Dandelion Wine

[Catnip_X07]

This topic appears to get an annual rejuvenation this time of year. I have a yard full of dandelions. I don't like dandelions but my wife does. So we compromised thus I have a yard full of dandelions. Thought I'd make these things useful for a wine. If I follow all the posts correctly, after getting petals off the heads, I pour boiled water over the petals and let sit 2 days. Then afterwards, I transfer these petals and water (that has been sitting for 2 days) into a pot to boil for an hour? Or am I simply collecting the petals from the 2 day soak and boiling them in fresh water?

 

[The forager]

Dandelion Wine
3 qts dandelion flowers (Each quart weighs 90 grams, if you'd rather go by weight)
1 lb raisins
1 gallon water
3 lbs granulated sugar
2 lemons
1 orange
yeast and nutrient

Pick the flowers just before starting, so they're fresh. You do need to pick the petals off the flower heads, as the green heads give bitterness to the wine. Put the flowers in a large bowl. Set aside 1 pint of water and bring the remainder to a boil. Pour the boiling water over the dandelion flowers and cover tightly with cloth or plastic wrap. Leave for two days, stirring twice daily. Do not exceed this time.

Pour flowers and water in large pot and bring to a low boil. Add the sugar and the peels (peel thinly and avoid any of the white pith) of the lemons and orange. Boil for one hour, then pour into a crock or plastic pail. Add the juice and pulp of the lemons and orange. Allow to stand until cool (70-75 degrees F.). Add yeast and yeast nutrient, cover, and put in a warm place for three days. Strain and pour into a secondary fermentation vessel (bottle or jug). Add the raisins and fit a fermentation trap to the vessel. Leave until fermentation ceases completely, then rack and top up with reserved pint of water and any additional required to reduce all but 1 inch of airspace. Set aside until wine clears, rack whenever lees are 1/4" thick or every 60 days as needed, then rack and bottle. This wine must age six months in the bottle before tasting, but will improve remarkably if allowed a year (Jack Keller recipe, with minor modifications)

I have been picking and freezing dandelions from my garden. Does freezing destroy the recipe?

 

[Yooper]

I have been picking and freezing dandelions from my garden. Does freezing destroy the recipe?

no, not at all! I've done the same.

 

[OakIslandBrewery]

Just to add a little note here; me, my parents and grandparents (all Yoopers too) made dandelion wine every spring. My grandfather's recipe is really close to what Yooper provided, except the yeast used was cake yeast or compressed yeast. This yeast was spread on a piece of toast and floated in the must until it settled in. It was all made in a crock, stirred every day and covered with cheese cloth. I have many childhood memories sneaking a glass of dandelion wine.

 

[bdmm69]

Another April thread revival. I've just started my first 1 gal batch. Dandelions are few and far between here in Arizona, nearly abandoned my plans and attempted a desert marigold (Baileya multiradiata) batch instead, but stuck to my plucking. Only 136g of petals but seemed like sufficient extraction. The dandelion soak was a beautiful clear copper color, now opaque yellow with the citrus and yeast in. Pushed up into the airlock overnight. Decided on Lalvin D47, initial SG 1.093ish. Looking forward to trying it!

 

[Dracalia]

Dandelion Wine
3 qts dandelion flowers (Each quart weighs 90 grams, if you'd rather go by weight)
1 lb raisins
1 gallon water
3 lbs granulated sugar
2 lemons
1 orange
yeast and nutrient

Pick the flowers just before starting, so they're fresh. You do need to pick the petals off the flower heads, as the green heads give bitterness to the wine. Put the flowers in a large bowl. Set aside 1 pint of water and bring the remainder to a boil. Pour the boiling water over the dandelion flowers and cover tightly with cloth or plastic wrap. Leave for two days, stirring twice daily. Do not exceed this time.

Pour flowers and water in large pot and bring to a low boil. Add the sugar and the peels (peel thinly and avoid any of the white pith) of the lemons and orange. Boil for one hour, then pour into a crock or plastic pail. Add the juice and pulp of the lemons and orange. Allow to stand until cool (70-75 degrees F.). Add yeast and yeast nutrient, cover, and put in a warm place for three days. Strain and pour into a secondary fermentation vessel (bottle or jug). Add the raisins and fit a fermentation trap to the vessel. Leave until fermentation ceases completely, then rack and top up with reserved pint of water and any additional required to reduce all but 1 inch of airspace. Set aside until wine clears, rack whenever lees are 1/4" thick or every 60 days as needed, then rack and bottle. This wine must age six months in the bottle before tasting, but will improve remarkably if allowed a year (Jack Keller recipe, with minor modifications)

I strained mine and added raisins and it has completely stopped fermenting. What should I do?

