# AAASTINKIE is HERE!!



## AAASTINKIE

I finally realized rather than tell the stink story all over like a puzzel I need one forum and here it is!!!


Welcome to STINKIES PLACE


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## AAASTINKIE

Now I have my own forum and I have writers block



It's almost time to go home, the floors are all swept, I work 3 on 3 off days one week and nights the next 12 hour shifts, for some odd reason I can post here?



We have a fresh foot of snow here today. In the summer I drive 200 miles to Boston and drive a 18 wheeler (more money for more toys) so I might get to se masta some day cause I deliver to Johnstown and take rt6 to conn. but sometimes I can go 95 on my way to Bridgeport CT....but I digress, right now it's wine time and almost Maple syrup time



Maple syrup is hard work but everyone smiles when you give them a bottle



it takes 40 gallons of sap to make one gallon of syrup



time to go more later at the AAA forum.


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## masta

Valley Brew is always open for forum members to stop by for a taste...exit 3B on 95 South!


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## AAASTINKIE

I've been working on food combinations tonight, I think I may have hit the jackpot




A november 2004 welches cut with 2 parts diet cranberry juice with a
fried cheeseburger with mustard, homemade bread and butter pickles,
fresh slice of imported tomatoe, drounded in ketchup, in a log house,
by the wood stove, while watching Seinfield during a snowstorm




sitting at my computer, looking out the window, throwing the switch on
that puts the spotlights on in the trees that I put out to see snow
with, watching the snow coming down, realizing it is so pretty but
wondering if it's going to STOP?



I'm going to have to go plow again if it keeps coming down



tomorrow we will talk about the LATENT heat of evaporization..if anyone is interested.


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## Hippie

I am definitely interested. You are a force to be reckoned with and a worthy adversary, Grasshopper.


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## AAASTINKIE

No o-be-one-kenobe you will be the master in the end



I wonder what you picture in your heads when I say I am a boiler operator, well picture a boiler 11 stories tall, cement smokestack 280ft tall 18ft across at the base, every hour burning 1 tractor trailer load of oil and 3 tractor trailer loads of biomass, probably not what you pictured in your head, huh?


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## AAASTINKIE

ya know there are only 5 of us here or so, I just want the gift to frame and hang on my wall, I would feel guilty cashing it in, this site is so nice I can't wait to make syrup so I can send some to geo as a thank you. med, I saw your website, your wine is nice, BUT YOU ARE HOT!!!









In my mind I pictured myself in a field on a warm summer morning and you flew in on your majic carpet (actually it was a 4X6 shag rug) in your tye died T-shirt, you got off with your basket and started to pic pink rose pedals one by one, when it was full you asked me if I wanted to go see your wine cellar, I had to get on the carpet, you said hold on real tight, I squeezed on and you said in your girlish but deep laughing voice....oh Frank, is that a #2 lead pencil in your pocket or are you just having a really good time.


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## MedPretzel

AAASTINKIE said:


> ya know there are only 5 of us here or so, I just want the gift to frame and hang on my wall, I would feel guilty cashing it in, this site is so nice I can't wait to make syrup so I can send some to geo as a thank you. med, I saw your website, your wine is nice, BUT YOU ARE HOT!!!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> In my mind I pictured myself in a field on a warm summer morning and you flew in on your majic carpet (actually it was a 4X6 shag rug) in your tye died T-shirt, you got off with your basket and started to pic pink rose pedals one by one, when it was full you asked me if I wanted to go see your wine cellar, I had to get on the carpet, you said hold on real tight, I squeezed on and you said in your girlish but deep laughing voice....oh Frank, is that a #2 lead pencil in your pocket or are you just having a really good time.







Wow, you've got quite an imagination there, Stinkie!


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## AAASTINKIE

(special note to self: If you start thinking those voices in your head are someone else, it's time to see Dr. Flood to have your medications adjusted)


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## AAASTINKIE

I keep thinkig I'd like to try to make some dandilion wine, soon in the spring they will be everywhere, the cow fields arond here go yellow with them, many people who have tried some say it is good.


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## AAASTINKIE

OK I think I have this broken down, there are five of us here,


AAASTINKIE, floordirt distribution supervisorfrom Maine, wine newbee, lives in the deep woods, makes maple syrup (to give to his friends) pickles, bakes the best homemade bread you ever ate (well maybe not that good) i like fishing and white water kayaking too. oh yea, I have 4 cats too (and 3 dogs 2 chickens and a feret) not nessisarilly by my choice









masta, lives 300 miles south of me, I'll swing in some day





medpretzel, hot, hot babe, bout 600 miles west of here, maybe more, has a 4X6 shag rug somewhere in her house





geocom, self made millionaire, runs wine supply store so his friends know where to meet him, soon to start franchising nationally!!





country wine, logger for 18 years, ouch probably has bicepts the size of cantaloups, don't mess with him.


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## AAASTINKIE

I only have 46 posts so far 54 to go, I'm gonna have to pay someone off, it's getting towards 4 pm time for the final "sweep" of the day


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## AAASTINKIE

tonights wine / food combiation is caberae sobernou (or
something that sounds like that) mixed with 2 parts diet cranberry
juice, our meal of the evening is turkey kilbasa fried on hamburger
buns loaded with frenches mustard, my palate imeadiatly notices
compared to our first batch of welches the flavor of dirt seems to be
lacking



however at $7 per bottle that gives on $200 bugget for a 6 gallon pail of wine, I'm sure you can make a GREAT wine for much less



The only reason we beginner wine makers move too fast in the beginning is we need some wine to DRINK!!

I'll be drinking my Island Mist Wildberry Shiraz NEXT WEEK.

I may rack 5 gallons to a 5 gallon carboy and bottle the other gallon to drink if that's what needs to be done.


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## AAASTINKIE

The more of this cabernau sobernou I drink the better it tastes, I may have to make a kit some day. Over.



