I try to update this blog more often, but having too many other thing to do I have to relay on a weekly base visit. last Friday the school was closed due to the bad weather, and last Thursday we had the Christmas dinner offered to the jennies by the Kitchen staff . took a bottle of my rhubarb wine to offer a little taste to all in exchange of the dinner. There was lots of food left so I had a big container of sliced turkey with the gravy offered by the cook Is now in the freezer ready for another time. As the kitchen closed some more food was left and I took a big pan of tomato soup which will probably last for the all week.All family had soup Friday night Saturday lunch and Sunday lunch and Lesley and me also today at lunch time. With this cold is a good thing to eat anyway. Sunday evening I made the usual pizza and a loaf of ciabatta bread which was very good.
I also made more ravioli pasta to be stored in the freezer for later exchange.
The freezers are still full, as I am making and getting more stuff. After a month and an half I never expected to have still so much food stored, including the food in the jars. Most of the jars are frozen in the shed but that is not a problem as the content is mostly vegetables and wild herbs and mushrooms. Some meat has to be used as soon it will defrost. I might start to take in a jar at time and use it.
This morning I was also sorting all the bottled wines and puting them in order. I have stored 94 bottles of different wines and to lots of apple wine is still on the go, fermenting.
I have tried all of the wines and a part two of them all the rest are very good.
here is the list and my opinion.
Pea pod wine mediocre 5 out of ten sweet and sharp but with a medicinal smell
Gooseberry wine mediocre 6 out of ten medium sweet/fizzy drinkable but not brilliant
Wild cherry wine good 7 out of ten medium dry / intense red and fruity as you expect
Wild cheery wine 2 good 7 out of ten sweet wine / rose' colour less fruity
Worcesterberry wine very good 8 out of ten medium dry / red intense colour is like a cabernet
Apple wine 1 and 2 very good 8 out of ten medium sweet / golden is half way wine and cider
Apple wine 3 mediocre 6 out of ten medium dry /bit sharp it needed more sugar?
Beetroot wine good 7 out of ten sweet rose' and fruity ( too sweet?)
Sweet cecily wine medium good 6 out of ten medium sweet anisete taste and smell ( just ok)
Rhubarb wine very good 9 out of ten medium sweet golden intense flavour
Nettle wine very good 9 out of ten sweet/ golden colour/ good flavour/like desert wine
The surprise was the nettle wine and the red ones from wild cherries and the worcesterbery one. The red ones have nothing less than a good quality red you buy but 40 times cheaper. one gallon of this wine costs only about a pound to produce, this is the kilo of sugar and the teaspoon of winw yeast and other ingredients.
One gallon produces about seven bottles of wine. That is 15 pence per bottle approx.
The nettle wine is a fantastic discover. A wine that has an intense dark golden colour and full of flavour. It is like drinking a good desert wine like sherry. Generally I was happy with the results and I want to produce more of them next year, and actually try to buy very little wines from the shop.
here and there are failures but I know that is part of the all experimentation process. We will be defenitely celebrating christmas with our wines starting with a desert wine as aperitive ( nettle), then a red one for the main course (wild cherries) and another sweet one for the pudding ( rhubarb). I have the menu nearly ready in my mind but it will be reveal only before christmas.
potato gnocchi.one of my favourite dishes
A variety of wines fermenting
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