 

[OakIslandBrewery]

Did it ferment at all, and if so for how long? If it's the secondary part it might have just slowed down some.

 

[Yooper]

I strained mine and added raisins and it has completely stopped fermenting. What should I do?

If it's done, it could be aged now. Are you checking the hydrometer readings?

 

[Dracalia]

I strained mine and added raisins and it has completely stopped fermenting. What should I do?

Did it ferment at all, and if so for how long? If it's the secondary part it might have just slowed down some.

It fermented well but only for about 5 days. I was a bit late in straining it. I also had all of the dandelion petals in a fruit bag in there that had opened, hence why I had to strain it. It hasn’t bubbled at all since I did so (36 hr ago by now).

 

[Dracalia]

If it's done, it could be aged now. Are you checking the hydrometer readings?

No I haven’t yet. It was bubbling a lot before I strained it. Now it has stopped completely and I’m very confused. I had all the petals in a fruit bag that had burst open when I was boiling it. I squeezed all of the liquid out of it so I can’t imagine that the yeast was left behind…

 

[OakIslandBrewery]

Knowing the gravity with give you an idea if fermentation has stopped. If it's not you might want to roust it a little. Depending on your secondary vessel you could gently shake it. If the yeast has slowed down a little shake could wake them up to eat more of the sugar present.

 

[Yooper]

No I haven’t yet. It was bubbling a lot before I strained it. Now it has stopped completely and I’m very confused. I had all the petals in a fruit bag that had burst open when I was boiling it. I squeezed all of the liquid out of it so I can’t imagine that the yeast was left behind…

I don't understand what you're saying- strained it? Boiled? If you could explain step by step where you are and how you got where you are, that would help us figure this out.

 

[michael88n]

It’s been a long while since I’ve brewed or fermented anything. Man we got a lot of freaking dandelions this spring. right now their flowers are big and fat in the morning so we’re going to harvest some and make some wine.

 

[Snuffy]

What is the flavor of dandelion flowers?

 

[Snuffy]

What is the flavor of dandelion flowers?

Yeah. That's kind of what I thought. I think it's more a folk medicinal thing than a flavor. My great grandmother said it "fortified the blood". She said the same thing about poke salad. She was usually right about stuff like that. But then, she also refused to let us eat ice cream and watermelon on the same day. As kids, we were tasked with picking a paper sack full of the flowers and then we picked the petals as she watched from the porch swing. Each spring she would break out last spring's batch. We'd all come down with tummy aches to try and get a sip. You had to be careful tho, If there was no dandy wine around, you'd get castor oil. She was convinced the root of all illness was constipation.

 

[OakIslandBrewery]

My recipe for dandelion wine uses rasins and oranges so the flavor of the dandelion blossoms is almost undetectable but I do pick up a slight floral scent/flavor.

It's been years since I have made it. Just like what has been mentioned, a yard full of dandelions conjures up a desire for a batch of grandpa's dandelion wine . . . then the thought of picking all this blossoms smashes that idea!

 

[Snuffy]

My recipe for dandelion wine uses rasins and oranges so the flavor of the dandelion blossoms is almost undetectable but I do pick up a slight floral scent/flavor.

It's been years since I have made it. Just like what has been mentioned, a yard full of dandelions conjures up a desire for a batch of grandpa's dandelion wine . . . then the thought of picking all this blossoms smashes that idea!

It's definitely a task to set kids to. They can be conned into thinking it's fun. Dandelion wine makes me think of barefoot kids running around with a Junebug on a string. Hunting fish bait with a coffee can. Rope swings. Crawfish. Chicken chokers. Lightning bugs. Monkey spears.
I think I may be developing spring fever.

 

[OakIslandBrewery]

It's definitely a task to set kids to. They can be conned into thinking it's fun. Dandelion wine makes me think of barefoot kids running around with a Junebug on a string. Hunting fish bait with a coffee can. Rope swings. Crawfish. Chicken chokers. Lightning bugs. Monkey spears.
I think I may be developing spring fever.

You paint a better picture than I do but I agree with the spring fever. Gazing out at my yard the grass is starting to green, day time temps are rising so it won't be long. I love spring and summer!