Bradford Pear Wine!

You should be well acquainted with Bradford Pear trees. They are everywhere, and they smell awful in the spring. They are some of the most popular landscaping trees around. They are attractive, nicely shaped and resistant to most diseases. However the roots are shallow, the limbs are weak and a strong wind storm easily destroys older trees.  They were imported in 1910 from China and are generally sterile. However when they do produce and birds transport the seeds, the feral trees become great producers of tiny tart pears about the size of a cherry. You can pick them in September and early October.

The fruit is edible but needs the right recipe as it is very tart. There are not a lot of recipes since the tree is a recent addition to the US and was not widespread during the Great Depression when people would have experimented with it more. I like to try something new with it every year since it is widely available.  This year was wine and now a favorite! The flavor is sweet, strong, and tastes like pears. The primary fermenting container is a lidded glass container which is 2.5 gallons and was purchased at Walmart for about $12.  You can find it next to the canning jars.

Bradford Pear Wine Recipe

Ingredients:

8 cups of Bradford Pears
2 gallons water
12 cups sugar
4 teaspoons loose tea
1 campden tablet
1 lime, sliced

1 teaspoon pectin enzyme
2 teaspoons yeast nutrient
1 pack of yeast (wine yeast is best but baking yeast works fine)

2 or 2.5 gallon lidded crock

Directions:

Rinse pears and remove stems. In sections, crush pears by double bagging and using a rolling pin (or step on). Don't use a food processor. You do not want to break the seeds as it may make your wine bitter. Add to a two gallon lidded crock.

Boil 1 gallon of water and sugar.  Pour over crushed pears. Add tea. Add crushed campden tablet. Mix. Add sliced lime. Mix. If there is space in fermenting jar, add water from the other gallon of water until full. Mix.

Let sit over night (24 hours).

Add 1 teaspoon pectin enzyme and mix. Let sit for six hours.

Add yeast nutrient and yeast. Add lid and clear plastic wrap around lid to prevent anything from entering (a single fruit fly could destroy the entire batch). Occasionally stir. Let sit until bubbles subside.  Mine took about eight weeks and was quite strong. Rack wine to clean bottle(s). Rack again once it settles for clear wine.

For best results let wine age six months, though you can drink it at this point.

Honey Locust Persimmon Beer!

Wild persimmons, green apples and honey locust pods.

Honey locust beer recipes can be found in several antique reference books. I wanted to give it a try just to see how it would turn out. I have made wine many times but never beer. It turned out to be easy and produced a beer that resembles a dark fall-flavored specialty variety. I will definitely do it again in the future.  Here is the original recipe:

Honey Locust Persimmon Beer Recipe

Ingredient:

Long black Honey Locust pods
Ripened persimmons or sliced apples
2 cups molasses or honey
Water

Directions:

Break pods into pieces.  Place layer in keg or crock.  Add persimmons or apples. Cover with boiling water. Add sweetener, let stand at least four days before using.

My notes: It was dilemma as whether to wash the pods or not since I was concerned for the natural yeast. Thus, I only washed the pods that really looked dirty to me (about half, lol). It turns out not to make a difference since I had to add yeast anyway. So in the future I would wash all the pods off.

Also, I used a two gallon crock/container. I alternated the layers with ingredients. I used a grocery store bag full of locust pods, a handfuls of persimmons, and three lbs of green apples.  I used molasses and added two teaspoons of Redstar yeast. I mixed the molasses and hot water together before adding to the fruit to distribute it evenly.  To add the yeast, I removed some of the liquid on day three since natural fermenting was not happening, warmed it slightly and mixed in the yeast. Then I returned it to the crock. It fermented for twelve days before bottling.

Broken honey locust pods.

Persimmon layer.

Sweet honey locust pulp.

Layers of ingredients.

On day three there was no fermentation so two teaspoons of yeast was added. It came to life on day four!

Day twelve fermenting had gone quiet.

Day twelve and ready to move to bottles.

Beer with carbonation!

Moving to bottles with great flavor and nice bubbles!

Pine Needle Simple Syrup for Mixed Drinks!

Not everyone likes the flavor of pine needles and not every pine tree tastes good.  I enjoy it as a tea and my 14 year old son will bring back handfuls from school (where it grows abundantly) so that I can make him some as well.  Here is a way to add the flavor to mixed drinks.  It is something fun to do during the winter season when all the wild spring plants are still weeks away from showing up!  Check out my post on pine needle tea to learn more about pine needles and which ones to choose.  Some pine trees should not be used.  I like the White Pine which has five needles in a bundle.  An easy way to remember is that the word white has five letters.

Pine Needle Simple Syrup

Ingredients:

1 cup chopped pine needles
2 cups water
3 cups sugar
1 quart jar

Directions:

Rinse pine needles and allow to dry.  Chop.  Place in bowl.   Bring water to boil.  Remove water from heat and wait two minutes.  Pour over pine needles.  Allow to steep over night covered. You do not want to boil the pine needles because that may make it bitter.

The next day, strain needles from water. 

Put water into saucepan and bring to boil.  Add sugar and mix until sugar is dissolved and liquid is clear.  Remove from heat and allow to cool.  Pour into quart jar. 

Simple syrup can be used in mixed drinks, tea or mixed with carbonated water.

