Adapted by Abra Bennett
Makes: about 1 gallon | start to finish: 23 days plus curing time
From Edible Seattle March/April 2012
Start this in springtime when dandelions are abundant.
1st week
4 quarts unsprayed dandelion blossoms, cleaned of all green parts
4 quarts boiling water
2nd week
4 oranges, cut in ¼” slices
4 lemons, cut in ¼” slices
1 cup golden raisins, finely chopped
6 cups sugar
1 package dry granulated yeast
Steps
Put the dandelion blossoms in a large, non-reactive pot and pour the boiling water over them. Let stand, covered, in a warm place for one week. Stir twice a day, if possible.
At the end of the week, strain through a jelly bag or cheesecloth, squeezing the pulp until it’s very dry, to extract all of the liquid and flavor.
Return the liquid to the large pot and add the sliced oranges and lemons, and the raisins. Stir in the sugar, being sure to stir long enough to dissolve every grain. Sprinkle the yeast over the surface. Cover and set in a warm place to ferment for two weeks. Stir once a day, submerging the fruit that floats to the surface.
At the end of this two-week period, strain the mixture through several thicknesses of cheesecloth and return the liquid to the pot to settle for two days more.
When the wine has settled, siphon it off carefully into clean, sterilized bottles. Cork the bottles lightly until all the fermentation is complete. Fermenting has stopped when small bubbles no longer cling to the sides of the bottles. Then tighten corks securely and dip them in hot paraffin to seal. Let the wine age for at least six months.
sterilized jars
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