# Prickly Pear Wine



## Jericurl (Sep 9, 2013)

Step 1: Convince Manthing to drive around in in the country, looking for purple tuna (or nopales).

Step 2: Be overly bubbly/happy to compensate for Manthing's grumpy "I don't want to do this" attitude.

Step 3: Find easily accessible prickly pear patch. We drove for about 20 minutes and found a large patch along a fenceline. We spent about 15 minutes pulling the fruit off with tongs. Avoid touching and/or brushing up against any part of the prickly pear. I cannot stress this enough (evidenced by the time Manthing spent with a bright light, tweezers, and a magnifying glass)

Step 4: Drive home to the barrio and give your nosey neighbor some of the purple "tuna." Apparently she cooks them in her scrambled eggs and also makes a syrup to serve with her tequila.

Step 5: Allow Manthing to fire up his flamethrower that is normally used for killing weeds/tumbleweeds. Lay all fruit on your outdoor grill, fire with the flamethrower for several minutes until all small thorns/stickers are burned off. Flip over and repeat. (We used the flamethrower because we were in a hurry and wanted to use both racks on the grill at once)

Step 6: Weight the fruit and try not to let the juice, that is going everywhere, stain anything.

Step 7: Freeze as much as the fruit as possible so that you can juice it tomorrow.

Will keep you updated on the process as I go. Not quite sure what recipe I will use yet.
I'm not quite sure how to post pictures but as soon as I figure it out I will post some.

This stuff is bright magenta. Seriously, I cannot get over how _BRIGHT_ and pinky purple this stuff is.

We ended up with 30.5 lbs. We picked a full 5 gallon bucket and about 1/4 of another 5 gallon bucket.


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## JohnT (Sep 10, 2013)

Really interesting. Being from New Jersey, I don't think I would even recognize prickly pear. Pictures would be nice.. 

One other thing.. Seems to me that your guy went through a lot to help you. I think you should do something nice for him. Perhaps you could stop calling him "your manthing". (LOL)


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## Arne (Sep 10, 2013)

Scroll down to the country fruit section. there is a long thread on there about prickly pear wine. I have not read clear thru it as like John, I wouldn't know a prickly pear if it came up and bit me. Would probably recognize it next time, tho. Anyway, there are some recipes, trials and tribulations folks have gone thru. Mite help you if you read it before you get too far along. Good luck with the wine. Arne.


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## Jericurl (Sep 10, 2013)

Thanks Arne.

I've read through it and I'm thinking I will probably follow the first recipe posted. Right now I'm just trying to decide how to juice my fruit.


John,
Manthing is aware of my online moniker for him...he chose it. Our relationship is secure, we both appreciate each other immensely.


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## Downwards (Sep 10, 2013)

I'll bet your nosy neighbor doesn't use the fruit in her eggs but the young pads themselves. They are delicious too, kind of like tangy asparagus. 

Keep us updated on this, sounds amazing!


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## LoneStarLori (Sep 10, 2013)

Ah.. Jeri you are a going to make this a legendary wine. I would have never even looked twice at those sticky b-tards. Before you get too far, look at Jack Kellers recipe http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/prickly.asp. He's kind of a legend and has an entire section on native Texas wines. He lives just south of San Antonio. Let me warn you, his recipes are daunting, but if you take the basics and ask questions, I bet you will have a rockin' vino.


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## Jericurl (Sep 11, 2013)

oh my heck!

An entire evenings worth of chopping, slicing, peeling, boiling and straining.

And I'm not even halfway done!

But I have about a gallon and a half of juice so far.
I just poured it into a glass gallon jug and put it in the fridge.
I strained through a mesh bag and cotton fabric.
Tomorrow I will run it through a coffee filter just to make sure I got everything out of the juice and start freezing it.
I'm waiting on my larger containers to come in from Midwest. As soon as I get those in I will set about making wine.
I also want to do something with prickly pears, sugar and vodka. This stuff is really good. I may or may not have whipped up a little something while I was monkeying around with the prickly pear fruit. Holy hannah. Adding sugar really brings out the flavor. It tastes like a cross between kiwi fruit and watermelon.

One thing I did want to ask....I'm a little afraid of pathogens being in the fruit juice right now.
Should I add something to the juice before freezing it or will it be fine to wait until I'm actually making the wine?


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## Jericurl (Sep 11, 2013)

Lori thanks!

I've checked out his site and I used a modified version of his juicing technique tonight.

I'm still working on my recipe but I think I'm going to do something between his version and the recipe that Snowgirl used.

Downwards,
No she actually uses the fruit. 
She has a prickly pear in her front yard, hers just isn't fruiting this year. She seasons and grills the "nopales" like steak and they are really good eating.


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## JohnT (Sep 11, 2013)

Jericurl said:


> John,
> Manthing is aware of my online moniker for him...he chose it. Our relationship is secure, we both appreciate each other immensely.


 
Jeri, 

The problem with blogs is that you can not hear the tone of ones voice. I really was just joking. I need to be a little more careful in future. 

All of this sounds amazingly cool. Any chance at some picures??


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## Arne (Sep 11, 2013)

Jeri,
You do not have to filter everything out before you ferment it. It will clear after fermenting and anything left in it should fall out after degassing and letting it sit and clear. You will then rack the wine off and leave the junk that falls out. Arne.


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## Downwards (Sep 11, 2013)

Jericurl said:


> oh my heck!
> 
> An entire evenings worth of chopping, slicing, peeling, boiling and straining.
> 
> And I'm not even halfway done!



