Dandelion Wine is one of those lovely Edwardian recipes that one reads about in cozy mystery novels. This recipe however is Celtic in origin and gained popularity in the Victorian/Edwardian era because, as opposed to most alcohols, dandelion wine was considered a proper drink for females!
You will need:
1 qt of Dandelion blossoms
2 lemons
2 oranges
1 qt of boiling water
½ to 1 cup of sugar
Large croc
Cheesecloth
Directions:
Pick only fully open dandelions. Rinse well (remember to not use dandelions that pesticides have been sprayed on, or that animals have been allowed to relieve themselves on). Remove the petals from the stems and pick off all green parts. Leaving green on the petals will make the wine really bitter.
Put cleaned petals in a large crock add water
Zest lemons and oranges (reserve zested lemons and oranges for later)
Add lemon and orange zest to crock.
Cover crock loosely and let stand for three days.
Strain out all solids with cheesecloth
Bring resulting liquid to a boil, remove from heat.
Add sugar ½ cup to every pint of juice
Cut zested lemons and oranges into slices
Add lemon and orange slices
Pour mixture into a clean croc cover loosely (so gas can escape)
Let stand 2-3 works or until fermentation has ceased.
Strain well through tight cheesecloth
Pour into clean glass bottles or jars.
Slip a deflated balloon over each bottle/jar and let stand 24 hours. If the balloon stays deflated then fermentation is complete cork the bottle or add the jar lid (finger tighten).
Store bottles in a cool dark space for at least 6 months.
Now your wine is ready to enjoy!
-recipe adapted from Ball Blue Book of Canning 1917 edition and commonsensehome
