Wine and Mead Making Q and A
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- Опубліковано 16 лип 2024
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NOTE: This information is meant for educational purposes only .I am NOT a doctor nor pretend to be one. Nothing I say should be used to replace professional medical counseling. Also, PLEASE do your OWN research!
My local greenhouse/specialty food seller has different types of cider they sell in the glass 1 gallon jugs for $6.99-8.99. So i get cider to drink followed by free jugs.
In my craft room on this chilly November day. I'm enjoying all this wonderful info.
cant wait to have my off grid food forest set up- homesteading is my dream! thanks for so much inspo!! 💜
I’m gathering my stuff to make this. I have blackberry fermenting so hopefully I’ll be ready to get the wine started. Thanks so much. I so enjoy the goals to make my own extracts and tinctures. You’re awesome, Heidi.
Thanks!! Love your wine series!! Your skin looks amazing!! I'll have to watch you skin and hair care next.
Well done tape. Learning a lot from you
perfect timing! I am getting my dandelion flowers ready for a new batch!
Definitely something \i will try one day. My dad made his own beer in our garage when I grew up
I have the jar lids with the air locks & the gallon rubber stopper airlock …now I just have to control myself so I don’t make too many kinds! I tend to get all gung-ho & over-do things!😂 Not enough counter space! Thanks again Heidi and God bless!🙏😊
The wine making playlist is the BEST! I have listened to it many times in trying to make my wine-still in process!!-Kristy in Missouri 😀 blackberry wine and pear wine!
Pear sounds wonderful too!
We have persimmons too and I thought about pear persimmon wine!?!?!? Whattaya think? Have tons of persimmon in freezer and not sure which way to go?
@@markkristynichols845 That sounds wonderful! I love persimmons and love experimenting. You should try it and let me know how it turns out!
Always so informative! Thank you!
Excellent thank you and God bless
Thank you sweet friend for sharing this today, I would like to try this when my blackberries come in. We don't drink but would love it to use making extracts. I did vanilla and bought vodka to do that but would love to make organic and more cost effective. Blessings
I am really liking the flavor the wine adds to the extracts much better than the vodka
Northern brewer has carboys and they’re cheap. Great quality and customer service!
I received by package today. Thank you.
Thank you. Got airlock, honey, but just need to hunt down jugs.
Our local grocery store has a deli. They give away their plastic buckets for free 😍
Nice! That is a good place for people to check!
Another page I follow isn't a homesteading page, but he loves making things, too. I have told him how much I like his stuff and I jokingly call him the vinegar nazi; a play on the Seinfeld show about the soup nazi. He absolutely declares vinegar should always be made by first making wine and then vinegar from that wine. He said if he wanted crap, he would buy it at the store. I laughed. I am trying making my wine from a different lesson that doesn't require an traditional air lock, but I have ordered some so I can make simultaneously batches my way and his way. I don't know how his pineapple vinegar could possibly be any better than mine, but if it is I will be happy I found a better way and admit to him I was wrong. I will say no way am I going to make my 5 gallon containers by making wine first; smell better or not ☺️
It's about 4 am here and I'm watching this series for the 4th or 5th time, love it! I have a question I haven't seen answered about wine/mead making.
What is a good environment for making and then storing the wine/mead? Light, temperature. How do they effect the fermentation? I live in South Texas so I get higher temperatures and lots more sunshine than Washington. The most convenient place would be in my converted garage (more room), but I'm concerned about temperature variation. 50-80° in 24hrs each day.
Thank you in advance for your help, God Bless
Here is a video I did on storing: ua-cam.com/video/RCcB3GsCwvE/v-deo.html
I got my one gallon jugs from buying apple juice at my local grocery store. Thanks for another great video, Im going to rewatch your dehydrating videos again so I can find out what you use dried grape leave for. i picked and dried some wild ones this morning
I add them to my mixed greens blend that then goes in every meal I make through the year
@@RainCountryHomestead Thanks for saving me some time Heidi! I thought so just wanted to make sure :)
I use fresh grape leaves for making stuffed grape leaves a greek turkish dish
I'm so glad that I found your UA-cam page and your Etsy store, I am a self taught naturopathic herbalist in training. Your Etsy store is amazing. By any chance do you sell wild lettuce (lactuca virosa) seeds, I have some growing but I am horrible at harvesting the seeds?