Why not just leave in the fruit? You'll get more flavor in the wine this way. I would really only worry about cutting them open and taking out those seeds, dump the rest right into your primary fermenter.




Jericurl said:


> I also want to do something with prickly pears, sugar and vodka. This stuff is really good. I may or may not have whipped up a little something while I was monkeying around with the prickly pear fruit. Holy hannah. Adding sugar really brings out the flavor. It tastes like a cross between kiwi fruit and watermelon.



Sounds amazing! You should look at my thread titled umeshu. It's a japanese liquor that I made by steeping plums in vodka and sugar. Bet you could use these fruits in exactly the same way!



Jericurl said:


> One thing I did want to ask....I'm a little afraid of pathogens being in the fruit juice right now.
> Should I add something to the juice before freezing it or will it be fine to wait until I'm actually making the wine?



I would simply be cutting them open to remove the seeds, then freeze the fruit as is whole and together in a ziplock bag. When you're ready to make wine thaw them with pectic enzyme and add your k-meta to protect from the bacteria or wild yeasts. I think that you'll find as they thaw and mix with the pectic enzyme they will pretty much become juice. After 3-4 days you can add some bentonite to make sure the particles will all come out and your finished wine should be pretty clear!


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## sgx2 (Sep 11, 2013)

I'm going to throw another batch of this on later this week and I wanted to validate that I'm getting the best and most from the fruit.

In my first batch I followed the instructions on Jack Keller's site for "juicing" the fruit (see Jack's Recipe). In short, he suggests peeling the skin off, chopping the fruit into < 1 inch cubes then simmering it for about 15 minutes. He then suggests letting it cool, straining off the water+juice and the squeezing out the remaining pulp. 

The above posts suggest removing the seeds and simply chopping the (unpeeled) fruit into chunks, then boiling/straining or simply bagging the fruit and putting it in the primary as is. So -- my questions are as follows:

Should I really be removing the seeds?
Is boiling the best way to prepare the fruit?
What do we mean by _peeling _-- during my first batch I found that the outer skin was very thin, but then there was a 1/4" thick rind-like layer underneath -- should I be including that part? 
Here's a picture for what my "peeling" looked like - you can see the bowl of pulp (including seeds), and the cutting board with the "skins" on it -- am I wasting good fruit?


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## Crown_King_Robb (Sep 11, 2013)

Heres a pic of the color. 

Just moved into the carboy for the last bit of fermenting. This is watered down to skeeter pee instructions








Steam juicing sure made it easy.

I just picked the fruit, froze them whole for a few days, thawed them (with pectic enzyme applied) and then chopped them or split them open while they continued thawing and put it all right in the steam juicer's collander.


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## Jericurl (Sep 11, 2013)

Sgx2,

From what I understand, leaving the seeds (of pretty much any fruit) can cause bitterness in the wine.
Also, I've read that these particular seeds can be ground down and used as a type of flour. I really don't know about what particular nutritional makeup they have, but it doesn't sound like anything I'd want floating in my carboy.
Also, the skin is the tough part that is very thin on the outer edge. If you are using a very small paring knife it is probably about the same thickness as your knife blade. Once you lift up one edge, it should just peel off in mostly one piece. Any thicker than that and you are taking some of the fruit/meat off.
Have you ever roasted green chilis? About the same amount of thickness of what you peel off of them.



Crown King Robb,
So you throw the pectic enzyme on while the fruit is still thawing?
Do you mind sharing your ratio? I was thinking about a 1/2 tsp of enzyme per gallon of juice, but I'm not sure how that would translate out with the whole fruit? What happens if I use too much enzyme?
And do you just sprinkle it all on and mix it in, then let it continue thawing?


Argh! It sounds like I need to just decide if I want to do more work upfront and steam it all out and end up with just the juice, or be quicker up front and throw it all in my primary and get going, then deal with a lot of debris later on.
Plus....I just don't know which one will taste better! Angst!


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## Jericurl (Sep 11, 2013)

John, sorry, you are right it is hard to convey tone here.
I will admit to a little bit of irrational catback when I read your post and I apologize.

Arne and James, thanks. I'm still debating pure juice vs fruit must.
I'm torn as to what is best.
I think I'm getting ready to call it on my first batch....it's a fail.
I want this one to be perfect.


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## sgx2 (Sep 11, 2013)

Jericurl said:


> From what I understand, leaving the seeds (of pretty much any fruit) can cause bitterness in the wine.
> Also, I've read that these particular seeds can be ground down and used as a type of flour. I really don't know about what particular nutritional makeup they have, but it doesn't sound like anything I'd want floating in my carboy.
> Also, the skin is the tough part that is very thin on the outer edge. If you are using a very small paring knife it is probably about the same thickness as your knife blade. Once you lift up one edge, it should just peel off in mostly one piece. Any thicker than that and you are taking some of the fruit/meat off.
> Have you ever roasted green chilis? About the same amount of thickness of what you peel off of them.


Jeri -- thanks, this was helpful!


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## Crown_King_Robb (Sep 11, 2013)

I followed the dragon blood skeeter pee recipe by Danger dave, only I used Prickly pear juice and 1lb of whole raisins in the primary, instead of 6 lbs of frozen triple berry. I steam juiced about 10lbs worth of Prickly Pear for the 6 gallon primary. Since this isnt a proven recipe I may need to dilute the product to taste, we'll find out.

