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When I was growing up, dandelions were considered weeds. Everyone was so concerned about those little yellow flowers all over their yard.
I never saw why they were so bad. I thought the splashes of yellow were pretty against the green. But, I still grew up thinking dandelions were bad news.
You would imagine how surprised I was when I found out that not only could you eat them, but they were good for you as well.
-Mind- Blown-
My interest was peaked. I always thought these things had a weird smell. How in the world could you eat them? But, then I saw where people were making mine with them. And I love wine. I just had to try it.
After scouring the internet, I found tons of recipes. I just didn’t find one that really stood out to me. And by that I mean, I wanted a recipe that only used what I already had in my kitchen. So I actually took bits from 3 different recipes and I made my own. AND IT WAS KILLER!!! It was so good, I had to share it with you all!
Dandelion Wine
Supplies:
Ingredients:
- 2 quarts Fresh, large yellow dandelions
- 8 Cups Sugar
- 1 Packet Champagne Yeast
- Distilled water
- 1 Lemon
- 1 Orange
Instructions
- Pick those dandelions (or have your kids pick them)
- Rinse the dandelions in cold water
- Now, this is the tedious , but important part. Separate the top flower part of the dandelion from the green base. With one hand, pinch the bottom green base part (without crushing too much, as this releases the sour, bitter juices). With the other hand pinch the bottom of the yellow and pull. They should mostly come off with one pinch. I know this is a little painstaking, but the keeps your wine from getting bitter.
- Add 6 cups of water (can be tap) and your dandelions to a pot and bring to a boil.
- Reduce to medium and heat for about 10 minutes. Your water should be bright yellow.
- Grab another pan and a small mesh strainer. Strain out the dandelions and discard them.
- Stir in your sugar while your liquid is still hot.
- Once your dandelion water has cooled to 90 degrees, add in the yeast and stir lightly.
- Funnel your liquid into the glass jug.
- Cut the lemon and orange into small pieces and shove them into the jug.
- Fill the remainder of the jug with distilled water.
- Plug the jug with the airlock. If it is on right, and your airlock is good, you should start seeing bubbles forming.
- Let sit for 3-4 weeks
- After your 3 weeks is up, strain again and bottle it up! It is recommended that you let it sit for another week or 2, but mine tasted great from this point.
****To test the alcohol content, a tester is needed
I hope this was easy enough to follow along with. If you have made this, drop me a line below and let me know how yours turned out!
I’m about to make this wine and have a question. Your recipe calls for 6 cups of liquid but you use a gallon jug. Do you increase all the amount to make a gallon? What are the ingredient quantities to make a gallon?
I made it today. My rubber cork and the airlock keeps wanting to loosen up. What am I doing wrong?