I think I am getting ying yanged


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## AAASTINKIE

Things died off here fast, that's what happens when the wine goes in the carboy I guess, How's that wine, yup, still there



four am came early this morning, I'll tell ya that, I get to sleep in tomorrow



I looked at the pictures of geo's store, it looks great, not like the places I go to...I had emailed him for shipping charges for a island mist kit and it was 17 which is high but if I do some math it might not be bad at all...43 for the kit and 17 is 60..here it is 50 kit 2.50 tax but 100 mile round trip that's 12 for gas 64.50 and half my day, or 60 delivered to my door...hey geo how do you like my math??



I need (want) a glass thief that holds the hydrometer, bottle sterilizer that squirts the camden up in the bottle and one of those cutters for getting the caps off the kit bags, I swear I'm going to cut myself with the knife trying to open those caps.


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## masta

FYI


the wine thief is plastic not glass so it won't break like your hydrometer but remember scratches in on your plastic equipment is a great place for the nasty bacteria to hang out and ruin your wine!


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## masta

So I was wondering what you guys use as a heat source to boil down the sap to make maple syrup and how long it takes?


I made a maple porter beer recently and used 32 oz of Grade "B" in the secondary fermentation. I think it came out well and all that sugar really kicked up the alcohol!



*Edited by: masta *


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## masta

Don't know if you are a fisherman but check out this pike caught in CT:


http://www.ctfisherman.com/


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## AAASTINKIE

On the maple question, I used to have a 4X6 evaporator of my own, it inhaled 6 cord of wood in the month we made syrup, I swaped it to heating oil, on paper it would have cost me 350 for fuel, but in real life it was 600 that year, I sold the evaporator the next year!!



now I take my sap to a proffesional sugarmaker and we go 50/50 so for every 80 gallons of sap I get 1 gallon of syrup. It works great he uses oil and has a 6X14 evaporator with 2 large oil guns, but he also has a 20,000 dollar reverse osmosis machine that removes 75% of the water at a great savings using electricity instead of oil (a high pressure pump forces the sap through a membrane so small that only pure water goes through, invented for water purification, in the sap industry we throw away the pure water and keep the solids). This works great for me much lower costs and he stays up all night and I go home and go to bed



my only cost is gas about 75 for the seasonto get to the sugar house about 35 miles away. I get my syrup in 5 gallon pails and hot pack it as I need it, I'll get setup and do about 10 gallons at a time. i haul 275 gallons of sap in a load I have 500 pails but will probably only hang 200 this year, I say this now but when that sap starts dripping its like a FEVER and I got to get that free sap!!!


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## AAASTINKIE

The biggest pike I caugh is on my wall at home 10lb 6oz my boss is a master pipe ice fisherman, he holds the state record in Maine for pike, I think it is around 36lbs. The only problem is we catch the big ones the middle of March till the ice goes out and thats sap time for me, so I am crammed to get to go, the other thing is you fish all day for that one bite, very slow fishing but rewarding when you get a big one.


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## AAASTINKIE

I can't see your picture here at work but will when I get home. I'll send you a picture of my fish wall.


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## Fredman

I make syrup every three to four years. We use a 2x3 pan with wood heat in a make shift shelter and we usually have to do a couple of overnighters to keep up. It takes about 1/2 hour drive and then walk back in about 3/4 mile if they havn't plowed the road or when it gets too wet. We have a blast doing it. I think the best time is when we got all done collecting and a coyote let out a yelp 50 yards away or it could have been when I came acoss the wolf track in my footprints when I was walking out one night




. COOL It's just great being out there with a bottle of wine and taking in what nature has to offer.


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## AAASTINKIE

country, medpretzel, I thought you guys (gal) were wore out, but just
resting up for the weekend I see..lol...well, I'm working all night
Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday so if they haven't shut me down at work
I'll be answering all the question you never had.


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## Hippie

Wore out? I have more energy than you can ever fathom. I am old and have fast fingers and take men's health vitamins. Look out.


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## MedPretzel

Yeah, Glenvall is wearing me out. And I'm about 10 years his junior.


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## Hippie

You never know when I will be here poundiong out good sound advice to all who dare to take it. I am in an advise and question answering mood tonight, as you might can tell.


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## AAASTINKIE

Don't get me started about vitamins, all I can tell you is for depression or bi-polar take omega 3 oils.


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## Fredman

Hey what are you doing up at this time in the morning. still drinking wine


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## AAASTINKIE

I had a little wine last night then took a nap watching tv for an hour,
woke up and had a cheeseburger with the perfect drink MILK.


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## AAASTINKIE

I'm watching Starz movie channel and ELF is coming soon



please pass the syrup


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## Hippie

That is a very good movie. I would watch it again anytime.


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## AAASTINKIE

I just noticed I am a senior member now, ah the joys of success


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## Hippie

Ireckon you have caught plum up with us, so just step right in and pretend to be an expert like the rest of us!


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## AAASTINKIE

I have been looking someone had a picture with clear wine bottles with finevinewines corks in them, and they had a lip on top of the bottle, does anyone know what the name of that bottle type is?


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## AAASTINKIE

I wanna know how he got the name. Or, uh...maybe I don't.

__________________
PEACE 


Sit up on AAA's lap and take a good listen boys and girls, once upon a time there wasa man with 3 children who played on the internet, they got him playing card games and he needed a picture and a name, so he looked through the pictures and found a lobster and he had to name the lobster so he named it stinkie, soon he came to find that he was on the bottom of the lists, so he put aaa in front and now he shows up on TOP!!



now lay down and go to sleep



oh wait that is dead..lol


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## Hippie

Ihope I do not offend you, Stinkie, but I find you a little strange at times!


