"Can you combine dandelions with berries?" George Glenn, Tulsa, Oklahoma
Yes, George, you certainly can combine these two widely different ingredients. I've made wine with dandelions and blackberries and dandelions and raspberries (black, not red). Because the berries ripen much later than dandelions begin their flowering, I use frozen berries in both recipes but if the flowers last through the berry harvest you can use fresh berries. I personally like the blackberry combination better because the flavors are more subtle and do not battle each other. If you like black raspberries better (my wife certainly does), so be it, but I caution you not to use more raspberries than called for in the recipe because their taste can be so overwhelming it will mask the delicate dandelion flavor.
Pick dandelion and remove and save only the petals, discarding the remainder. Put water on to boil. While water is heating, thinly peel the lemon and orange. Remove and discard pith from the lemon and orange and slice their fruit thinly. Put lemon and orange slices, peelings, flower petals, and blackberries in nylon straining bag, tie closed and put in primary. Add sugar to primary and pour boiling water over straining bag. Stir well to thoroughly dissolve sugar. Cover primary and set aside to cool. When room temperature, stir in tannin, yeast nutrient and activated wine yeast. Recover primary. Squeeze bag daily to liberate flavors and then stir liquid. After 5th day, drip drain bag over primary, squeezing gently, and discard petals and fruit pulp. Dissolve crushed Campden tablet in 1/2 cup warm water and stir into primary. Recover and ferment to specific gravity of 1.010 (14-21 days). Rack into secondary and fit airlock. Rack, top up and refit airlock every 30 days for 90 days. After racking, stabilize, allow to settle 2 weeks, and rack into bottles. Allow to age at least one year. [Author's own recipe]
Pick the dandelion flowers and then remove and save only the petals, discarding the remainder. Put water on to boil. While water is heating, thinly peel the lemon and orange. Remove and discard pith from the lemon and orange and slice their fruit thinly. Put lemon and orange slices, peeling, flower petals, cinnamon stick, and raspberries in nylon straining bag, tie closed and put in primary. Add honey to primary and pour boiling water over straining bag. Stir to mix honey and water and continue until honey is disolved. Cover primary and as water cools stir in tannin and yeast nutrient. When room temperature, sprinkle yeast over liquid and recover. Fermentation should start within hours. Squeeze bag daily to liberate flavors and then stir liquid. After 5th day, drip drain bag over primary, squeezing gently, and discard petals and fruit pulp. Dissolve crushed Campden tablet in 1/2 cup warm water and stir into primary. Recover and ferment to specific gravity of 1.010 (14-21 days). Rack into secondary and fit airlock. Rack, top up and refit airlock every 30 days for 90 days. After racking, stabilize, allow to settle 2 weeks, and rack into bottles. Allow to age at least one year. [Author's own recipe]
My thanks to George Glenn of Tulsa, Oklahoma for this request.
