tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3846822951017254806.post7744257920147203719..comments2024-03-23T02:51:24.594-07:00Comments on A Life Unprocessed: Making Honey WineMellowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11320881197482295606noreply@blogger.comBlogger99125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3846822951017254806.post-43748776296169873492018-01-04T08:47:30.631-08:002018-01-04T08:47:30.631-08:00Ooh, I'll have to try aging it. Thank you Kirs...Ooh, I'll have to try aging it. Thank you Kirsten!Mellowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11320881197482295606noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3846822951017254806.post-82767526443453093602017-12-16T18:39:06.845-08:002017-12-16T18:39:06.845-08:00I made some this recipe almost two years ago, put ...I made some this recipe almost two years ago, put it away and forgot about it. We did taste a little early on and it wasn't so good. We just opened a bottle the other night and it was amazing!! Thanks so much for your recipe. I never want to buy mead from a store again. Kirsten Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13780144040427900212noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3846822951017254806.post-38108197980587586582017-09-28T15:24:41.094-07:002017-09-28T15:24:41.094-07:00The idea of fermenting with honey is so interestin...The idea of fermenting with honey is so interesting to me! I've wanted to try making my own mead for ages but I think making honey wine would be just as interesting! It seems like something that could be a great project to tackle with friends. Homebrewing is so fun! Thanks for sharing your guide!Billyhttp://spoiledtoperfection.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3846822951017254806.post-19503708777774363532017-03-24T15:22:22.612-07:002017-03-24T15:22:22.612-07:00I never filter it, just pour it through a funnel i...I never filter it, just pour it through a funnel into bottles! :)Mellowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11320881197482295606noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3846822951017254806.post-45861611531338342352017-03-23T14:26:49.207-07:002017-03-23T14:26:49.207-07:00We are in the process of making this, ready to bot...We are in the process of making this, ready to bottle from the gallon jug. What is the best way to do this? Filtering, siphoning, pouring it straight in? Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15593819525013497912noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3846822951017254806.post-28871128357494378922016-07-24T14:18:26.531-07:002016-07-24T14:18:26.531-07:00Not sure if anyone has mentioned this but while th...Not sure if anyone has mentioned this but while this is a recipe for honey wine, it is not a recipe for tej. Tej uses wild environmental bacteria and a bittering root (gesho). Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13107068311315655918noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3846822951017254806.post-23185896733641687132016-06-14T13:51:37.287-07:002016-06-14T13:51:37.287-07:00If it seems like a really tight balloon, stretchin...If it seems like a really tight balloon, stretching it might help. I wouldn't put a hole in it, because you want to be able to see how much it's expanding. <br />The ginger bug and grape juice wine sounds delicious!Mellowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11320881197482295606noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3846822951017254806.post-84329269389102631362016-06-14T11:50:52.656-07:002016-06-14T11:50:52.656-07:00Oops, not sure if my previous comment posted. I...Oops, not sure if my previous comment posted. I'll try again.<br />I just had a couple of questions:<br />1. If using a balloon, is it necessary to poke a hole in it or stretch it out prior to fitting it on the jug?<br />2. Could I use a ginger bug/grape juice soda as a wine base? Once it gets fizzy, just stick a balloon on the jug and wait 3 weeks?<br /><br />Thank you so much for your blog 💓Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04284016538563245303noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3846822951017254806.post-72292592165617052352016-02-21T12:07:25.259-08:002016-02-21T12:07:25.259-08:00You definitely can! :DYou definitely can! :DMellowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11320881197482295606noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3846822951017254806.post-746725808270354712016-02-18T04:19:54.792-08:002016-02-18T04:19:54.792-08:00Does anyone know if you can ferment sweet tea with...Does anyone know if you can ferment sweet tea with a ginger bug?Fanniehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14475801097021685639noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3846822951017254806.post-61646728398798791282014-09-14T11:33:13.671-07:002014-09-14T11:33:13.671-07:00I