No, sorry, I do not sell wild lettuce seed. Any seed I sell gets litsed when it is ready and I do sell feverfew which is also excellent for pain and inflammation
I've been pricing wine making supplies from Home Brew Ohio. I've ordered large storage jars for my pantry from them and have been very pleased with the price, quality and speed of shipping so I thought I would like to order what I need to get started for wine making there also. And they have free shipping for $50 or more orders. Just an FYI for those who are checking into supplies. :)
I am really enjoying your videos. I was wondering what you to use to clean your jugs out with ? Thank you
How do you remember to tend to all the wine, vinegars, flavorings, etc.? Do to write in a schedule of reminders?
I used to always mark the calender, now I just watch and know by how things look, smell, et cetera. Wine is ready when the bubbling completely stops
I had joined a wine making page on FB. When the question posed was how to clean car boys, one woman said she bought denture cleaning tablets as they work so well. I bought some for my kombucha flip tops, and she was right-they work like a charm.
The actives ingredients are an acid and a base such as baking soda and citric acid combined. Add water to these and you get the same reaction as you would adding vinegar to baking soda.
@@RainCountryHomestead Very interesting. Thank you.
Denture tablets for stains is one of my laundry secrets....work great on toilet bowls also...
@@karenrussell7641 Never would have thought of that one. Thanks.
Jewelry too
I've been kicked out of fb groups because I use wild yeast. For some reason folk are hostile about different types of yeast. But I do exactly what you do because it's cheap and I am unemployed. It's a bit sour but not enough to put me off.. :)
i make sterile juice and stick a piece of fresh apple in it to make cider its always ends up nice enough!
@@tinnerste2507 yep me too. I use unsterilized juice and it just brews. If I need to speed it up I put in a cinnamon stick that was soaked in my starter. There are loads of tricks.. :)
@@derekfrost8991 i collect berries in the forest and theyve got bugs in them thats why i steam them for their juice lol. i think if i was pi king out larger fruits from the garden thst were bldmish free i would make the cider from the fruits own yeasts.
but dont tell anyone there were bugs in it, they end up in christmas baskets!
@@tinnerste2507 extra protein.. :)
I started some wine 2 parts elderberry 1 part apple juice after 4 days bubbling slowed way down, I added 3/4 cup of sugar now really slow. Can you add a little bit more starter to get it cranked back up at this point?
Following your honey mead process that has been fermenting for a month, taste tested it and wonder now how to store it to stop the process? Like you, i cannot handle much alcohol content. thanks
ua-cam.com/video/RCcB3GsCwvE/v-deo.html
Hi Heidi! Thank you for all your help and information, I always appreciate you and your videos so very much!! I finally bough my gallon jugs, airlocks and stoppers, and I can't wait to get started. I do have a question for you, however. How much honey do I use if I just want to make a honey mead? (Without adding fruit) Is it still 1 cup of honey per gallon, or would I be adding extra honey? I hope I worded this question right so it's understandable. Thanks again! God Bless
It should always be 3 cups of honey for each gallon, I have never used less than that, even when adding fruit
@@RainCountryHomestead Thank you SO much! I don't know where I got the idea that it was 1 cup. You are such a great lady, I really appreciate you and all your help! Thanks again. God Bless!!
I like to brew in fermenting buckets for first ferment, so much easier to clean.
🤜👍🤛♡♡♡
Also, I prefer the three piece airLock. Again, easy to clean ;)
Hi Heidi! Thanks for sharing all of your knowledge! Last weekend I attempted to make some apple juice wine and several different flavored meads using a pineapple-raisin fermentation starter that I made using your advice from your fermentation starter video! I was wondering though, it's been about a week and I haven't seen a ton of activity going on in my bottles. Do you think my fermentation starter may not have been in an active enough state to get things going? There is a little bit of bubbling going on in each of the containers, but my air locks are pretty calm. I did two bottles of just plain mead and I'm not seeing much activity in those at all unfortunately compared to the ones that I added fruit to. Any advice is much appreciated!
