** Thursday 26th Daily Chat** - One Day closer to the weekend :)

Pooky

Claire - If you're going to make wine have a good read up on it first and try wilkinsons for their wine making and brewing stuff. Depending on what sort you want to make as to how long it needs to sit, we've got some peapod wine that's been sitting for a year now and it's still not quite drinkable...others are ready in a month.

Next week we shall be making the following wines....rosehip, blackberry and apple, apple, apricot and maybe some elderberry if they're ready. We always have a bottle of home made elderberry wine with Christmas dinner (it's my absolute favourite) so knowing the berries are nearly ready means I can really start looking forward to Christmas.

Another great home made foody treat for pressies is Nigellas rocky road - yums.

Burlesque_Babe

clairewop wrote: »

oohh never seen those around here

often a case of knowing where they are

clairewop wrote:

apricot brandy sounds lush too. do you just do the same? put apricots in a bottle and add brandy? does the vodka and brandy take on the colour of the fruits?

yes, just add the fruit to the alcohol. It does change the colour.

clairewop

pooky been looking at videos on youtube on wines.

and found a seller on ebay that does a wine starter kit for £25. would want the wines to beable to give for xmas pressies and drink ourselves.

Burlesque_Babe

this is my vodka and brandy with the plums from my old house. My ex is cool about me stripping the fruit each year as he doesn't use it. In return, I gave him a bottle of each to put away for Christmas.

scaredy_cat

bb, do you strain the fruit out at all?

whatatwit

BB....so you have just chopped up plums and removed stones....slung into a bottle and covered with vodkakakakaka...hic. Then add sugar and then decant into a smart bottle and label to gift
Simples!

Just had a thought....some friends have got a field with fruit trees round....I think I'll try and beg some plums :T

pepe2008

scaredy_cat wrote: »

bb, do you strain the fruit out at all?

Between her teeth by the sounds of it:D:p

clairewop

so you fill the whole bottle up with fruit? then add vodka? when you take the fruit of then though is the bottle half empty?
just told dh what i was going to do with home made gifts this year, he doesn't think it will be cheaper

Pooky

Claire - What does the wine starter kit contain? Have you got plenty of space to store the demijohns whilst they're fermenting? (they need a constant temperature)

At the very least you'd need 2 demijohns (one empty for syphoning), air locks, sterilizing equipment, funnel, bottles, corks, corking machine, mixing/brewing bucket, filter system/small hole sieve, syphon tube with tap and unless you're making from a kit you'll need yeast, citric acid, pectic enzym, yeast nutrient, campden tablets, stabilising powder and finings.

Wilkinsons do the wine kits that you just add sugar to but they're pretty grim.

It's a great hobby but does take a lot of time.

whatatwit

Claire, often it isn't cheaper, but a homemade gift is often far more appreciated.

I think I will get out my knitting needles and do some dishcloths,