WINE MAKING
CARROT WINE
Carrot wine is a gorgeous golden color, with a delicious flavor. I have made this wine for several years now. It is a very good wine, even if it is a wee tad bit strong. I currently have 4 gallons sitting in my kitchen waiting for consumption. I don't think this will last much longer. LOL.
3 pounds carrots (To make the wine more flavorful, these should be dried and slightly shriveled. No mold should be in sight, however.)
1 gallon water
1 pound raisins
2 1/2 pounds sugar
Juice of 1 lemon and 1 orange
1 knob of bruised ginger
1 crushed campden tablet
1 packet wine yeast
Scrub carrots and cut off ends and tops. Cut up vegetables and cover with 1 gallon water. Bring to boil and simmer just until tender. Do not overcook. In the mean time, cover raisins with a small amount of boiling water and let sit several minutes to plump. Drain and tie up along with the ginger in a cheesecloth bag. Strain the carrot water into a sterilized fermentation jug; toss in the raisins and add the sugar, lemon juice, orange juice and Campden tablet.
After 24 hours, or when it has cooled to room temperature, check with hydrometer for specific gravity of 1.095. If the hydrometer reads less than 1.095, stir in more sugar to bring it up to this mark; if it is over, then add enough water to bring it back down. Then, sprinkle the yeast on the surface of the liquid.
Once the fermentation starts, stir with a wooden spoon twice a day. Keep the wine securely covered. If you have a hydrometer, you need to monitor for specific gravity. When it reaches 1.030, it's time to rack it off into secondary fermentation jugs. (Otherwise it will take about 14 to 21 days for the wine to stop frothing.) Sterilized, 1 gallon glass jugs are fine for this intermediary stop. Don't use soap, but baking soda to ensure cleanliness. Squeeze the bag of fruit as dry as possible and discard. Stir up the wine and then siphon off into the jugs. Seal the jugs with an air lock or plastic wrap. Turn a brown paper bag over each jug and store in the coolest place in the house.
After 3 weeks you'll need to rack the wine off again. Then once more in 2 to 3 months. The wine should be clear enough by then to bottle. (The hydrometer should read under 1.000.) Be sure the bottles are absolutely clean. You can purchase ametabisulphite or chlorine cleaner at a wine-making supply house to kill all bacteria.
At this point the wine is drinkable, but if you can stand the wait, store it for another 2 - 3 months for a smoother taste that is less astringent on the tongue.I got this recipe out of LLEWELLYN'S 1996 MOON SIGN BOOK. The author of the article is K. D. Spitzer.