I used 4 tsp worth on ~ 10 lbs of Prickly Pear.... 6 gallons end product.


Here is a thread though.
http://www.winemakingtalk.com/forum/f45/steam-juicer-pectic-enzyme-25737/



Wikipedia--- Pectinases have also been used in wine production since the 1960s.[1] The function of pectinase in brewing is twofold, first it helps breakdown the plant (typically fruit) material and so helps the extraction of flavours from the mash. Secondly the presence of pectin in finished wine causes a haze or slight cloudiness, Pectinase is used to break this down and so clear the wine.​


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## Downwards (Sep 11, 2013)

Jericurl said:


> John, sorry, you are right it is hard to convey tone here.
> I will admit to a little bit of irrational catback when I read your post and I apologize.
> 
> Arne and James, thanks. I'm still debating pure juice vs fruit must.
> ...



No, keep going! Really there are lots of ways to do this, my suggestions are just suggestions. Also you'll learn a lot just by going for it. If you want to juice them (steam or otherwise) that will make a wine. If you want to go whole fruit, that will too. I know it all sounds complicated, but either way really is not. Perfect wine doesn't exist, it's the striving that is important. I've made wines I really really like out of grocery store apple juice concentrates. Believe me, this will be good either way! Don't get discouraged.


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## Jericurl (Sep 11, 2013)

Downwards,

I'm pretty excited about this prickly pear wine.

My first batch is a raisin/lavender wine. I don't think I added enough sugar, I'm pretty sure my fermentation either stalled or stopped, it smells funny and I think I see beasties in it, though I'm not sure.


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## Arne (Sep 12, 2013)

Jericurl said:


> Sgx2,
> 
> From what I understand, leaving the seeds (of pretty much any fruit) can cause bitterness in the wine.
> Also, I've read that these particular seeds can be ground down and used as a type of flour. I really don't know about what particular nutritional makeup they have, but it doesn't sound like anything I'd want floating in my carboy.
> ...


 
If you throw everything in, get some kind of strainer bag and use. If you go to a paint store, they have mesh bags for straining 5 gal. buckets of paint. Put the fruit in there and when it becomes time to take it out you simply take the bag out. The bags are pretty inexpensive too. You mite need a large primary or several small ones to fit all the fruit into. Arne.


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## JohnT (Sep 12, 2013)

Jericurl said:


> John, sorry, you are right it is hard to convey tone here.
> I will admit to a little bit of irrational catback when I read your post and I apologize.
> 
> Arne and James, thanks. I'm still debating pure juice vs fruit must.
> ...


 
Jeri, 

No problems! glad we cleared the air! Good luck with your pear wine. Still waiting on some pictures!


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## Jericurl (Sep 12, 2013)

Haven't officially started yet.

I placed an order for some larger buckets and carboys on Monday. Still waiting on them to ship it out. Not sure if more than a one day turn around is normal or if I'm just impatient.
This juice is just slated to be jelly, which I'll be starting in about an hour. No pictures yet really, though I could have taken a picture the other night when I had bright purple juice all over my kitchen. I'll wait until I get officially started then post some stuff. I did post pics of the fruit over in the other prickly pear thread under country wines section. Then I started to think about it and I don't want to spam up that thread with a bunch of newbie questions/mistakes, etc.

I did want to ask you guys....I was thinking out loud to Manthing and talking about water/pulp must vs all 100% juice. He asked if I could make the must using 100% juice, no water, AND several pounds of pulp. 
Is there any reason why I wouldn't want to do it that way?

(I mean, it's not like I can't drive out and get hundreds of pounds of cactus fruit.)


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## JohnT (Sep 13, 2013)

Jericurl, 

You need to test your juice. If it is too acidic (or sweet) then I think your best bet is to add water to bring these measurements down to where they should be. If the acid and sugar levels are low or at the correct levels, then yes, I believe that you have no need for water. 

Why do you want to leave the pulp in? Is it to extract more color? If so, then go ahead and leave the pulp in during primary fermentation. Leave it behind when you transfer to your secondary fermenter.


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## sgx2 (Sep 16, 2013)

My grocery store had trays of 18 fruits (7 lbs worth) for $5.99, so I picked up three trays with the plan to start a 3 gal batch.

I ran out of time, so I thought that instead of peeling and boiling the fruit I would wash them, cut them open and sprinkle some pectic enzyme on the exposed fruit (3 tsp total, distributed across all the fruits). I just did that, bagging them and placing them in a primary to sit overnight and get all juicy. I'm going to squish them tomorrow, test the resultant juice for SG, estimate the volume of juice created overnight and calculate the amount of sugar and water needed to get a 3 gal volume out of it. Wish me luck .. .. ..


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## Jericurl (Sep 19, 2013)

I juiced about 1/2 of my prickly pears last week.
It was labor intensive, sweaty, grumpy work.
I made most of that into prickly pear jelly (which turned out awesome by the way.) I also made a bottle of cabernet sauvignon wine (added about a cup of prickly pear juice) into the best jelly I have ever tasted. Manthing and I make bbq sauce with his parents every 6 months or so and last weekend was our get together. I brought the jelly over and his mother and father raved over it. They ended up coming over the next day after church to get more of it for her wine drinking buddies.

This week I got in my steam juicer.
Oh.my.heck.

