Dandelion Wine
A few nights ago at one of our local mega-bookstores. our interest was drawn to a table of "last chance" titles, 3 for $9.99. What a deal! I've always been fatally drawn to remaindered books — my obsession for remaindered cookbooks is legendary in some circles — so naturally this was an interesting table. We made our selection and brought them home.
One of the books was Country: Wisdom for a Country Life, by David Larkin (Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, 2000). It's a large-format compendium, filled with fascinating articles on odd topics having to do with the theme "Country", with an abundance of very attractive pictures. Some chapter names give a bit of flavor: "Signs of Animals", "Edible Plants', "Barns and Farmyard Structures", "Weather Lore", "Scarecrows". Anything that promises eccentricity immediately attracts my attention.
It was a good choice, especially for $3.33. I stayed awake late last night and read virtually the entire 300 large-format pages. I suspect that the word most fit to describe what Mr. Larkin was writing about is "lore", and he does so with great charm.
But one thing really surprised and delighted me, right on p. 57 in the "Edible Foods" entry for "Common dandelion". The text begins:
Common dandelion
(Taraxacum offficinale)The dandelion, a perennial, is so admired that entire books have been written celebrating its use in everything from soups and salads to "coffee" and desserts to herbal medicines. This beautiful weed, with it bright yellow flowers, was introduced to North America by european settlers.
When I was much younger, say about 9 years old to make it a round, 40 years ago, my family visited the house of some friends of my parents. I couldn't possibly say who, or where exactly, although I can bring to mind a soft-focus picture of the neighborhood and the 30s style bungalows. It was some sort of very festive occasion, with quite a few guests.
There are two things I remember vividly from that visit. One was learning how to eat hot peppers (keep you mouth closed and don't inhale). The other was my first taste of dandelion wine.
I don't know that I remember the taste of the dandelion wine, but I do remember its golden color, like liquid sunshine, and I remember thinking that it tasted very, very good, even though I've never been a big fan of the taste of wine since then.
That was the only time I ever tasted it, too. It's far too much trouble to make commercially, and I don't know that anyone bothers to make it at home anymore either. But I've always been fascinated and wondered how to make it.
And there, on p. 57, was the answer I didn't realize I'd been waiting 40 years to see: a recipe for Dandelion Wine. Here it is.
Dandelion Wine
16 cups dandelion flowers (all green parts removed)
3 pounds granulated sugar
2 oranges
1 lemon
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
4 quarts boiling water
- Put the flowers in a large, nonreactive pot and add boiling water. Let sit for three days, then strain through cheesecloth.
- Add sugar, grated orange and lemon rind, and juices to the strained liquid and boil to make a syrup. Cool to lukewarm and add yeast.
- Let mixture stand for four days in a warm room, covered lightly with plastic wrap.
- Filter the liquid into a nonreactive container. Cover loosely and let sit until fermentation stops, about three weeks. Funnel into sterilized wine bottles, cork tightly, and store in a cool, dark place for about six months before serving.
Yield: 4 quarts
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I welcome comments -- even dissent -- but I will delete without notice irrelevant, rude, psychotic, or incomprehensible comments, particularly those that I deem homophobic, unless they are amusing. The same goes for commercial comments and trackbacks. Sorry, but it's my blog and my decisions are final.
on Friday, 14 October 2005 at 01.57
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Never had the pleasure of sampling dandelion wine, but it sounds interesting. Funny how we carry along some childhood memories like that for so many years.
My first childhood opportunities to sample wine involved fortified wines — port and sherry. And of course to my youthful tastebuds they were more like a dose of medicine than anything else.
I'm surprised you say you liked dandelion wine as a kid but have never cared for wine since, given how many different wine types there are.
If you're ever feeling adventurous or curious, I recommend you give pink catawba wine a try. To me it's a delightfully light, delicately fruity, slightly sweet wine with a very subtle smoky undertone to it. Pink catawba might just appeal to you in the way dandelion wine did.
I can tell you I've shared some with a couple of non-wine drinkers who nodded, smiled and said they could see why I find it special. One said it was the nicest wine she'd ever tasted.
If you're going to try it, be warned about one quirky quality. It smells funky, especially when you first open the bottle. Kind of an odd musky aroma. Some bottles will treat you to a much milder whiff from the glass, too, but only if you make a point of sniffing.
But be reassured, too. I've never had a pink catawba that exhibited that funkiness in its flavor; it's purely an aromatic thing.
Pink catawbas come from New York State, are usually available this time of year and are low to moderately priced.
And no, even though I realize this probably looks like a commercial, I have no relationship with any wine bottler or seller, etc.
on Monday, 1 May 2006 at 21.53
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Here's another dandelion wine as given by The World of Herbs & Spices
Dandelion Wine
Pick dandelion flowers that have just begun to open. Harvest only those you know have not been sprayed with any chemical. Follow this old New England recipe.
2 1/2 gallons dandelion flowers, removed from stems
6 oranges, thinly sliced
10 pounds of sugar
4 gallons lukewarm water
Make 6 alternate layers of flowers, sugar and oranges in a 5-gallon crock. Pour water over and cover with a cloth. Leave at room temperature until bubbling stops, usually about 3 weeks. Strain the sweet wine into bottles through a double layer of cheesecloth. Cap bottles and store in a cool, dry place.
From James K. McNair, The World of Herbs & Spices (Ortho Books, Kingsport, TN) 1978.
on Thursday, 30 August 2007 at 20.16
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[…] . and what is a weed, but a plant we have no use for? in actuality though, dandelions make delicious wine. my mom used to gather the heads to make wine during the "spring flush," when most p […]