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## AAASTINKIE

everyone is a little strange, that's what makes the world go around, you ever think how boring it would be if we were all the same, we would all have a batch of welche's going now!!



hey I have bottles of wine stacked under my bed now....how strange is that...lol...the only thing stranger would be if someone had a whole room full of wine in their cellar.....



(jealous cause I don't have a cellar)


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## masta

Hey....I have two rooms full of wine stuff in my basement...I must be really strange or obsessed with this hobby!


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## MedPretzel

I hear ya. I'm totally the same way. I started out with 3 gallons, and now I'm up to... Uh... 50?


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## AAASTINKIE

HEY medpretzel, how come I only get the tree with arrow in some forums
and not others, if you know? This is either collecting maple sap or
arranging my primary's.


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## AAASTINKIE

a few bottles of syrup, see I know how to bottle just changing what's inside.


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## AAASTINKIE

Oh, I like to fish too.


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## AAASTINKIE

As far as being obbsesive, I look at my carboys on the stools and think if I build a shelf, I could get 6 carboys there instead of three...


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## MedPretzel

I have a huge table in the basement. Holds about 6 5-gallon carboys on top and all the supplies on the bottom.


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## AAASTINKIE

my dog and me


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## Hippie

Stinkie, nice bait you are holding in one of those pics. You might catch a fair sized blue or flathead cat on that down here.


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## MedPretzel

The dog is very small. My cat is a lot bigger than that. And a lot fatter (but shhhhh! Don't tell him. He'd be devastated)


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## Hippie

Is that a Rat Terrier?


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## AAASTINKIE

that's my dog....fluffy


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## MedPretzel

And the fish you caught was called what? Cottonball?














Cutie dog, nonetheless. Thanks for sharing


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## Hippie

Looks like a hybrid striper to me.


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## MedPretzel

the fish or the dog?


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## RAMROD

or the owner?


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## Hippie

The fish and the owner. The dog looks like a Rat Terrier.


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## RAMROD




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## MedPretzel

This is my pal Tobi.*Edited by: MedPretzel *


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## AAASTINKIE

OK.....Today I hung 170 primary firmentors (SAP BUCKETS) on my sugar
maples, it was a great day, now I'm having some shrimp and HOMEMADE
WINE, the bag ain't empty yet!!!!!!!


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## AAASTINKIE

I hauled 190 gallons of syrup out of the woods in 3 feet of snow today,
good thing that's all there was cause I was spent! I need to work out
before syrup season I guess. Now I'm enjoying some wildberry schiraz,
the joys of wine making.


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## Hippie

How far do you have to carry those buckets in 3 feet of snow? Indeed sounds like a good workout!


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## AAASTINKIE

some tree's are next to the road, some are 150' in, it was 190 gallons of sap not syrup, that will get me 2 gal1 qt syrup


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## MedPretzel

wow, lots of sap for little bit of syrup. But very gratifying I am sure.


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## Hippie

Sorry. I just don't get it. I reckon that sap must be mostly water?


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## AAASTINKIE

Sap is 3% sugar 97% water


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## Hippie

Oh, OK then, I reckon I did get it.


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## AAASTINKIE

It's not snowing, the bueaty of making wine, it can sit in the carboy till I'm ready and only get better, time for me to log off, see you tomorrow. AAA


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## Hippie

Not if we see you first!!!


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## AAASTINKIE

My Welches concord bottled grape wine half juice half water with 1 qt
pear juice, stablized and fined racked to carboy today to set for a
while.


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## AAASTINKIE

6 gal Sauvignon Blanc Bolero (Spagnols) California style 23lt anseptic
kit, stablized and fined today, this kit instructions had you rack
first then stablize and fine, the bentonite went in today, in the
island mist kit the bentonite was the first ingredient in. I had to top
up with distilled water that's all I had, my well water looks like mud
now (mud season). I can't get these pictures under the other headings
only here.


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## MedPretzel

Sorry for being so naive, but what is this anseptic kit? Is it a type of wine? Is it antiseptic? 





But they look great!!! I like the color of the Welch's!!! Good job!


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## AAASTINKIE

it's a 23 liter kit that you don't add water to, anseptic is how they preserve it in those bags I think, but you get a "free" primary (23ltr) with every kit...lol


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## AAASTINKIE

I might have the word wrong too??


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## AAASTINKIE

You have to go back one page to see the pictures I posted today.


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## Hippie

Looking good Stinkie! I think the word might be aseptic.


Well how do they taste?


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## AAASTINKIE

Sorry I don't taste, CO2 don't do it for me.


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## AAASTINKIE

6 gal Sauvignon Blanc Bolero (Spagnols) California style 23lt looks
great 1 day after fining, I feel better now that I have a carboy full
of golden good looking wine!


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## AAASTINKIE

OK put your coat back on..lol


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## Hippie

Looks good. White wines are by far the prettiest wines, especially the gold colored ones. There are several color descriptors for white wine. Gold, straw, lemon, etc.


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## MedPretzel

Very pretty wine, Stinkie. I am sure it tastes as good as it looks.


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## Hippie

That is a kit I would definitely consider making. It just sounds good.





*Edited by: Country Wine *


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## AAASTINKIE

I just finnished four hours working on my wines, but have to go check sap, I took pictures too, will be back tonight.


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## RAMROD

I notice you put your handle in the middle of the two grooves I put mine under both, is there a right or wrong place to put a carboy handle?


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## AAASTINKIE

After paying $45 for 3 cases of bottles yesterday I decided to go to
the redemtion center today, $17. for 80 bottles, $5.99 for 32oz of
Goo-Gone and some elbow grease tonight!!..lol


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## Hippie

How much for the squirrel dog?


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## RAMROD

I have one of them ceramic top stoves and you have to use a razor blade to clean it before you polish it. Picked up one with a four inch blade at Lowe's you have to be real careful and not be in the middle of taste testing your wine when you use it but it worked real good on the bottles that had the hard glue on them.


