_NOTE: I keep referring to this fruit wine as mead, but most of the fermentable sugars come from the fruits, so it is technically not a mead. I typically use sugar or a mix of honey and sugar in my fruit wines, so when I used exclusively honey to increase the fermentable sugars, it registered in my brain as a type of mead because I wanted it to be clear that I used honey. But I should have realized it was still a fruit wine since most of the fermentable sugars came from the fruits._
*Strawberry & Peach Sparkling Wine Recipe*
Ingredients:
– 4 gal frozen fruit (50% strawberries + 50% peaches) = ~24 lbs
– 54 oz honey (more or less depending on the specific gravity of your fruit juice) + 3.6 oz honey for bottling (more or less depending on how much mead you have)
– Juice of 1 lemon
– 1 tsp pectic enzyme
– Red Star Premier Côte des Blancs
[OSG = 1.080]
Instructions:
1. Sanitize everything!
2. Gently heat fruits to 85-95 deg F
3. Transfer to the fermenter (I used a 6.5 gal bucket)
4. Add honey to reach a starting specific gravity of 1.080
5. Add the juice of 1 lemon & pectic enzyme
6. Agitate to incorporate oxygen
7. Pitch the yeast
8. Monitor fermentation & push the fruit down into the wine once per day to prevent mold
9. After a few days of fermentation, strain out the fruits (save them for my bread recipe below!!!)
10. Once it has fermented out dry, re-rack & let sit for a few days
11. Re-rack again if there is more sediment & prepare to bottle
12. Mix in the honey for bottling & bottle
13. Let the wine sit at room temperature for at least 2 weeks
14. Chill & enjoy!
*Spent fruit bread recipe*
Ingredients:
– 1.5 cups all-purpose flour
– 1.5 cups spent fruits
– 1 cup sugar
– 1/2 cup butter
– 2 eggs
– 1 tsp baking soda
– 1/2 tsp salt
– 1/2 tsp vanilla (optional)
– 1 tsp cinnamon (optional)
– Raisins (optional)
Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 deg F
2. Cream together the butter & sugar
3. Mix in the eggs & fruit
4. Mix in the flour, baking soda, vanilla, cinnamon, & raisins
5. Grease & flour the baking pan
6. Bake at 350 deg F for 55 mins (or until done… mine took 65 mins)
*How to make wine for beginners:* https://youtu.be/ClLhyUYEjiI?si=U9-ghW26tOoyG8C4
*Reject peach wine 4 ways:* https://youtu.be/edVRUxPnJcs?si=ZziRN3XzUNdTk4Ez
*Reject strawberry wine 2 ways:* https://youtu.be/4oOf-EnxRRE?si=OTRUOJVQrue8ICNz
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