mead.

WILD GRAPE WINE

Steps:

• Choose ripe Wild Grapes, Pick them in clusters on the stems, bring them home and wash them in cold water leaving them on the stems.
• Place grapes with stems on, in water just to cover, in an enamel or non metallic kettle.
• Bring just to a boil, simmer till skins on the grapes pop, Mash the grapes in the water, Strain juice into a non-metallic container, through several layers of cheese cloth or a clean dish towel to remove grape pulp, seeds and stems.
• Reserve the juice, Throw away stems and pulp.
• Measure the juice.
• Add equal amounts of sugar and water, (ie: 1 gal juice, 1 gal sugar, 1 gal water) put wine mixture in clean crock.
• spread or sprinkle 1 cake or one pkg dry yeast on dry bread crust and allow it to float on top of the wine mixture, cover crock with a clean dish towel, let ferment for 3 days, strain wine, into non metallic container such as an enamel canner kettle, wash the crock and be sure to rinse it very well, put wine back into the crock, allow to ferment for 4 days, stirring every day and skimming the foam from top, strain the wine again as before, wash the crock again, put wine back in the crock.
• Allow to ferment 4 days, stirring and skimming every day.
• Strain the wine once more, this time it is ready to bottle.
• The older it gets the better.