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## AAASTINKIE

25 done tonight, one batch is enough!! Look close and you will see the AAASTINKIE lobster climbing on the wall.


*Edited by: AAASTINKIE *


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## greenbean

A SOS pad works good also for removing labels. Just let them soak for about ten min. in hot water.


Chris


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## Berrywine

That's a good looking critter there stinkie. Jackpot on the bottles by the way. 


berry *Edited by: Berrywine *


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## AAASTINKIE

Wear your junk yard dog gloves when using the razor scraper!!


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## AAASTINKIE

Deb's pasta e fagioli...can't get enough!!


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## AAASTINKIE

You all have me topping up BIG TIME I re-racked this to a 5 gallon
carboy and bottled 3 750's to meet your standards, NO AIR ON MY WINE!!


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## AAASTINKIE

PJ's on time for bed!


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## AAASTINKIE

I don't know where I went wrong, but I had to open 2 bottles of the
welches I just bottled to top this one up. I've gone top up crazy.


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## RAMROD

I am going to post this again is there a right or wrong place to put the carboy handle I tried where Stinkie has his in the above picture but felt it was to loose so I went lower where I could screw it down tighter. Where do ya ll put yours?


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## Hippie

I put mine under both rings.


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## AAASTINKIE

Ramrod, I never thought about it, just screwed them on. Sounds like I might need to move them.


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## RAMROD

I am not sure that is why I am asking.


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## masta

I agree put the handle under both rings and tighten.


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## Bert

Becareful not to over tighten...


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## RAMROD

Thanks for the replys all will keep them where they are at.


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## AAASTINKIE

I recieved my order from geo and a carboy handle was in there, the
picture on the package shows it where mine is, while working on my
blueberry wine today I found one of the packages the other ones came in
and the picture shows the same, I put mine where it is because not only
are you lifting on one side but putting downward pressure on the other
side, that downward pressure is better on the thick ring than the
bottle, IMHO


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## RAMROD

Well more food for though!


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## AAASTINKIE

80 more bottles today, my hands are getting wrinkled


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## Hippie

Somebody drinks alot of Beringer!


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## MedPretzel

I see that Sutter Home is up there too. I hate those bottles, because those labels are so hard to get off well.


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## AAASTINKIE

You fast learn which bottles clean easy...lol



Anyone notice my LOBSTER avitar, I was at my daughters house and she
made it for me fast, the younger they are the faster on the
computer...for sure.


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## masta

I saw the lobster avitar andstarted todreamabout being on the beach in Mauiat sunset with the viking wench and feasting on some great Maine lobsters and drinking some '03 Scuppernog !








*Edited by: masta *


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## Hippie

You must have been in Heaven!


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## AAASTINKIE

cleaned another tub full of bottles today, one more batch and I'm done,
150 clean used bottles and 6 cases new. (wish I could return the new
ones)


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## Hippie

Don't worry, Stinkie. At this rate, you will need them all!


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## AAASTINKIE

Why would you want to be on a beach in Maui wit ants crawling all over you...lol


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## RAMROD

LOL


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## Maui Joe

Ants "hate sand." They got _no traction on the sand_, that's where we usually end up having a party.


Masta, you didn't call me in your dream...I live around the corner?


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## AAASTINKIE

Can someone tell me what Ice wine is, thanks.


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## masta

A speciality of regions that get really cold after harvest, ice wines are fabulous ultra-sweet dessert wines. The most famous regions for ice wine are Germany, Austria and Canada, and British Columbia makes some of the world’s best. 


Grapes are left on the vine long after harvest and are picked by hand once temperatures reach a certain level, usually about 17 degrees Fahrenheit (-8 Celsius). Typically wineries will trudge through snow in the middle of the night to pick the grapes when it’s cold enough. These marble-hard grapes then are crushed. Since they’re frozen, just a few drops of sweet juice comes out and ultimately fermented. Because it’s so hard to make and just a little results from the harvested fruit, ice wine tends to be very expensive and usually comes in half-bottles. 


The best ice wines are those that retain natural acidity in the face of late harvests and high sugars. This is why Riesling is one of the finest varieties for ice wine. A few wineries also are experimenting with red ice wines, using Pinot Noir, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. 


A little ice wine is made in Washington and Idaho. Some wineries make “ice wine” by picking late-harvest grapes, then freezing them. The resulting wines are not nearly as good as the real thing, and changes in the law in 2003 has forced wineries that make such wines to label them as something other than ice wine. So when you see “ice wine” on the label, you know you’re getting a true ice wine. 
*Edited by: masta *


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## AAASTINKIE

Geo said something about ebay, the reason my cookshack is not ordered yet is the 4,000. worth of ebay units sitting in my garage and the phone seems to have gone dead, overstocked and no sales....on the bright side I bought a 3 1/2 foot tall blowup beer bottle for 99 cents...lol...I'll take a picture when I blow it up and post it. I also bought a digital scale, made in China and it shows, anyway it says calibrate with a 3kg weight, anyone have any 3kg weights laying around??


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## AAASTINKIE

I just made up my new saying "I wasn't thinkin' I was drinkin'" do I
win a prize or somthin'?? I think I ordered suppies from George
last night but I'm not sure, "I wasn't thinkin' I was drinkin'" OH, I'm
on a run now, it's been raining too long here in the nor'east. It's a
good thing I read here I forgot about my blowup beer bottle, I'll get
it and maybe blow it up today (have to go outside to get the air
hose.


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## PolishWineP

No more alcohol for breakfast, okay?


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## AAASTINKIE

OK, here's my 99 cent beer bottle inflatable 3' tall from ebay!! (the rain is starting to get to me)


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## Hippie

Did you catch those fish?


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## AAASTINKIE

Not only did we catch them, my children were home schooled and I bought
my son all the equiptment and training manuals and he learned himself
and mounted those fish.

