Wine making?
arabellamiller
7 years ago
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Lars
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agoarabellamiller
7 years agoRelated Discussions
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Comments (8)Hi Antonv. You might try posting in the fruit forum. There would be more grape growers there. You will probably find that grapes are easy to grow. There is a lot of information on the web about growing them. Just google on "table grape growing new york" or something like that. New York is grape heaven (upstate, anyway). If you really want to be obsessed about them, check the link below. I have the book & have spent more time reading it than actually growing grapes! For the first year, about all that you need to worry about is let them grow without restriction. You just want them to grow good roots and a sturdy main stem. Next winter you will prune to one main vine each - the style that you use depends on whether you want arbor or trellis. I was intimidated by all of the information on pruning styles, but finally decided that it isnt rocket science, and I think that I got the gist of it. When you receive the vines they will look puny (at least mine did) but in a good climate, they grow fast. Dont over fertilize - too much nitrogen makes them all leaves and no grapes, and rampant vines are not as winter hardy. I just use some compost on mine. My parents had grapes in the midwest, never fertilized, and we always had plenty of grapes. One more thing - you might want to build your arbor or trellis before planting the vines. I planted the vines first, and built the arbor a year later. They did fine, but the placement isnt exactly what I would have done if I had started with the arbor first, then planted the vines. Before long, you will be sitting in the shade of your vines, picking juicy grapes from above the table. Hope that helps. Daniel Here is a link that might be useful: Grape Resource...See MoreAcid Blend - citric, malic, tartaric
Comments (3)The weight is the most accurate way to measure and mix ratio. Here, the three acid types granular size were all the same and you wouldn't be able to easily identify each by itself until it was tasted. Use caution if tasting as it is very tart. The 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon per batch is quite small and thats only if you want to bring up the sourness (and character) very slightly. You can add as much as you prefer, but you should taste the jelly mixture and adjust accordingly, before you add the pectin. I find that many artificial sweetners give an off after taste, so I add that acid to overpower that. Admittedly, I do add a little honey to my Splenda sweetened jams, and even used Cyclamates that were bought in Canada, because the US has inappropriately banned that type. In any case the small amount of added honey helps with 'stickiness', because Splenda alone seems to make the jelly a bit like a stiff Jello. I have always had troubles with regular recipes that are using sugar and plain pectin in jelly making, only because I like to make batches a little bigger and less sweet. Also, if I wanted to reduce the sugar, it would not set the jelly when using regular pectin. Pomona is unconcerned about how much sugar is needed, or if any is used at all. It does not produce the same exact texture like regular pectin and sugar do, but its much healthier for me not to consume that much concentrated sugar. A quart of tomatoes call for about a half teaspoon of citric, so if I were to use about a 1/2 teaspoon of the acid blend for a quart and a cup (4 cups+ 1 quart + 1 cup= a single batch) of jelly, it would probably be about the smallest amount I would need. In tomatoes, which are also a little acidic by themselves, an added half teaspoon of acid per quart helps them to be safer for home canning. The acid blend worked very well with any berry based jellies and jams....See MoreWine Making Questions
Comments (1)Plastic is not as sanitary as glass because it is porous and will hold bacteria. That is what I have heard. It is not recommended for wine making with the exception of the primary fermentation which is safely done in plastic pails. This process only lasts 3-5 days and then the wine should go into glass carboys for the rest of the fermentation process. When you think about the bacteria thing, though, aren't wooden barrels porous too? Although I think the big winemakers only use them 2 or 3 times before they are discarded and/or made into oak chips (for us to add to our wine kits!). Hope this helps....See Morewine making
Comments (2)I am planning to make a one gallon batch of pumpkin/winter squash wine this fall, if I have the time. I will be using Hopi Black squash for this, since it's our favourite! I would have frozen the raw squash first to get more juice out of it. I always freeze everything before I make wine with it. I will also bring it to a boil before using it and let it steep in the boiling water for 36-48 hours, then make the wine. Because I don't use sulphite, the boiling is important but is also extracts a lot of the flavour from the raw material, as does the freezing. Let me konw how it turns out. This will be my first pumpkin wine! I have made a lot of experimental wines this year....See MoreLars
7 years agoSuzi AKA DesertDance So CA Zone 9b
7 years ago
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