Where has this thing been all my life?! I'm in love! 
I processed about 15 lbs of prickly pear in a very short amount of time. My yield was about 1.5 gallons. 
We have an outing planned this weekend to visit some old cemeteries the next county over and I will be bringing every 5 gal bucket I can get my hands on. No reason I can't make it a dual purpose trip!

There is also a pick your own pear orchard that I visit every fall and their harvest time should be any day now. I'll be juicing everything I can get my hands on.

Anyway, the point of this post....I got a fairly cheap steam juicer and I've only done one session with about 15 lbs of fruit. It was definitely worth the money spent.
I got my order in from Midwest on Tuesday and plan on having a 6 gallon batch of prickly pear wine in my fermenter by this next Monday. I can't wait!


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## jamesngalveston (Sep 19, 2013)

apples will start to come in pretty soon in your area...i would make a few trips to the orchards.....apple wine , ummmmmmmmmmm


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## Jericurl (Sep 19, 2013)

Oh, I also stuffed a quart sized mason jar full of halved prickly pear fruit, then topped it off with vodka.
Figure I can either use it as a base or toss it into the wine if need be.


James, I've gotta figure out where the apple orchards are around here.
When I lived in Colorado, cherry and apple trees were all over the place. If I can find a decent amount within 2 or 3 hours, I'm willing to drive.
Apples are so insanely versatile that it would be worth the drive several times over. Jelly, butter, beer, wine, pie, pectin, etc....I'm honestly surprised apples were never used as currency (that I'm aware of).

also eta:
I'm letting some of the juice come to room temp so I can test it for s.g. The juice tastes pretty sweet to me, but I wonder how my taste buds compare to the actual s.g..


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## Jericurl (Sep 19, 2013)

Ok, I'm looking for confirmation that I am reading this correctly. 

I have not added anything, this is just straight juice, measured in a 10 inch hydrometer test jar with a hydrometer that came with the kit I ordered.
S.G. before sugar added is 1.030?

And if I added no sugar at all, if it was actually able to come process out it would be between 5 and 10 % alcohol content?

(I've read the hydrometer thread, I just want to make sure I am reading this correctly)


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## jamesngalveston (Sep 19, 2013)

if it ferments to .990 it would be about 5.2 percent..
here is a link that will help you figure that out, very easily.
http://www.davesdreaded.com/homebrew-calculator/


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## Jericurl (Sep 19, 2013)

Thank you.

That'll help me determine the sugar addition because 5.2%...pfffft...why bother?


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## jamesngalveston (Sep 19, 2013)

lol,, I agree...add sugar to get down to 1.110


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## Jericurl (Sep 19, 2013)

I've got about a gallon and a half. Right now.

I'll be collecting about 50 lbs worth this weekend (hopefully). 
I plan on adding some white grape concentrate for body (about 3 cans), and enough juice to equal 6 gallons.

I'm wondering if the 2 weeks of extra ripening time will equal out in a measurable increase of sugar content.
Anecdotal of course, since I didn't measure or record any specifics, but will still be interesting nonetheless.


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## Jericurl (Sep 22, 2013)

Question for you guys.

If I don't have enough room in my refrigerator and freezer, can I leave several gallons of juice out overnight? I will be steam juicing the rest of my fruit tomorrow and starting the wine tomorrow night. I will be adding campden tablets, will that kill most manner of bugs that could set up overnight?


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## Arne (Sep 23, 2013)

I am a little late, but if it was me, I would of put all the juice in my primary and started it off. Then added the rest today after I got the fruit made into juice. Arne.


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## sgx2 (Sep 23, 2013)

I second Arne's motion. 

Alternatively, if you sulphite it sufficiently you'll probably be okay to wait until you have all your juice done. The upside of this approach is that you can chaptalize it and/or adjust acid/pH levels as a whole ... but if you've already adjusted the SG and acid/pH levels of your existing haul of juice and you're prepared to do the same to your new juice, I'd follow's Arne's suggestion.


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## Jericurl (Sep 23, 2013)

Ok, just waiting on the 24 hr countdown after adding campden tablets. Then I will add yeast.


I pretty much completly used Snowgirls recipe, with a slight mistake adjustment:

6 campden tablets
2 cans welchs red grape juice, 2 cans water
4 cans white grape juice, 1 can water
4 tsp pectic enzyme
6 tsp yeast energizer
10 tsp acid
prickly pear juice, just a wee bit over 6 gallons
9 1bs sugar

S.G @ 1.10


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## saramc (Sep 24, 2013)

If you steam juice and have clean, hot canning jars available...voila, canned juice. Since your freezer/fridge are full.
You can even bottle in beer/wine/pop bottles and use these caps, http://www.juicer-steamer.com/bottle-caps.html


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## Jericurl (Sep 24, 2013)

Ahhhh well.....live and learn.

I'll know for next time, thanks for letting me know.


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## Jericurl (Sep 25, 2013)

_*OMG YOU GUYS!!! It's bubbling, it's foamy! Running around squealing*_

Ahem. I mean, it looks like primary fermentation has started.

When you guys start checking SG, do you just plop the hydrometer right in the bucket or do you take some out and use another container?


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## WI_Wino (Sep 25, 2013)

I sanitize the hydrometer and plop it in the bucket. But I usually don't check until after several days. If you have a vigorous ferment the co2 will throw off your reading.


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## Jericurl (Sep 25, 2013)

Yeah, it's foaming up pretty good.

I didn't plan on taking my first reading until probably Saturday, unless it slows way down.
I just wanted to have it all planned out.