This picture is 1992, he started mounting fish in 1994.


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## rgecaprock

Stinkie,


What are they a trout, salmon, two bass and a pike? and your son did that.....good for him....lots of talent.


Ramona


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## AAASTINKIE

Correct!! The lake trout (touge) is 12lbs. a real wallhanger in Maine, once in a lifetime fish, my son was 14 when he caught it, we were ice fishing, he was yelling for us to come said he had a giant fish, we're like yea giant fish must be magnified by the water, then I looked down the hole as it swam by and it was a giant fish!! *Edited by: AAASTINKIE *


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## AAASTINKIE

Stop reading this and watch deadliest catch on Discovery channel...NOW


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## AAASTINKIE

So I'm in the refrgerator at work Tuesday getting my lunch and someones chicken falls out on the floor....well, no one see's so I use the "3 second rule" and put it back in the container and I'm still in the clear so I wipe the BBQ sauce off the floor and everyone is happy!! The chicken might have wound up "extra crispy"...lol Lesson to be learned, make sure you put your food in the back of the fridge at work!


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## Hippie

I think your kindnessfor putting it back in should have earned you at least a leg or 2!


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## PolishWineP

AAASTINKIE said:


> So I'm in the refrgerator at work Tuesday getting my lunch and someones chicken falls out on the floor....well, no one see's so I use the "3 second rule" and put it back in the container and I'm still in the clear so I wipe the BBQ sauce off the floor and everyone is happy!! The chicken might have wound up "extra crispy"...lol Lesson to be learned, make sure you put your food in the back of the fridge at work!




Well if you weren't inthe fridge there would be plenty of room for the chicken and it wouldn't have had to jump out! Stay out of there! It's not a giant A/C unit for your comfort. And usually it's a 5 second rule, so you had time to spare!


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## AAASTINKIE

I haven't been to the postoffice all week, I hope this Sponge Bob Square Pants telephone talker I bought off ebay is there, it was 4.99, you hook it to the phone and he goes nuts when it rings...lol


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## Hippie

LMAO


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## AAASTINKIE

I always have a story, my satellite dish just got hit by lightning,
EBAY for a new LNB..on it's way. I'd go out and take a picture but the
mosictoes are real bad. (spelt like the wine)


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## AAASTINKIE

Saturday reality tour update:








I'd like to know how the lightning hit this, the tree's right behind it are 40 feet high.

Here's a pic of my house from the south side.








My sponge bob squarepants telephone ringer didn't come today, at least
I have something to look forward to for next week, just put two
chickens on the smoker, I'm starting to think everything might not to
need to be smoked but on the cookshack forum, if is doesn't move, smoke
it!!


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## AAASTINKIE

My son and his wife at boot camp graduation in TEXAS (wherever that
is?) poor guy got married about a month before he left, and they just
met before that. He's in the Air Force now.


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## rgecaprock

Stinkie,


You have such a great place there!! Do you have any neighbors? Nice looking kid there, must look like mom, HaHa! Sorry about your dish...who needs TV anyway? When you get Sponge Bob we will have to call you so you can watch him in action!!!!!!!...got some racking and bottling to do this weekend so will be busy here in TX..where ever that is!!!


Ramona


----------



## AAASTINKIE

My sponge bob is a little dissapointing, HE NEVER SHUTS OFF!! can't get quality junk anymore!!


----------



## RAMROD

LOL


----------



## AAASTINKIE

New toy:


----------



## PolishWineP

gee, the water is a lovely blue there!


----------



## Hippie

Hey it even has a place for a motor!


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Quick update for those of you who want to know what I'm up to today,
started a green apple wine this morning (pictures later), just came
home with a cooler full of strawberrys to make jelly today, putting a
9lb pork butt in the cookshack smoker now for tomorrows lunch of pulled
pork, I must say I didn't want to make a strawberry wine, BUT, the
berrys are so red and smell so intoxicating I might just have to give
it a go, I'll think it over.


----------



## AAASTINKIE

4:30 pm update, 3 cases of strawberry jam is done, just came back from
picking 15qts of strawberrys, going to start a 5 gallon batch of
strawberry wine now, pictures tonight.


----------



## AAASTINKIE

I made 3 cases of strawberry jam today, here's some pictures:


----------



## Hippie

Looks yummy to me!


----------



## AAASTINKIE

I have 5 days to go buy a new 6 gallon carboy, I might as well get a half dozen and save some gas..lol


----------



## Hippie

You got it bad stinkie!!! Hook, line, and sinker!


----------



## AAASTINKIE

It costs money to play though!!

60 green apple wine kit

30 strawberrys

70 canning supplys (enough for some of my other canning coming up)

43 fill truck with gas

25 strawberrys

I'm gonna go play with my boat now, it's already paid for...lol


----------



## PolishWineP

Country Wine said:


> You got it bad stinkie!!! Hook, line, and sinker!




Wouldn't that be hook, line and Stinkie!?






Bert says, "If you're gonna play, you're gonna pay!"


----------



## AAASTINKIE

So I picked up 20lbs of fresh green beans yesterday on the way home,
that might have been a few too many!! I started canning dilly beans
(pickled green beans with garlic, dill, and cayanne pepper) I started
at 6 pm gave up at one am had about 3lbs left 32 pints prossessed. I
pick every bean and fit it into the jar (it just has to be right). I
don't want to see another green bean till next year, then I have to
remember only 10lbs at a time, of course I have to eat green beans
tonight, got to get rid of the leftover 3lbs.


----------



## rgecaprock

You've got some clean beans there..Stinkie. And your hands must be so soft..


Ramona


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Worked 12 hours last night, woke up today and canned some dill pickles,
went to the farm and bought 30lbs of cukes for tomorrow to make bread
and butter pickles, then I bottled the first strawberry wine (go to
aaastrawberry wine to see).



















a little salt and pepper on the leftovers!!