haven't made any fruit wines, besides a plum...I haven't made any fruit wines, besides a plum mead I helped my brother make, but it sounds fun to experiment if you have a lot of fruits to try! I would juice them and then add the starter. After a few days they'll be soda, and then if you want alcohol try following the above instructions. With some fruits, I'm guessing, you might want to add extra sugar for a wine rather than a vinegar. With my brother's plum mead, he added honey to the juiced plums. He might have also added water, but I can't be sure. This is definitely not an area of expertise for me :)Mellowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11320881197482295606noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3846822951017254806.post-76586167020084088282014-09-04T13:52:11.501-07:002014-09-04T13:52:11.501-07:00I am super-new to natural fermenting. I made a wh...I am super-new to natural fermenting. I made a whey starter, using active yogurt, raw sugar and wild plum juice. It is happily bubbling along, to which I am highly pleased. What I would like to know is, how can I make wine from the billions of little wild plums, apples and pears, that we have falling from our hundreds of trees? Generally, we juice them, make jellies, juices and use the juices in place of milk in baking and to enhance the flavors when cooking a multitude of yummy dishes. Now we want to broaden our horizons. Could I modify the honey wine recipe? Would I modify the ginger ale recipe? (BTW can hardly wait to try the ginger bug).<br />Can you help an old gal out?<br />Much appreciated.Snowgalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14171814427030927843noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3846822951017254806.post-44556662386694997282014-09-04T13:46:55.151-07:002014-09-04T13:46:55.151-07:00I'm super-new to natural fermenting. I made a...I'm super-new to natural fermenting. I made a whey starter from active yogurt, mixed with raw sugar and wild plum juice. So far, the starter is bubbling along (hurrah!). We have boat loads of wild plum, apples and peach trees. How can I use this started, or the ginger bug (above), to make wine? Do I modify the honey wine recipe? Totally interested in your response!Snowgalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14171814427030927843noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3846822951017254806.post-38658307193669755452014-08-17T10:21:56.481-07:002014-08-17T10:21:56.481-07:00How does it taste? Sometimes there is very little ...How does it taste? Sometimes there is very little bubble activity, even though fermentation is happening. As long as it doesn't taste bad, you can keep it going. It will definitely be a slower process at cooler temperatures.Mellowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11320881197482295606noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3846822951017254806.post-91028756298779539592014-08-17T10:20:44.236-07:002014-08-17T10:20:44.236-07:00If it's fuzzy, it's mold :( If you can sco...If it's fuzzy, it's mold :( If you can scoop it out, I definitely would. But it makes sense that your second balloon wouldn't inflate as much as the first, since things ferment much more rapidly at first, and once the balloon stops inflating at all, you know it's ready to bottle.Mellowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11320881197482295606noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3846822951017254806.post-65332430462860672122014-08-17T10:19:14.958-07:002014-08-17T10:19:14.958-07:00Usually when mold spots are on things that are fer...Usually when mold spots are on things that are fermenting, it's safe to just scoop away the mold and keep it going. I've never had that happen with honey wine, but I think it would be safe to try.Mellowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11320881197482295606noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3846822951017254806.post-60134807997363582842014-07-19T12:52:47.860-07:002014-07-19T12:52:47.860-07:00Hæ!
I've been trying this excellent recipe f...Hæ! <br /><br />I've been trying this excellent recipe from Iceland with some difficulties and am hoping you can advise me. I made the ginger bug without a problem, but can't seem to get the honey past the fermentation phase. This is my second batch and I've been waiting for the honey/bug mix to ferment for nearly a week, stirring twice a day to no effect. I don't have a very warm apartment—could that be slowing the process down? At what point do you think I should give up on this batch and try again?Larissahttp://ethandthorn.