Smells a lot more grape like than I expected. Not completely sure how I feel about that. I trust everyone though.....just hoping the prickly pear isn't overwhelmed by grape.


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## jamesngalveston (Sep 25, 2013)

jericurl, i have about 10 hydrometers..I stick it in the bucket, and leave it in the bucket until fermentation is done...I never remove it ...It just floats around all happy, and doing its job......
I hate cleaning everything all the time...so far, so good.


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## Jericurl (Sep 25, 2013)

> I stick it in the bucket, and leave it in the bucket until fermentation is done...I never remove it ...It just floats around all happy, and doing its job......



That is seriously genius.

As soon as this primary is done, I'm going to be starting a cheap Wine Expert kit that I picked up. 
I think I'll be putting in an order for a few hydrometers and just do it your way.

eta: Also, I seriously underestimated the foam factor. I had the lid to my bucket just loosely laid on top of the primary to keep out contaminants. Walked in the kitchen to find the yeast foam holding the lid up by about an inch. Crap.
I've replaced it with a tea towel for now, but I'm not sure what else to put over the top of it to keep stuff out.


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## JohnT (Sep 26, 2013)

Jericurl, 

I use a 30% rule of thumb. Leave 30% empty space just for the foam/frothing.


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## Jericurl (Sep 26, 2013)

You'd think with all the reading I did, that would have been one detail I picked up on...


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## jamesngalveston (Sep 26, 2013)

well shoot, we all forget the little things...
hows the wine going.


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## Jericurl (Sep 26, 2013)

Looking good so far I think.
Lots and lots of activity with the yeast so I assume it's doing what it should.
All I can smell right now is grape so I'm hoping the prickly pear shines through when it's all said and done.

eta:
I used Lavlin EC 1118 yeast. Everything I've read made it sound like it would be hard to screw it up with wrong temperatures or acid, etc. I think next time I would like to try it with a different yeast to see what kind of difference it makes in taste.
Also, I've been stirring it once in the morning and then when I get home from work. I assume this is plenty of stirring, or does it need more?


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## JohnT (Sep 27, 2013)

Jeri, 

Sounds like you are doing everything right so far. 

For those of us that have never even seen a prickly pear, what do they taste like?


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## jamesngalveston (Sep 27, 2013)

prickly pear kinda taste like a raspberry/watermelon mix.
a little tart. but very beautiful color.
the wine should be tasty, and color cant be matched.


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## Jericurl (Sep 27, 2013)

It tastes a little like kiwi/watermelon hybrid to me. Depending on the plant, it can be really sweet or ugh, this needs sugar.
From what I am reading, they find places to grow in just about every country. They don't tolerate rain forest levels of rain, but that's about it. 
The color of the fruit depends on the particular plant as well and they come in everything from green and yellow to red and purple. 
The ones around here are day-glo magenta pink when juiced.
We saw some really small light pink ones last week, but I'm not sure if they just weren't ripe or if that is their actual color. We will be going out this weekend to check on them again. If they appear ripe, I may grab some just to compare.


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## Jericurl (Sep 27, 2013)

Ok just stirred it.

SG is at 1.030 right now and there is much, much less foam on top.
Barely any foam at all. I stirred it up pretty vigorously.


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## Jericurl (Sep 28, 2013)

So...wow.

I started this on Tuesday....
Should I let it go one more night and rack it to my secondary in the morning, or move it tonight?


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## Jericurl (Sep 28, 2013)

Also, my stoppers for the 6 gallon carboy are too small. By several sizes. Dammit.
I should have the correct size by Monday afternoon. I didn't think this would ferment this fast though...I thought I'd have at least a week.
If my SG is already this low, can I just leave it in the primary until Monday when I have everything to put it under airlock?
Should I put the lid on the bucket now and put an airlock on it? Wait? crap, I don't wanna flub this up.


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## Loner (Sep 29, 2013)

If your fermenter has a lid that can be snapped close, do so and stick an airlock in it. The second option being xfer to glass and put a balloon or one finger from a rubber glove over the opening. Stick a hole in it with a needle. Either way will be fine until you get the needed supplies.


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## RegionRat (Sep 29, 2013)

Downwards said:


> No, keep going! Really there are lots of ways to do this, my suggestions are just suggestions. Also you'll learn a lot just by going for it. If you want to juice them (steam or otherwise) that will make a wine. If you want to go whole fruit, that will too. I know it all sounds complicated, but either way really is not. Perfect wine doesn't exist, it's the striving that is important. I've made wines I really really like out of grocery store apple juice concentrates. Believe me, this will be good either way! Don't get discouraged.




Very well put.

RR


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## sgx2 (Sep 29, 2013)

The rule of thumb that many winemakers follow is to avoid leaving dry or near-dry wine on the _gross_ less for more than a week. By gross less, of course, I am referring the first batch of sediment consisting of the pulp from the fruit, bentonite, etc... If you can cover the primary tightly you can certainly afford to leave it until Monday.


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## RegionRat (Sep 29, 2013)

Jericurl said:


> eta: Also, I seriously underestimated the foam factor. I had the lid to my bucket just loosely laid on top of the primary to keep out contaminants. Walked in the kitchen to find the yeast foam holding the lid up by about an inch. Crap.
> I've replaced it with a tea towel for now, but I'm not sure what else to put over the top of it to keep stuff out.



I just read this thread. I think this one will be made soon. Sounds interesting. I am going to read through the suggested post in the recipe section before I ask questions.

