Cucumber wine

[Foomoochoo]

Has anyone made or tasted a cumber wine? We plant a bunch each year so I can make pickles but, we don't have enough to pickle yet and too many to eat. So I thought about making them into wine. Little jalapeño added maybe???

 

[WIP]

Sounds like an interesting adjunct for a bloody mary.

 

[Foomoochoo]

Well, I'm gonna give it a try. Here is the plan.


4.5lbs of peeled cukes.
1.5tsp acid blend
1/2 tsp pectic enzyme
1tsp yeast nutrient
2 black tea bags
2lbs sugar
Montrachet yeast
Maybe 4 jalapeños without seeds

Boil 1q water and sugar until sugar is dissolved. Add tea bags and steep for 15min. Let cool to below 100f add to primary, then cukes and jalapeños, water to 1gal. At room temp I'll add 1 crushed campden tab, pectic enzyme, acid blend, yeast nutrient. Let sit 24hrs then pitch yeast.

Not sure on racking times, I'll just use the hydrometer and visual clearing. I'll probably bottle in 6oz beer bottles to test aging and may try carbing a couple. If it is horrible it may make some good vinegar.

 

[RobWalker]

Sounds absolutely awful. Good luck, let us know how it goes

 

[nutty_gnome]

Are you going to puree the cukes? What makes you think they have anything worth fermenting in them?

 

[Foomoochoo]

Are you going to puree the cukes? What makes you think they have anything worth fermenting in them?

I was planning on chunking the cukes, then crushing the chunks.

Does it matter if they are worth fermenting or not? If they can impart their light, fresh flavor into a wine, why not try?

 

[nutty_gnome]

I was coming from it from the stand point of 'do they have sugars at such a level that they are fermentable at all?' I don't disagree with the 'why not try it part'

For what its worth people put sliced cukes in water along with lemon and something else to make 'tasty water'. Its in a diet book my wife follows. Its pretty good.

Also, cukes have been used to flavor one of the worlds best gins. Hendricks Gin. So good luck.

 

[Foomoochoo]

I was coming from it from the stand point of 'do they have sugars at such a level that they are fermentable at all?' I don't disagree with the 'why not try it part'

For what its worth people put sliced cukes in water along with lemon and something else to make 'tasty water'. Its in a diet book my wife follows. Its pretty good.

Also, cukes have been used to flavor one of the worlds best gins. Hendricks Gin. So good luck.

Oh, I gotcha. Sugar content would be pretty low I imagine. I could increase the amount of sugar to get close to 1.090.

 

[Foomoochoo]

Well, it's going. OG was 1.092 with 6c of sugar. I only had 3.5lbs of cukes and I added the jalapeños. I ended up using 2 Earl gray and 1 oolong tea bags.

The must smells very interesting, very earthy. While it does not smell like a strawberry or cider, I have a good feeling about it. Most likely it would make a decent cooking wine or a good vinegar. Both of which I have not made before.

 

[jogomez]

Foomoochoo, here is the recipe I followed:

4 pounds cucumbers
3 campden tablets
2 oranges
2 lemons
7 cups sugar
pectic enzyme
nutrients
1 package wine yeast
water



Wash cucumbers. Leave skin on. Chop cucumbers and place in primary fermentor.

Wash oranges and lemons. Slice thinly and add to cucumbers. Stir in sugar and nutrients.

Pour 16 cups boiling water over mixture. Stir to dissolve sugar. Let cool. Add pectic enzyme.

The next day, check specific gravity -- it should be between 1.090 and 1.100. Add yeast. Stir daily for five days, until frothing stops.

Strain. Siphon into secondary fermentor and attach airlock.

For a dry wine, rack in three weeks, and every three months for one year. Bottle.

For a sweet wine, rack at three weeks. Add 1/2 cup corn syrup dissolved in 1 cup wine. Stir gently, and place back into secondary fermentor. Repeat process every six weeks until fermentation does not restart with the addition of syrup. Rack every three months until one year old. Bottle.

However, I tasted the wine 10 days later and while it looks good visually, it is too bitter for me. I am interested to hear how yours turns out...

 

[Foomoochoo]

Mine was bitter and earthy tasting. I am making straight into vinegar even though it may make a good cooking wine with some aging.

 

[gratus fermentatio]

Has anyone made or tasted a cumber wine? We plant a bunch each year so I can make pickles but, we don't have enough to pickle yet and too many to eat. So I thought about making them into wine. Little jalapeño added maybe???

I've never attempted fermenting with cucumbers, but there is a discussion on exactly that here: http://www.winepress.us/forums/index.php?/topic/1150-cucumber-wine/
There's even a recipe on the 2nd page. Regards, GF.