----------



## rgecaprock

Stinkie.


Besides that Palmolive what is that little bottle of brown stuff that is always in your pictures.


Ramona


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Secret HOT sauce!!!

Today I packed 30lbs of cukes, 17 quarts of bread and butter, 14 pints
of kosher dill spears, I use Mrs. Wages pickle seasonings. I'm getting
the canning done on night shift now so I can go play with my boat next
week!!


----------



## rgecaprock

What are you going to do with all those pickles??


----------



## AAASTINKIE

give most of them away, but they have to last me a year, that's only 1
pint of dill in two weeks!! A pint of dills and a nice glass of sweet
Green apple wine would be nice on a cold winters day!!


----------



## RAMROD

Boy you have been working hard it all looks good though, so where you going to put the boat in at?


----------



## AAASTINKIE

A picture of my wines so far...


----------



## rgecaprock

Stinkie, I am really impressed. Love the background!!! Really nice labels too.


Ramona


----------



## MedPretzel

Extremely nice-looking wines! And I agree with Ramona - lovely background setting.


----------



## PolishWineP

Stinkie, 


Beautiful wines! Too bad light is damaging or we could all leave our wines out to admire on a daily basis!






I need just a bit of information though on those tall poles with the green things all over them? I think I saw those when I was in Vermont!


----------



## RAMROD

Very nice they all look great but where is the FASTDRINKINWINE.COM bottle?


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Ramrod, I'm still drinking the fastdrinkinwine.com sediment filled
bottles...lol....actually the Concord on the left is the 100% juice
(welches) that I made and counts as fastdrinkinwine.com...lol

I took the bottle pictures on the kitchen counter, next to polmolive,
who now has a DRINKING problem (look for more on this in an up coming
episode of polmolive gets trashed) but the pics didn't look right, so I
put them out on the deck and they look much better, thanks to Ramona
for giving me the ideal of adding my beautiful suroundings to my work!!



here's a bottle of too fastdrinkinwine.com.


----------



## RAMROD

Just turn the light down and pop a cork LOL


----------



## AAASTINKIE

I went to the brew shop today and bought a cellar classic *(?$%** MERLO!!!

I also ordered a New Zealand Marlboro Sauvignon Blanc from GEO, he recomended it so greatly last month I had to get one!!

I also am finally getting the bonvino jullio gravity bottle filler....lol



I'm not drinking no F*&amp;$%# MERLO, I'm just making it for my brother...lol



I'll get to see that movie (sidewinder) when it comes to Starz. I can't wait..lol


----------



## Hippie

Very nice photo, Stinkie!


----------



## AAASTINKIE

I finally started the F*&amp;^%$# MERLOT tonight!! I also ordered a
copy of Sideways on ebay last night so I can see what the problem is
with F*&amp;^%$# MERLOT!!!...lol


----------



## AAASTINKIE

F*&amp;^%$# Merlot:


----------



## masta

Hey......where is the F*&amp;^%$# spigot for that primary!


----------



## Hippie

Really! A spigot and hose is so much easier!


----------



## AAASTINKIE

I've had a few spicot LEAKS, and the auto siphon works GREAT!!


----------



## Hippie

You just aren't holding your mouth right when you put the spigot together on the bucket!


----------



## rgecaprock

What is that tubular thing that Stinkie's racking cane is in?


Ramona


*Edited by: rgecaprock *


----------



## masta

A Fermtech Auto Siphon.......another must have toy for the winemaker! 


http://www.finevinewines.com/ProdDetA.asp?PartNumber=4879


http://www.fermtech.ca/siphon%20starter/siphon.html*Edited by: masta *


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Palmolive and I just finished watching Sideways, I guess my next wine
might be a Pinot Nour, you know what it takes to grow them, the care,
such complexity, lets face it, F*&amp;^%# Merlot can grow anywhere...lol


----------



## Hi In The Pines

I agree. I have an auto siphon and I used it for the first time(for real, not just for practice), last Monday and it is very cool.!! The only thing thing I dont like about it is that when its all attached, its a little bit cumbersome to get the hose into the carboy and keep it there and then get the siphon going. But once its in and started, its very nice.


----------



## PolishWineP

Stinkie, I hope you'll at least sample the F*&amp;^%# Merlot before giving it all away. We'd hate to see you turn into a wine snob!



Your fastdrinkinwine.com would miss you so much!


----------



## AAASTINKIE

I started my first wine in February this year, I have now made or am making:



6 batches Welches

1 Wildberry Schiraz

1 Sauvingnon Blanc

1 Strawberry

1 Strawberry Banana

1 Blueberry

1 Green Apple

1 Merlot

1 New Zealand Marlboro Sauvingnon Blanc

1 Red Ice Wine Style 



Beer:

1 Cream Ale

1 American Light

1 Continental Light

1 Pale ale


----------



## Waldo

And it would appear that your success at wine making is exceeded only by your distaste of %[email protected]%#@!^ Merlot. Great looking wines Stinkie. Maybe by the end ofOctober, I will have some ready to bottle *Edited by: Waldo *


----------



## kaizen

wow.


----------



## Hippie

Stinkie, you are a winemaking phenomenon!


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Taking some advice from Martina I found the perfect beer glass
(although I like it for wine too) at TJ Maxx for $1 on the discount
table!! It does work well, it gives you a sniff of the product, not
just the taste. As she said wide at the hips, small waist...lol









*Edited by: AAASTINKIE *


----------



## AAASTINKIE

VERY busy day, just finished canning 13lbs of pickled beets:


----------



## AAASTINKIE

10 gallons of tomatoes have to ripen a little more before canning:










some peppers too, might try to make some spagetti sauce and can it too:


----------



## Hippie

You should make salsa and can it! Why were the tomatoes picked before they were ripe?