Any way, The foam factor. I snap the lid down then put a piece of tubing that is a snug fit in the 'air lock' hole in the lid of my primary. The other end of the tube goes into a jar to catch the run off. The real heavy foaming usually on goes on for a day or so. When the foaming slows you can loosen the lid and get back to stirring the must.

Any update pictures?


RR


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## Downwards (Sep 29, 2013)

Every time I catch up on this one I'm jealous, lol. I just finished my move though, and I think I need to start my search for this fruit if I am not too late! Hope all is going well.

If the stopper dilemma is not resolved, I would say transfer the wine and then maybe strap a latex glove on the top. Turn it inside out to keep from getting that dust inside, that could be yucky. But definitely order the stopper with overnight mail if need be.


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## Jericurl (Sep 29, 2013)

Thanks guys.

I snapped the lid on last night, filled an airlock with vodka and put it on.
I am the clumsiest person in the world though....this morning, precoffee, I was stumbling to the coffeepot, stumbled and managed to catch myself by putting my hand on top of the lid. Probably half of the vodka in the airlock got pushed into the 6 gallons of wine. I realize it's probably only about a 1/3 shot of vodka, but still....

I checked the shipping information for my order and it's scheduled to be here tomorrow afternoon.
I will get some pictures when I'm racking it to the secondary then. It's still a dark purple color. I'm hoping it clears and keeps the bright magenta.


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## sgx2 (Sep 30, 2013)

Not to worry, Jeri. You just fortified your wine a little 
Top up your airlock and enjoy...


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## jswordy (Sep 30, 2013)

Thanks for the pix...been dying for a peek at what this wine looks like!


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## Jericurl (Sep 30, 2013)

UPS tracking shows out for delivery!


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## Jericurl (Sep 30, 2013)

Ok, racked into my secondary.
The smaller bottle is 1.75 liters, so it's just under a 1/2 gallon. And I don't have a stopper that fits it.
I have one that fits a gallon bottle. Not sure what to do with the smaller bottle now.
So far the color is very opaque and is somewhere between the bright magenta color and a darker pinkish/purple.
It's kind of ugly. And smells ugly. And tastes really ugly. I'm still ridiculously excited.
The third picture down is the muddy sludge left over after racking.

Also, I have another question for you guys regarding light and aging wine. Do you keep it out of the bright light mainly to just preserve colors?


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## jswordy (Sep 30, 2013)

It'll get darker as it ages and the yeast and sediment falls out. You should be excited.

Keep wine out of light to preserve color and prevent heating of the contents, which can "burn" or "cook" the wine. Light also can affect the maturation of the wine in some instances. It's as easy as wrapping a large bath towel around the carboy to prevent all that.


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## Downwards (Oct 2, 2013)

That's going to be a pretty wine!!


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## jamesngalveston (Oct 2, 2013)

just dont get in a hurry and adding weird stuff to it....i have seen some weird things added to wine....just chill and let it take its course and come here ofter if you have questions, were all here to help..if we can.
and you should have a very nice finished color.


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## Jericurl (Oct 2, 2013)

Lol.....I am leaving this one as is James. (I added weird stuff to the small leftover bottle next to it....that managed to satisfy my inner mad scientist.)
I covered the bottle with a couple of old tshirts today. I'm hoping it clears out like a champ and remains that dark pink color.


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## JohnT (Oct 3, 2013)

Jericurl said:


> Lol.....I am leaving this one as is James. (I added weird stuff to the small leftover bottle next to it....that managed to satisfy my inner mad scientist.)
> I covered the bottle with a couple of old tshirts today. I'm hoping it clears out like a champ and remains that dark pink color.


 
Jeri, It will. In a few days you should start to see how the top of the carboy has a much darker color than the bottom, much like a "Black and Tan" (if you frequent Irish pubs).

Do not worry too much about the taste and smell at this point (unless it smells like rotten eggs). As the yeast settles out, the tast will change.

You seem to be doing everything right. I am sure that you will feel that this has been all worth while in the end... 

Suggestion, Why not give manthing the first sip at racking? It might help him to forget about the cactus prickers in his hands and encourage an even bigger harvest next year!


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## Jericurl (Oct 3, 2013)

> Suggestion, Why not give manthing the first sip at racking? It might help him to forget about the cactus prickers in his hands and encourage an even bigger harvest next year!



I read this to him before he left for work. He made a face. He's not a wine drinker so we will see if I can convince him. He did eat a peanut butter and prickly pear jelly sandwich this morning though, so he enjoys it in some forms I guess, lol.


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## JohnT (Oct 3, 2013)

Jeri, 

Just put it to him this way.. 

1) it is FREE! 

2) it is healthy (all natural) - When my wife goes on the "healthy-eating" kick, it usually EXCLUDES alcohol.

3) It was made by you, the woman of his dreams! If he loves you, and you made the wine, he must (by default) love the wine. 

4) Tell him that, for every glass he drinks, he gets a free pass on taking out the garbage. 

One of the above is BOUND to work!


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## Jericurl (Oct 3, 2013)

Lol @ JohnT

1. That's probably the only reason why I was able to convince him to help me gather so much of it.

2. If I mentioned "healthy" eating to him, he would probably check me into a mental institution. 

3. Aaaawwww....this is true. I'll float that out there and see if he bites.

4. .....I don't know if this is a trade off I'm willing to make....I mean, he takes out the trash AND I get more wine vs I take out the trash and he drinks the wine....hmmmmm....


