Summer seems to be finally arriving here, and with it a proliferation of dandelions - millions of little yellow heads covering all the fields, verges and embankments in the area. As a result its time to make some dandelion wine!
You need a sunny day for this - the sunshine opens all the heads fully, and you don’t want to pick unopened heads. Pick a shopping bag (4 x 1 pint measuring jugs) full of flowers, taking as little of the stem as you can. Some purists insist that you only use the yellow parts, and discard the green parts of the flower, but I think this is a little excessive - the greenery adds a certain ‘bite’ to the wine.
Once you’ve picked the flowers, you’ll want to make wine as soon as possible - if you leave the flowers to wilt they close up and turn bitter.
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Put the flower heads, the rind of a lemon and an orange and a gallon of water in a pan and bring to the boil.
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Simmer for 45 minutes, then take off the heat.
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Add around 3lbs of sugar (we’re making a medium-sweet wine - dandelion can be quite bitter when too dry)
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When cool, add the juice of the fruit and 1 cup of strong black tea (no milk! We just want the tannin for the yeast).
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Strain well, add the yeast and place into a demijohn, topping up with cold water if necessary.
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Ferment for 4 weeks or so, until the milky-cloudyness disappears.
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Rack off and leave to settle for another 2-4 weeks before bottling.
Keep for at least 6 months before drinking - its a great way to enjoy a taste of the summer in the depths of winter. Be aware though that if you keep them for a year the wine may start to re-ferment in the spring when the dandelions are back in flower!
