Dandelion Wine

Premier of the first recipe from my new old collection! This recipe is from Recipes from the Old South by Martha L Meade. (Copyright 1961) (My cousin Traci, the ex-librarian is going to reprimand me for not citing this properly.) This is one of my favorites so far....I knew it would be. I just got 14 cookbooks from the mail man that I haven't poured over just yet. I'll let you know what I find. I have not actually made Dandelion Wine, but I thought it sounded interesting....and so Southern.

Dandelion Wine

Water, boiling, 1 gallon

1 quart dandelions (blossoms and stems)

3 oranges (include rind)

3 lemons (include rind)

3 pounds of sugar

1/2 yeast cake

Pour the boiling water over dandelions, sliced oranges, and lemons. Allow to stand 3 days. Strain. Add sugar and yeast. Let stand 4 or 5 days. Then bottle and cork loosely until fermentation has stopped. Then cork tightly and keep in cook, dark place until ready for use. It's better to make it one year for the next.

Can you guys see why I find this so interesting? I mean, really...who has TIME to let water, flowers, and fruit sit for 3 days? Then 4 or 5 more. And what kind of planning does it take to make something this year you're not going to use until NEXT YEAR?

Three pounds of sugar? Seriously. The nurse in me is thinking this is a bad idea. I'm sure the sugar and yeast are involved in the fermentation process...but seriously....3 pounds?

Anyway, If anybody wants to give it a try, let me know how it turns out. I'd love to come over and have wine with my dinner....next year. :-)