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## Jericurl (Oct 3, 2013)

Anyhoo,
To get this back on track...

I was planning on letting this sit without disturbing it till the end of October, then rack again.
Then let it sit until the end of November.
If it isn't clear by then and I decide to bulk age it, should I go ahead and add some type of additive to clear it up? Or do you only do that just prior to bottling?


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## JohnT (Oct 4, 2013)

Jeri, 

Good plan. 

Many use a "holiday schedule", that is to rack at Holloween, Then at Thankgiving, and then at Easter.


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## Crown_King_Robb (Oct 4, 2013)

Prickly pear makes for good margaritas too. (since wine is off the list)


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## Jericurl (Oct 6, 2013)

Prickly pear wine is on the left.

It appears to be clearing nicely.


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## the_rayway (Nov 20, 2013)

Hey Jeri,
Just found this thread - looks interesting! I don't think we can grow these up here, although I thought I saw them at the grocery store a few months ago...for like $2/each. Yikes!

Love the colour of this wine!


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## Jericurl (Nov 21, 2013)

Yikes, that is a lot of money for a prickly pear.

I have a friend that lives in Quebec and she was able to find some growing about an hour away from her.
They are a bit harder to find the further north you travel, but you might still find them around somewhere.

This batch is just quietly aging out right now.
It looks pretty clear right now. I don't really see any more sediment but plan on racking it one more time at the end of the month.
It's still a very dark color when you look at it in the carboy, and a dark magenta in the glass.
Very pretty to look at.


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## sgx2 (Dec 19, 2013)

I just bottled my first batch of this.

It's a pale, white wine these days -- a far cry from what I saw after first racking (see attached images)...

I could never get the slight haze to clear -- I tried hitting it with pectic enzyme twice and also tried amylase enzyme twice (in case it was a starch haze).

My wife and I agree that it's a lovely, herbaceous wine with hints of clover and summer heat.


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## JohnT (Dec 20, 2013)

Hey Jericurl, 

How's that wine? Have you racked it since October?


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## the_rayway (Dec 20, 2013)

Wow sgx2, I can't believe that is the same wine! What a difference.


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## Jericurl (Dec 20, 2013)

Still day-glo fuschia/purple!

I racked it on the last day of November. I'm not seeing anything else dropping out so I will probably leave it be til around February and bottle it then.
I didn't taste it this time around.

Sgx2, I really do love the bright color of this wine but if it has to turn white, I certainly wouldn't mind the color of yours.
How does it taste?


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## sgx2 (Dec 21, 2013)

Jericurl said:


> ...How does it taste?



It's really interesting - herbaceous, reminiscent of clover in hot summer days, with a hint of black pepper spiciness. I'm going to enjoy sampling this over the course of a few months to see if it changes.

I'm not sure why the colour changed, and despite the persistent haze (which survived two-stage clarification, pectic enzyme, amylase enzyme and filtering with #2 pads ) it's a beautiful white...


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## JohnT (Dec 26, 2013)

sgx2 said:


> It's really interesting - herbaceous, reminiscent of clover in hot summer days, with a hint of black pepper spiciness. I'm going to enjoy sampling this over the course of a few months to see if it changes.
> 
> I'm not sure why the colour changed, and despite the persistent haze (which survived two-stage clarification, pectic enzyme, amylase enzyme and filtering with #2 pads ) it's a beautiful white...


 
PH is know to affect color. How is the PH?


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## sgx2 (Dec 26, 2013)

Darn good question - I haven't got pH testing equipment here, so I don't know...


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## Jericurl (Mar 10, 2014)

I stabilized this back in January and backsweetened with 2 cups of sugar.

When I tasted it, I felt like it needed something, so I added 2 oz of rum soaked american oak cubes.

I just racked it off the cubes and tasted it.

This may be the best wine I've made so far.
It's still very hot tasting but man is this good!


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## JohnT (Mar 11, 2014)

Jeri, 

Now you just need to get your guy hooked on it.


Can you post a picture of what the wine looks like??


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## the_rayway (Mar 11, 2014)

I second JohnT! Would love to see a pic.


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## Jericurl (Mar 11, 2014)

Well, in the carboy it's too dark to make out a color.
I suppose I'll have to draw off a glass to take a proper picture. And of course I'll have to drink said glass then.....sigh.....the things I'm willing to do for you guys.....


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## Jericurl (Mar 11, 2014)

Well, I took a few pictures and only one turned out.

The bright pink color is actually quite true to life.


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## the_rayway (Mar 11, 2014)

Ooooohhhhh! Pretty!!


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## JohnT (Mar 12, 2014)

Jericurl, 

That looks very interesting! It also looks like it is nice and clear.

I take it you and your guy will be making more this year?


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## JDesCotes (Mar 12, 2014)

Wow, that wine looks amazing. I wish prickly pear weren't endangered in ontario or I would totally make some! I'm sure my wife would love it even if it didn't taste good just based on the colour!


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## Jericurl (Jun 22, 2014)

So, 

I dragged out my carboy full of prickly pear wine. It's going to be the next item to get bottled.

It's got an interesting flavor to it.
I backsweetened it just a bit a few months ago.

It just tastes kind of...meh.
Nothing really spectacular about it.
I'm not really sure what to do with it now.


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## mikewatkins727 (Jun 22, 2014)

Now you know why I do 1 gallon batches until I find something I like.


