tonyhibbett
Landlord.
I sowed a packet of parsnip seeds this year and they all germinated. As a result, I have lots of small ones growing around the big ones. Apart from soup, they are no use for cooking, so I looked up some wine recipes and the most interesting one was from Acton & Duncan's 'Making wines like those you buy'. Most of the recipes in this book are, frankly, uneconomic, unless you have access to to large supplies of cheap fruit and veg. As I had plenty of free parsnips, I opted for a Sauternes recipe, a high strength, sweet dessert wine, best served chilled.
Here is the modified recipe for 1 gallon:
4 lb parsnips
2 lb bananas
2 litres white grape juice (not concentrate or from concentrate)
18 g dried elderflowers
10 g tartaric acid
10g malic acid
42 g glycerin (order from chemist, much cheaper)
1 lb 5 oz sugar
Nutrient
Yeast
Pectic enzyme
Water to 1 gallon
Slice parsnips and peeled bananas (the riper the better), boil in 2 litres of water for 30 mins, strain, add nutrient, glycerin, elderflowers, gape juice and sugar. When cool, add enzyme, acids and yeast. Ferment 2 days on pulp, strain into jar and keep going with extra doses (up to 3) of 4 oz sugar when hydrometer gets to zero. This way, you can build up the strength to 18% alcohol. When fermentation has slowed down to a crawl, add potassium sorbate and sodium metabisulphite, thoroughly de-gass, use 2 part finings and when reasonably clear, filter, bottle and enjoy, chilled, with your favorite dessert or keep for years.
It's sweet, but the high level of acid offsets this and the flavour is great.
By the way, don't throw away the pulp immediately. The banana flavour will have gone, but there will be plenty left in the parsnips. Leach this out with 3.5 litres of boiling water, in stages if necessary, and strain. The pulp can now go in the compost bin. Add 2 lb sugar and juice of 1 lemon to the liquid, bring to the boil and simmer for 45 mins. When cool, add yeast, nutrient, 42 g glycerin, 1 tsp tartaric acid, 1 tsp malic acid and pectic enzyme. Ferment for 10 days, stirring daily, then transfer to jar. Top up to neck of jar with water and 4 oz sugar, but leave some room to repeat doses of sugar as before (max 3 more doses). Stop, degass, fine, filter, bottle and enjoy as above.
It took 17 days in all, with a final sg of 5 and 16.5% alcohol.
Here is the modified recipe for 1 gallon:
4 lb parsnips
2 lb bananas
2 litres white grape juice (not concentrate or from concentrate)
18 g dried elderflowers
10 g tartaric acid
10g malic acid
42 g glycerin (order from chemist, much cheaper)
1 lb 5 oz sugar
Nutrient
Yeast
Pectic enzyme
Water to 1 gallon
Slice parsnips and peeled bananas (the riper the better), boil in 2 litres of water for 30 mins, strain, add nutrient, glycerin, elderflowers, gape juice and sugar. When cool, add enzyme, acids and yeast. Ferment 2 days on pulp, strain into jar and keep going with extra doses (up to 3) of 4 oz sugar when hydrometer gets to zero. This way, you can build up the strength to 18% alcohol. When fermentation has slowed down to a crawl, add potassium sorbate and sodium metabisulphite, thoroughly de-gass, use 2 part finings and when reasonably clear, filter, bottle and enjoy, chilled, with your favorite dessert or keep for years.
It's sweet, but the high level of acid offsets this and the flavour is great.
By the way, don't throw away the pulp immediately. The banana flavour will have gone, but there will be plenty left in the parsnips. Leach this out with 3.5 litres of boiling water, in stages if necessary, and strain. The pulp can now go in the compost bin. Add 2 lb sugar and juice of 1 lemon to the liquid, bring to the boil and simmer for 45 mins. When cool, add yeast, nutrient, 42 g glycerin, 1 tsp tartaric acid, 1 tsp malic acid and pectic enzyme. Ferment for 10 days, stirring daily, then transfer to jar. Top up to neck of jar with water and 4 oz sugar, but leave some room to repeat doses of sugar as before (max 3 more doses). Stop, degass, fine, filter, bottle and enjoy as above.
It took 17 days in all, with a final sg of 5 and 16.5% alcohol.
