Natural mead additives?

I know it's best just to buy the additives instead, but can't you just use natural things instead? Such as boiled bread yeast for a nutrient, or a chopped boiled raisin mixture for pectic enzymes? Or even citrusy fruit juices and the zest for an acid blend? It seems like that's how JAOM works so well.

I don't think boiled raisins will help with pectin at all.

Lots of people use boiled yeast as a nutrient, including me and (I'm pretty new at this, so take anything I say with a grain of salt) I have yet to use "acid blend", I've just used citrus. I do know that different acids have various properties, so acid blend would likely produce a more balanced product. I used be pollen as a nutrient on a metheglin I made and it seems to have worked.

My goal is to produce a nice tasting product for friends and family to enjoy. I'm not expecting perfection.

apperently you can also use marmite as nutrient and vit b12?

^^^ACK!!! Marmite is the most vile thing I have voluntarily eaten. Not EVER going in a mead. If you like it, fine, but I most certainly would not put it in any beverage of mine.

Would the raisins not work for anything then? I'd heard myths, but myths are myths for a reason, I guess.

Raisins add body, and also contain natural yeast so they can aid fermentation

Bluespark said:

^^^ACK!!! Marmite is the most vile thing I have voluntarily eaten. Not EVER going in a mead. If you like it, fine, but I most certainly would not put it in any beverage of mine.

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If that is the same as Vegemite, then I'm with you. Foulest stuff I ever ate, but an Ausi friend loved the stuff. Guess every culture has acquired tastes.

Boiled bread yeast for nutrient, sulphite free dried figs/raisins are also a mineral rich nutrient and body builder, same with banana with skin, green skin of papaya will provide a natural pectic enzyme called papain (pineapple and grapefruit apparently also provide though I have not tried), epsom salts as a nutrient, sulphite free molasses is a great nutrient(1 tsp per gallon). Have used everything listed.
I do have friends in AU/NZ who use marmite, vegemite as a yeast nutrient. Have also talked to many old timers who tossed the heel of homemade bread in as a nutrient, meets definition of dead yeast.

The marmite/vegemite thing does indeed work, both are very high in B vitamins. You still have to be careful though as both are made with very high amounts of salt and while you might not actually get a salty flavour per se, you could easily get a metallic sort of taste to it.

Also just thinking of boiled bread yeast as a "cure all" for nutrient issues isn't good practice. I find you need like a tsp per gallon of yeast before boiling/microwaving as a minimum. Often more. It does work but its not a direct replacement on a 1 to 1 basis, more like 3 to 1 (3 tsp yeast to 1 of nutrient/energiser).

Not scientific but its how I managed to get it to work........

As a yutz who has only made breadyeast meads so far, I will say that I have noticed that my pineapple JAOM clears beautifully... wonder if that has to do with the pectin enzymes? Also, I have never used "real" nutrient... only raisins. Not sure if that is even vaguely helpful, OP.

Thanks for all the advice! I don't think I'll ever use marmite for a mead, but it's definitely a good thing to know in case it's the only thing I had on hand. I might try the grapefruit for the pectic enzymes, as well. Everything recommended here doesn't sound terribly hard, honestly. I might end up just doing them all