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## JohnT (Jun 23, 2014)

Jericurl, 

I am so sorry! 

Can you expand on why you find it disappointing? I think at one time you thought it rather good. Has the flavor faded?


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## Jericurl (Jun 23, 2014)

It's a little hard to describe what I don't care for.
Manthing actually thinks it's decent and I should go ahead and bottle it and just let it age a little.

It has a spicy kind of undertone. The fruity and hay flavors are still present. It's...thick? I think they call that having good legs? If you swirl the glass around the wine coats the sides for a second before it slides down. I don't think it needs anymore sugar.
I added acid at the beginning.
It just tastes...I don't know, boring maybe? 

I am terrible at this.
I'll sit down this afternoon with a glass and try to write out some impressions.


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## the_rayway (Jun 23, 2014)

Hey Jeri,
When you sit down with it, try it 'regular', then add a pinch of acid blend. I had issues with my Blackberry and Raspberry meads where they just tasted 'Meh' for ages. Then I added some acid and BAM! There's the flavour.

Let us know how it goes.


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## Jericurl (Jun 23, 2014)

I'll dig around for some acid tomorrow. What I could find was an almost empty package.
Can I use citric acid (the same used in canning?)? I have plenty of that.


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## JohnT (Jun 24, 2014)

Jeri, 

Just wondering, do you know the wine's PH?


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## cintipam (Jun 24, 2014)

Jeri, try citric. I read that citric acid is the acid of choice for fruit, and I would call this a fruit.

If that helps some but not enough I'd do a bench test. I have bunches of extracts I try till I find what I feel adds to the flavor in a good way. It's not always the flavor I thought would be best. Just grab about 8 oz wine in a cup, a stack of plastic cups, your box of flavors, and head outside to enjoy yourself. put about an ounce of wine in each glass and add a drop or two of a likely flavor, swirl and taste. Move on to next glass if flavor 1 doesn't help. I've found chocolate to be great in most reds, but it varies with white and blushes. You might or might not find a fab mix but you will surely enjoy the testing.

Pam in cinti


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## Jericurl (Jun 26, 2014)

John,

No I don't know the ph.

I have ph strips somewhere. This was one of the first wines I ever made and I attempted to use them on it at the beginning.
The wine/must just dyed the strip a bright purple/pink color. I never could figure out how people use them.


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## blackspanish777 (Sep 9, 2014)

Wasn't sure where to post this, but we recently made our first prickly pear wine. Seems to be going great so far!!! I did not cut them up at all. My Dad and I burned them using a pear burner (basically a flame thrower used to burn the needles off so cattle can eat them during a drought) lightly to remove the needles then I put them in a big crab boiling pot and covered them with about two gallons of water. Let them boil for about 45 minutes then smush them with a potato masher and strained through an old t-shirt. Voila awesome colored juice! However, I am concerned because my juice was not sweet at all... But it had a wild taste to it! Added the sugar I needed to get the ABV where I wanted and it tasted much better....Just completed first racking after two weeks in carboy...most sediment I have seen (like 2 inches) in the bottom of a carboy...


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## Jericurl (Nov 6, 2014)

I used a steam juicer so I can't really speak to how much sediment usually forms.

It does have an interesting spicy green, almost haylike taste to it at first. After a year, mine still has nuances of that but there is an odd spicy fruity taste to it now. 
I'm pretty pleased with mine.


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## blackspanish777 (Nov 19, 2014)

I can say that the alcohol flavor right now is really overrunning every other flavor. But I can see what you are saying about the haylike taste to it.


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## blackspanish777 (Mar 1, 2015)

Ok so I tried it this morning and the alcohol flavor has died down, but the pear flavor is.... interesting... It might change in a month or so, and I am going to sweeten it, but not sure if I will try it again...


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## graeme (Feb 6, 2019)

Hi 
I am attempting my first liquer "umeshu" with unripe plums, sugar and vodka. A small problem with the early onset a week in that the fruit rises to the top and the top plums are exposed because of the buoyancy, and appear to brown a lot faster so I removed the first written looking ones, to find the next takes its place and to the same result. A week in. Any advice, leave them, or remove? Awkward beginners moment here.


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## graeme (Feb 6, 2019)




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## Jericurl (Feb 6, 2019)

graeme said:


> Hi
> I am attempting my first liquer "umeshu" with unripe plums, sugar and vodka. A small problem with the early onset a week in that the fruit rises to the top and the top plums are exposed because of the buoyancy, and appear to brown a lot faster so I removed the first written looking ones, to find the next takes its place and to the same result. A week in. Any advice, leave them, or remove? Awkward beginners moment here.



Put something on top of the plums to keep them submerged. In canning, I use small glass discs made to fit into widemouth canning jars. Historically, our ancestors used sterilized rocks, bits of ceramic, whatever.


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## Jericurl (Feb 6, 2019)

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B077CW9S5H/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20


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## Jericurl (Feb 6, 2019)

Also, once they have been consistently exposed to the air and turn brown, I would toss them. I use the above weights when I make preserved lemons and it keeps them submerged nicely for the better part of a year before I am ready to use them.


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## graeme (Feb 6, 2019)

Thank-you 
Will do, I shall replace the lost plums if I can, its getting hard to find un-ripe plums now on this side of the world.


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## Jericurl (Apr 14, 2019)

@graeme , How is the umeshu turning out?


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## sour_grapes (Apr 14, 2019)

Miss you, Jeri! Good to see you back.


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