If your starter was fizzy when you went to use it then it is more likely that you may have added too much honey to the mead and too much sugar to the wine from the start which will cause it to take much longer to get active. You should not be using more than three cups of honey in the mead and no more than 3 cups of sugar to start with in the wine...UNLESS your juice is already pretty sweet then it is best to start with only 2 cups. I just shot a new part one on wine making to replace my old part one and this will publish on Monday. I did this to clear up a few things. When I make wine from my very sour grapes, I put three cups in to start with but with sweeter juice, I start with less then add another cup at about one week
@@RainCountryHomestead thank you! Yeah I started to think maybe that is my problem after watching this video because with the apple juice wine I added the sugar all at once 😬 do you think there's any chance of saving it if I let it ferment longer? The mead I'm not sure what is going on with it because the honey/water mixture is the 3cups to 1 gallon...my fermentation starter was bubbling/fizzy when I added it, I had just refreshed it and put it in the fridge two days before using it- it did smell like alcohol pretty good when I opened it up
I made dandelion mead but there’s residue on the neck and the airlock has some traces of residue on it too. Airlock remained in tact... never blew
Yes, you will get residue, that is common
Thank you. It was my first batch of anything fermented! I thought it was ruined. It’s finished and has a nice mild flavor
What do you use for a cleaner for bottles and the oil bottles?🙏👍🏻
ua-cam.com/video/-sgpBEXuTNY/v-deo.html
Maybe people can ask their local restaurants for empty bottles.
Thank you for all the knowledge! I want to make some Oregano wine (if possible) to tincture some oregano and Propolis with. Is that possible? Sorry if you've already covered this and I've missed it!
Wine is made from juice and it would take a lot of oregano to juice to get enough for wine. I recommend just making a regular wine or mead and then using that to tincture your oregano, especially since oregano is a pretty powerful antibiotic, it could possible slow or prevent a good ferment from happening
@@RainCountryHomestead Thank you!!
Is there any advantage of making wine or mead in the gallon bottle over gallon jars? I would prefer jars as they are much easier to wash.
You can use gallon jars but you would need to take the lid and drill a hole in it to fit the bung for the airlock. Patrick did this for me when I was wanting to make only a quart because I was trying another wine experiment but did not want to make a whole gallon
I found on Amazon lids with air locks made for one gallon jars. They are a little pricey but worth it.
Hi HEIDI.
OFF TOPIC AGAIN. LOL. Found those stainless steel square/rectangular dehydrating racks at Lehmann's. $24.99 each.
Have you seen Lehman's 5 tray electric dehydrator? What do you think of it IF you have?
Haven't seen them so I cannot say. The stainless racks I get we pay only $10 each for. They are sold with the jerky making supplies in our local store but I have not found them anywhere else.
@@RainCountryHomestead too bad your store doesn't sell them online. Lol
I picked all my ripe green grapes and started one gallon of wine. Problem is, I did add sugar but didn't make a starter. It's been about 32 hours and it's not bubbling at all. I put the air lock on then off then on because i fear it exploding but also fear it getting too much oxygen with just a cloth. I didn't rinse my grapes so I was hoping for natural yeast development. Do you think it will work? Thanks for your great channel. I made every type of vinegar imaginable this summer; so fun!
It should work, it can take up to five days without a starter before it starts bubbling.
@@RainCountryHomestead Ok, thanks! It has started bubbling super slow this morning. Do I take the lock out if it gets super fast then and put a cloth? I left room at the top like you do. I don't want an explosion, lol .
@@StelmaDesigns No, just keep your eye on it. What you have to watch for is if you have pulp that builds up in the airlock and then clogs it, that is what will cause it to blow off, not how active it is
@@RainCountryHomestead Oh, alright, thank you!
How do you know if the top is tight enough for storing the wine
As long as the lid has a silicone liner either built in or added, you should be able to get it tight enough. Please see this video: ua-cam.com/video/RCcB3GsCwvE/v-deo.html
I am new to this and watched this Playlist a million times . I am making raspberry wine. 3 quarts or 3 cups of raspberry juice?
Three quarts
Thank you not only for the clarification but all you do
Hi sweet lady, I bought a large jar of honey from Costco. It doesn't say it's raw, so I don't know if it is or not. I bought it to make my first batch of mead, before I knew there was raw honey. Can I still use it for mead?
Yep, it will still work
Hello. The water in my airlocks has evaporated. It has been like this for some time now as I have allowed the wine to set for a longer duration of time. I've read that it's no longer safe for consumption because it has been exposed to the air and may now contain harmful bacteria. I've already poured out 2 gallons but did taste both and they seemed fine. Before I discard the remaining 3 gallons I wanted to get your advice on it. Should I discard them and if so are there other ways I could use it? Thank you
No, do not dispose of it! Whoever told you oxygen exposure means it is bad was misinformed and if it tastes fine, simply add more water to your airlock and keep going. The reason for preventing oxygen exposure is to prevent it from turning to vinegar, not to keep it from spoiling. The fermenting process already prevents spoilage. If you want vinegar, you cover the jug with a cloth and allow oxygen, if you want wine, you use an airlock and make sure it always has water in it.