----------



## Waldo

Psssstttttt Hippie. I think it is a genetic carryover from Stinkie being picked before he was ripe too







Good looking beets there Stinkie. Ever make any wine from em?


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Because it's WINTER here in MAINE...lol....I buy them at the farm, the
plants are all dead and you can pick whats left for canning for $5 a
five gallon pail, so I bought two, and she said take all the peppers
you want for free, the 13lbs of beets were $10 but they were picked and
cleaned already. Waldo, I haven't made any veggy wine......but wait
till you see the next great wine Polmolive and Me are dreaming
up!!!!...lol


----------



## Hippie

Makes perfect sense now! Maybe the mators will ripen some before they start rotting.


----------



## Waldo

What is it going to be Stinkie?


----------



## AAASTINKIE

It's a lot of work to can 10qts. of spagetti sauce (my first time, I
got a new pressure canner this year) lots of pots to clean up too!!
Tastes great though, will be nice on a cold winters day with some X-71
wine (watered down...lol).


----------



## Cove Cottage

Great looking stuff! I only hope Palmolive doesn't get jealous of Ms AJAX over by the sink.


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Today I canned some corn relish to help use up the peppers.


----------



## AAASTINKIE

I went for a bike ride today, first ride this year, only went 5 miles
but feel good can't wait for my next ride!! This is perfect bike
weather here in Maine, 75 sunny and windy.


----------



## Waldo

Great job of canning there Stinkie..Takes me back to my boyhood days on the farm. Just about everything we ate had been canned. Will be glad when our days get down into the 70's.


----------



## MedPretzel

I tried my first hand at canning this year. Pickles and pickeled squash were on the menu... I also did like 4-5 cans of tomatoes.





Nothing in comparison to you, Stinkie!














Good going!


----------



## AAASTINKIE

I made another batch of spagetti sauce tonight, one more box of
tomatoes to go!! I have a pork shoulder in the smoker might make
pulled pork spagetti sauce tomorrow. Two more bottles of cloudy wine to
go and I can drink some of the good stuff!!


----------



## Hi In The Pines

Hey, Is there a place on this forum for canning and how to on canning?? I have been wanting to do that as well.


----------



## masta

Just start a new topic in "Friendly Chit Chat" and I am sure some of thecanning experts will respond with some help.


----------



## AAASTINKIE

If you want to can, go to a store that sells supplies and get this book.


----------



## Hippie

Yep. My wife got a book like that a few years ago and just went to it one day while I was at work. She is quite the city girl, so I was very impressed when I got home.


----------



## Waldo

My Mom wrote that book !!!


----------



## Hippie

I thought it was my Grandma!!!


----------



## Hi In The Pines

Thanks, I will have to look for that book.


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Went for a bike ride with Miss Lilly today, she fell asleep in the last mile!!


----------



## Waldo

Miss Lilly be a cutie Stinkie..Looks like she really enjoyed th outing too. So, is that a river you live on?


We had a cellar we kept a lot of our canned goods in. Dad had a big iron pot down there and during the winter if it was going to be below freezing for several days we had to keep it filled with coals from the fireplace to keep the jars from freezing and bursting. It was also a good place to sneak to occasionaly and get a jar of pickled peaches and head out to the loft of the barn with a good book. Mother even canned beef and pork. Was a yucky looking mess but it shore did taste good. *Edited by: Waldo *


----------



## Hippie

My Grandma canned vegetable beef soup in quart jars. It was the best soup ever.


----------



## peterCooper

Stinkie,
thought you had a job to go to!
How do you get through all this work?


----------



## AAASTINKIE

I was on vacation last week!!


----------



## peterCooper

Lilly is beautiful. You must be proud. Even on holiday, I'd be hard pressed 
to do half of what you do.


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Miss Lilly came for a visit today, she enjoyed a dinner of pulled pork,
mashed potatoes, and peas. After 4 hours Grampa was ready for a
rest...lol PS the SS dish is reflecting the camera flash on her face.


----------



## rgecaprock

Stinkie,,





I think you man-sized that plate of food for her!!!...LOL She sure is pretty. She will beyour x-71 assistant someday!


Ramona*Edited by: rgecaprock *


----------



## AAASTINKIE

I was in the city today and got a call on my cellular telephone (it
works without wires!!) anyway I had to send a very important
FAX.....but I didn't have the paper with me....so like any normal
person I bought a FAX machine to take home....now I AM ON THE
GRID....BABY!!

FAX ME!!


----------



## Waldo

STICK WITH THE FORUM GUIDELINES STINKIE.."JUST THE FAX"


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Polmolive and I are still here, just working 12 hours a day 7 days a
week since the end of September, but wait till you see all the new brew
toys!!


----------



## masta

Hey Buddie....I was thinking about you. If you need a hand spending all that loot let me know!


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Tonight is my last night after 46 in a row....now I can get back to playing..


----------



## Waldo

So how's ole Palmolive been holding up to your long hours Stinkie?


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Polmolive had Thanksgiving with Miss Lilly (poor Miss Lilly has a cold).


----------



## bilbo-in-maine

Frank, that's a sweet picture. Is that snow I see flying outside the window?


----------



## Waldo

What a doll






Noooooooo I was talking about Miss Lilly Stinkie !!*Edited by: Waldo *


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Snow in Maine:


----------



## MedPretzel

Yeah, we got 2 feet in the country (my parents) on Thanksgiving Eve (of course, I drove through it...



) and here in the city, about 3-4 inches. 





It's all supposed to melt by monday.








*Edited by: MedPretzel *


----------



## jobe05

For some strange reason............


I don't miss that white stuff! Although we get a few inches a year, it's comes and goes, generally in a day, and thats OK with me!