Black Locust Blossom Wine

Remember back in May when I started my science project?  Well it was a complete success!  Actually, it turned out better than I anticipated. I made Dandelion, Peach and Black Locust Blossom

Wine.  My favorite of the three was Black Locust Blossom which makes me very happy as I know where there are a lot of trees.  It has a delicate floral flavor and retained its sweetness.  I will be visiting those trees in the spring!  Here is the recipe:

Black Locust Blossom Wine

Ingredients:

4 gallon baggies of black locust blossoms, stems removed and rinsed
2 gallons purified water
1 orange sliced thin
1 lemon sliced thin
12 cups sugar
2 packets of yeast - white wine or baking will do in a pinch

2 balloons
stick pin
2 one gallon carboys (can also use the plastic water gallon containers)
rubber band to hold balloons on carboy (optional, I did not need it)

Directions:

In a large stock pot, add one gallon of water, flowers, orange and lemon.  Bring to a boil.  Remove from heat.  Leave for two days, stirring occasionally.

Black Locust Wine are the two in front!

Strain and return liquid to pot.  Add sugar and bring to a boil.  Simmer until all sugar is incorporated.  Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.

Wash carboys thoroughly.  Add half of liquid to each carboy.  Add yeast packet to each.  Fill carboy with remaining gallon of water.  Mix well. 

Put balloon on each lid.  Poke holes (about five through both sides) to release pent up air as the yeast works it's magic.

Occasionally agitate to add oxygen the first month.  Let sit for six months. Rack wine into wine bottles.  Serve for the holidays!

Elderberry Rum Spritzer!

What do you do when you tear a tendon in your thumb at a bonfire? Yes, silly me. You make something alcoholic!

Elderberry Rum Spritzer

Ingredients:

2 oz Rum
1 T Elderberry Syrup
Carbonated water
Ice
Sprig of mint

Directions:

Put ice in glass. Add rum and Elderberry Syrup. Mix well. Add carbonated water. Mix and serve with mint sprig.

Jack Daniel's Chipotle Barbecue Sauce Canning Recipe! Yumm!

If you would like to try something different with your abundance of tomatoes, here is a great recipe!  It is sure to please the men in your life!  Hunting season is just around the corner...

Jack Daniel's Chipotle Barbecue Sauce

Ingredients:

1/2 bushel tomatoes (about 25 lbs)
4 mild peppers
2 hot peppers
3 large onions
2 heads garlic
1 bunch celery
2 teaspoon chipotle chili pepper
2 tablespoons dry mustard
2 tablespoons smoked paprika
2 tablespoons salt
3 cups brown sugar
1 cup balsamic vinegar
1 cup red wine vinegar
6 cans tomato paste
1 cup Jack Daniel's Whiskey

Directions:

Roughly chop vegetables and put in baking pans. Do not skin tomatoes. Just separate cloves of garlic. No need to take off skin. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 1/2 hours. Allow to cool enough to touch. Vegetables should be floating in a clear juice.

Vegetables before cooking.

Drain vegetables in a colander (very important).

By straining, you do not have to spend hours cooking down your sauce to thicken.

In sections, blend vegetables in a blender.

Pour sauce into a fine mesh strainer over a deep pot.  Agitate (tapping strainer on pot below works well) to strain out skin and seeds. This sounds difficult but is really easy and fast. It produces a thick sauce.

After agitation, seeds and skins great for dehydrating and grinding for powder to add to sauces and soups.

Sauce after straining.

Once all sauce is in pot, add remaining ingredients except the whiskey.  You may need a stick blender to help incorporate the tomato paste. Bring to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes.  Add whiskey and mix.  Simmer 10 more minutes.

Ladle into prepared jars. Water bath 30 minutes at a full boil.

Makes about 16-18 pints.

My Science Experiments in Progress...

I am trying my hand a wine making!  These should be ready by Christmas, maybe...  The two on the left in the back are made from peach syrup from our peach trees.  Back right is dandelion wine and the two in the front are made from Black Locust Tree blossoms.  If they turn out, I will share the recipe.  If not, compost for them!

Lemon Thistle Martini

 

Every year about this time I see thistle taking over parks and empty lots all over my area.  I have always liked this plant because I find it to be beautiful.  Occasionally I would stop and carefully pick a bouquet as a centerpiece for my table, and until now, that has been the only reasonable use.

In my treasure hunt to find local, edible and natural food sources, I discovered that yes, thistle is edible but it is not for the veggie wimp.  You will need something like these:

Gloves were a present from my lovely husband!  They are thicker than regular rubber gloves.

Historically, thistle has been used to treat liver, kidney and gall bladder problems. It helps to protect the liver from damage and improve some symptoms of hepatitis. Research has also suggested that it has anti-cancer effects by reducing the blood supply to tumors and preventing cancer cells from dividing and reproducing. 

It originated in the Mediterranean region and likes dry sunny areas. In middle Tennessee it seems to grow everywhere.  All parts of the plant are edible though the seeds are generally what are used in current times.  The leaves can be trimmed of their prickles and used as a spinach substitute.  In the past these were commonly used in salads, soups and pies.  The seeds can be roasted and used in a coffee fashion once ground. The mid rib of the larger leaves can also be cut out and used in recipes.

So far, here is my favorite recipe for thistle!  This makes a very vibrant green drink.  My super picky kids liked the juice (before Vodka, of course)!

Lemon Thistle Martini


Ingredients:

10 small thistle leaves or 5 large leaves
4 cups cold water
1 green apple sliced with seeds removed
4 T sugar
2 lemons sliced, seeds mostly removed
Vodka

Directions:

Add ingredients except Vodka to blender and blend well.  It is optional to remove the skin of the lemons.  If you prefer less tart, then remove before blending.
 

Strain out the pulp. 

Cool color, huh? I strained the bulk out first and then strained again.

In a martini glass, add a shot of Vodka and ice (or chill with a shaker).  Fill with mixture.  Enjoy!

Other potential recipes worth trying:

Buttered Sow-Thistle
Stir-fried Sow-Thistle and Pork
Braised Thistle Stem
Sweet Chilli Thistles
Thistle Stroganoff