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3846822951017254806.post-24056212537372378742014-07-10T08:29:48.917-07:002014-07-10T08:29:48.917-07:00An addendum to my previous post: I removed the ba...An addendum to my previous post: I removed the balloon to smell the wine to see if it had turned rancid. The ballon, where it attached to the bottle, was almost disintegrated. My thought is that it was exposed to air? This is supposed to be an anaerobic fermentation, right? It did smell somewhat alcoholic and not rancid at all so I just put a new balloon on there. The balloon has inflated, slightly, but definitely not to the level it went to originally. Also, I was reading through other comments and one person mentioned a scoby growing on the top of her wine. Is this possible what i am seeing? It looks like fuzzy white spots of mold floating, but I don't see any sort of gelatinous glob, which I usually associate w/ scoby! Either way, I am going to just keep this thing going for the full 3 weeks and see what happens. It's a learning experience! Rainbow Warriorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08326493215743039690noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3846822951017254806.post-23568839286939853562014-07-07T08:10:40.428-07:002014-07-07T08:10:40.428-07:00Hello! I love your blog and am hoping you can hel...Hello! I love your blog and am hoping you can help me! I followed this honey wine recipe exactly as you stated. All was going really well and I put the mixture in my gallon glass jug w/ balloon on top on 6/27/14. It is now 7/7/14 (only a week and a half later) and my balloon has deflated quite a bit. I do not see any noticeable bubbles when I agitate the bottle and it appears there are several spots of white mold floating on the surface. Is this wine salvageable? Local honey is so expensive and I'd hate to throw this away, especially after the time I've already invested. Please help! Any insight you can offer is much appreciated! Rainbow Warriorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08326493215743039690noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3846822951017254806.post-41680569040103127962014-03-08T14:08:07.881-08:002014-03-08T14:08:07.881-08:00Sorry! A vinegar flavor isn't anything dangero...Sorry! A vinegar flavor isn't anything dangerous, though it doesn't sound very drinkable. It just means it got contaminated with some vinegar somewhere, or that it fermented too long. Alcohol turns into vinegar over time. If it is beyond drinkable, you can use it for salad dressings, which I bet would be tasty! My honey wine tasted nothing like vinegar. If you want to try again, make sure your vessel is SUPER cleaned, especially if you use the same one that turned to vinegar. Many would argue that you should never make wine in a container that held vinegar, but I think you can clean it out well enough if you're aware of the risk.Mellowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11320881197482295606noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3846822951017254806.post-76040173925096113752014-03-02T11:41:35.522-08:002014-03-02T11:41:35.522-08:00Help! Wine tastes a little vingarish. Is it bad!...Help! Wine tastes a little vingarish. Is it bad!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3846822951017254806.post-18143184783200059192014-01-24T08:11:02.531-08:002014-01-24T08:11:02.531-08:00I don't know if saving it would benefit your n...I don't know if saving it would benefit your next batch- good question!Mellowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11320881197482295606noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3846822951017254806.post-66942076646154192812014-01-21T08:54:29.920-08:002014-01-21T08:54:29.920-08:00So, the Honey Wine is delicious. Thanks muchly. ...So, the Honey Wine is delicious. Thanks muchly. My question is about the SCOBY-like mass that's growing in my mead. Normal? Everything smells [and tastes] great so I'm not worried about spoilage. I"m more interested about if I should retain the SCOBY (if that is, indeed, what it is) and use it in my next batch of Honey Wine. Will it speed up the conversion?<br /><br />Any insight would be fantastic,<br /><br />~AngelaAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3846822951017254806.post-92039093198188655742014-01-10T19:36:14.589-08:002014-01-10T19:36:14.589-08:00Ethiopian tej is actually made with honey, water, ...Ethiopian tej is actually made with honey, water, and the dried vines called gesho. It is an ingredient which is difficult to find outside of Ethiopian communities. After much trial and error following friends' recipes, I finally succeeded in producing a batch that won praise from my Ethio friends. Once I succeed in duplicating my results a few more times, I'll post the recipe. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3846822951017254806.post-23656436422474658722013-11-03T19:15:28.583-08:002013-11-03T19:15:28.583-08:00No I don't, but yum! I'd love to make it s...No I don't, but yum! I'd love to make it sometime.Mellowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11320881197482295606noreply@blogger.com