@@RainCountryHomestead
Thank you so much for your reply. I should of messaged you before disposing of those two.
Hi Heidi, me again with yet another question. Do you sanitize your jugs before starting a batch of mead? One of my son's (who's 30 yrs. old) friends told him that if I don't sanitize the jugs, they could develop or already have bacteria that once the mead is made could make the person(s) who drink it either very sick or even kill them. Is there any truth to that, that you know of? Or anyone else in the comments? I am anxious to start a batch and learn but now I have this nagging question. You're help is deeply appreciated as always. Blessing.
Never heard of people getting sick as a result of that. The concern for some is too many different bacteria and yeast possibly changing the quality. I never sterilize, nor ever have, I just wash with soap and hot water.
@@RainCountryHomestead Thank you so much! That is what I plan to do, and had planned until he told me this. Though I would check in with the only person I know of that's been doing this successfully for years. Again, thank you!
I have a problem when I try to make a citrus vinegar. I have tried twice. I don't know if I am not adding enough sugar or too much. It bubbles for about 3 days and stops. I am using a large 64 ounce mason jar. I found I have to at first put a weight on top if I don't it molds. Even if I stir everyday. I have made raisin and blueberry and its fine. I just can't figure out what I am doing wrong with my citrus peels. The oranges come from our own tree. Do you have any ideas?
I have had issues with some citrus, not all. I thought it was the specific oranges I was using because it was only the vinegar made from the Halo mandarin peels that were not making a good vinegar. If I am stirring daily though, I have not had mold on mine so that part does not make sense unless your house is very warm. Too much or too little sugar can be a problem though. For the peels, you should be using a half cup and up to one cup but no more. I never go up to a whole cup myself for a half gallon (64 ounces).
@@RainCountryHomestead Thank you for the quick reply. My house right now doesn’t get to warm. The highest it gets in the day is usually no higher 72 but the thermostat is not set any higher then 68. But I do live in AZ. I will try using more sugar. I was only using 1/4 cup. Maybe I will try 3/4.
I wonder if you could help me. I made wine like you showed us last year no problem. This year i used my fresh peaches and stem extracted the same as last year. Made fermentation starter and it was very active. Started with two cups sugar and one cup fermentation starter and it has been three days and no bubbling. What do you think went wrong ? How long do i wait ? Add more sugar or starter to get thongs going? Please help. Thank you.
I would give it a couple more days. Also, check to see if there is any fizzing going on inside your jug but just not bubbling through the airlock. If it is, then you may have a hole in your airlock so check that carefully. I had that happen to me one time and had to toss that airlock,
Also, here is a rather long video I did on common fermenting problems that may be helpful: ua-cam.com/video/Yn-ILAtgzD8/v-deo.html
@@RainCountryHomestead it is finally bubbling after i changed the airlock. Wow it took 5 days.
We have bubbles ua-cam.com/users/shortsDN7qKeBfbnY?feature=share thank you ❤️
How much pulp would you use if you were making something with strawberries?
The same as described in the video if you are talking about mead. Wine is different
She said 1-3 cups for the mead.
my mead (honey and water and fermenting starter)was bubbling pretty good and I moved it around a little bit and it has stopped. But the water is still just on one side on the airlock... is there anything I should do or just leave it? It was fermenting for about 10 days when I probably damaged it.
No, the mead is fine, mine does that from time to time. Just make sure you still see action inside the jug itself and bubbles on top of the mead. As long as the water is all to one side, that means there is still pressure there
@@RainCountryHomestead thank YOU!! and btw I love everything I ordered from you. Im so glad I found you guys :D
Have you ever made wine with blueberries?
I have made mead with them and it was excellent
How long do you let the mead process?
30 days
Rain Country Thank you...I was ordering from your Amazon link and may have missed you saying that ;)
Hi, would it be possible to make a video on just mead making, I'm struggling to find all the information contained in your videos,
I do not plan on making mead any time soon unless I can get a lot of honey for cheap. I explained it in this video though. Three cups honey, plus one cup fermentation starter, plus enough water and/or fruit pulp to equal a gallon. The rest of the process is the same other than there will be no need to add anymore sugar along the way. Just put the air lock on and leave for thirty days
Thanks for replying, if I can get any honey I'll have a go.