We made wine (on a dime)

Yup! We went there! We made homemade wine, and we did it using upcycled equipment! Why you ask? Well because we had no clue if we were going to be able to make a decent product and we are frugal people. It would make me physically ill to drop $250usd on a venture that I have no clue whether or not we would excel at. No... better to try my hand first then, if it goes well, slowly upgrade the equipment. 
So how did I do it? Easy peasy! We started with a 5 gallon plastic bucket-a meticulously clean one that has only ever been used for food (pickles in our case) or nothing at all. I.e. Don't use the bucket that your joint compound came in, of the paint from your barn! Next we took the lid from said bucket and made sure the seal was water-tight. Easy again just toss a gallon of water into it press the lid on and see if it leaks when tipped on its side or flipped upside down. No leaks? Great! Move on to the next step! Leaky? Find a 5 gallon bucket lid gasket (or if you want run a bead of silicon caulk where the rim of the bucket seats into the lid and let it dry completely before testing the seal again. Be careful to use a very thin bead or your lid won't fit back on your bucket!!!
Ok so now your bucket is air-tight, now it's time to drill a hole in the lid! Yup all that and your going to put a hole in it anyway. You'll need to put a half inch hole in the lid to attach a half inch long nipple or hex coupler through the lid in order to attach your airlock either type of pipe will be screwed into the lid and held firmly in place with a corresponding nut Inside and out when using the nipple to ensure a solid seal.
Now comes the tricky part-the airlock. There are 2 ways to do this the way we used was a balloon over the end of the nipple and that works alright and it's cheap. The other way would be to use a length of half inch tubing (new only for this part guys) attached to the connector on the lid of your fermentation bucket the other end is held in a jar of water. Everything used here has to be squeaky clean because the water has the potential to be sucked back into the bucket as the wine breathes. We will be trying this method with our blackberry wine that we just started we'll let you know how it goes.
There you go! You have a simple and cheap fermentation bucket to give wine making a go. Now the only real equipment you need is a stockpot to boil water, a tube to rack your wine with, and some wine bottles with corks (read this woman used mason jar and lids).

Easy isn't it? Did you try out this project? Let me know! What kind of wine are you making?

From the sunset homesteaders to you, God bless y'all!

 

Violet syrup

 This spring our yard is inundated with violets and dandelions. Being the foraging enthusiasts that the mountain man and I are, we've decided to capitalize on our good fortune and make up a batch of violet syrup to flavor drinks with.
We started by filling an old ice cream tub (the gallon sized one) with what felt like a million violet blossoms. Then we pulled the petal off each bloom saving the petals for the syrup and tossing the rest to the compost. Each batch of syrup requires a cup and a half of packed violet petals. This process requires a fair amount of time but it's worth it! Now that you have spent several hours gathering and separating the petals bring a cup and a half of water to a rolling boil and pour over the violet petals. Now make sure that you use a heat proof container for this - preferably one with a lid. Once you have gotten the violets submerged let those puppies steep for 18-24 hours at room temperature. Strain out the petals and press as much liquid from them as you can.  Place the beautiful deep violet liquid into a small pot and add one and a half to two cups of white sugar heat over gentle heat until the sugar fully dissolves. Place in jars and store in the fridge for 4-6 months.

 

Violet syrup
1.5 cups violet petals (packed)
1.5 cups boiling water
1.5-2cups sugar (white suggested)

Pour boiling water over petals and steep for 18-24 hours
Strain petals removing as much liquid as possible
In a pan mix the sugar and violet water over gentle heat until sugar is dissolved
Store in fridge for up to 6 months.

There you go! Gorgeous violet syrup to add to your favorite drink or have on your pancakes! It tastes just like spring! Enjoy!


From the sunset homesteaders to you God bless!