----------



## Waldo

2 feet of snow in Arkansas would shut it down totally. It's a mess when we get a couple of inches


----------



## bilbo-in-maine

We'll let you know later in February - March when it isn't unusual to
have close to 4 feet on the ground (coastal Maine - mountains of Maine
much more)


----------



## PolishWineP

And we _still _don't have any snow on the ground! I'm so excited!



That is supposed to change tonight, but for now I'm going to brag!


----------



## peterCooper

Snow?????

It's still too hot to have the rain stay on the ground in Huntsville. It's still 80 
degrees here, although tomorrow is supposed to be colder.


----------



## bilbo-in-maine

Yeah, but while we can only grow icicles you can keep growing wine 
making fruits. Care for some ice in exchange?


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Polly got a hairdew today....and a head to go with it...lol


----------



## bilbo-in-maine

Wad'ja do - scalp a Barbie?


----------



## AAASTINKIE

it's an antenna topper from walmart auto department....in case you want
your own mascot..lol, I was looking for a dress in the cabbage patch
section but too pricey...lol


----------



## RAMROD

LOL


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Working on labels today, I know my Hard Cider is really a cistern or whatever!


----------



## PolishWineP

Stinkie!


That stuff is so good it makes me see triple and I haven't even had a sample yet!


----------



## masta

Nice Job Frank.....I was seeing triple and when I stood up I was lightheaded!


----------



## peterCooper

Nice labels. Very different style but simple.


----------



## Waldo

Great labels Stinkie


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Here's a link to a place you can mark where you are on a map and post your picture.




Frappr! wines


----------



## peterCooper

AAA

Haven't seen you on the forum for a while.
What's new?


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Whats new!!

Red ale

Hard Cider

Chardonnay

hows that...lol


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Hard cider went into the bottles tonight, 1/2 dry 1/2 semi-sweet (1.010) 1/2 in beer bottles, 1/2 in champagne bottles.



go here to put your mark on the map, you can post your picture too if you would like.



http://www.frappr.com/wines


Frappr! wines


----------



## rgecaprock

OK Stinkie,,,I'm on the map....it would be cool to see where everyone is at a glance....Ramona


----------



## Waldo

I now know where I am at


----------



## MedPretzel

Me too!


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Don't forget to get on the map, I'm still learning how it works but, if
you click on someones name on the right side there picture (if one is
posted) will come up on the map over where the are from.




Frappr! wines


----------



## masta

Me and my sweetie are in....pic of us all dressed up at my son's wedding this past May.


----------



## peterCooper

I'm on.
No picture. The camera broke (




)


----------



## MedPretzel

me too, but now with pic.


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Masta, oh yea, I saw your Lady!!...I was going to make a joke about it
being your daughter, but I didn't want to get you mad at me, it must be
hard enough having such a beautiful wife!! I'll be sending her some
extra syrup come sugar time...lol


----------



## masta

Woo Hoo....me Lady says thanks Frank and I take a crappy picture since the camera adds at least 20 lbs and 10 years!


----------



## AAASTINKIE

SMELT FISHING!!



Rent Smelt Camp...$40.00



Gas Truck............$12.00



Spending evening with daughter catching 4 smelts.....PRICELESS!!!


----------



## NorthernWinos

AAASTINKIE said:


> SMELT FISHING!!
> 
> Rent Smelt Camp...$40.00
> 
> Gas Truck............$12.00
> 
> Spending evening with daughter catching 4 smelts.....PRICELESS!!!



CATCH OF TODAY






Fishing is kind of slow in Northern Minnesota too.
But a crappy day fishing
is better than 
a good day doing almost anything else.


----------



## OldWino1

a bad day at work or a great day racking a batch and starting another and the ultmite bottling 6 gals. AHAHAHAHAAAAHH with my daughter. I put the month day and year on my bottles just cussss. I have bottled with niece daughter adoplted daughters this puts a special thing with the exact date on the label. Also letting them do the labels.


----------



## AAASTINKIE

I have just about got it figured out how much to stir and stop before
the foam comes out the top (first stir, just a little bit!!)

These are my two Trio Blanco kits


----------



## peterCooper

Niiiice!!!!


----------



## Bert

Keep it going Stinkie..


----------



## OilnH2O

AAASTINKIE said:


> I have just about got it figured out how much to stir and stop before the foam comes out the top (first stir, just a little bit!!)
> These are my two Trio Blanco kits




Wow. Those are nice looking carboy straps/carriers -- where'd you get them?


----------



## AAASTINKIE

The straps used to be on ebay but they aren't there anymore, I think George has them now, give him a call.


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Heres a link to it.




Fine Vine Wines - carboy straps


----------



## OilnH2O

Hmmm...since I've got the carboy handles at the TOP of that page, I guess I shoulda scrolled ALL THE WAY to the bottom of it... THANKS!


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Now this is a nice bottle for 18 cents...lol


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Did I say I knew how much to stir for de-gassing??



oppssss.....


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Mojjo spice report, good stuff!! and a HEIF WIEZEN!!









*Edited by: AAASTINKIE *


----------



## AAASTINKIE

The limited edition kit Petit sirah zinfandel had 4 bags of oak!! to
keep it out of the secondary I racked with a bag on the end of the
hose, it worked great, the problems were the spicot kept plugging with
oak but the bag worked great.


----------



## AAASTINKIE

The Petit Sarah Zinfandel looks great, what a deep red color!!


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Yes I racked into a plastic bucket for my secondary!! I'm not going to
dump another gallon of wine down the sink while degassing!! I racked at
SG 1.022 so there is plenty of CO2 still being made to protect my wine
from the air, after I stablize and fine I will rack to a glass carboy.


----------



## Waldo

Do you stabilize and degass in the fermenter too Stinkie? I have never tried that.


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Waldo, I lost 1 gallon of my White Zinfandel down the sink using the
carboy, so I'm going back to the primary for the secondary, as soon as
I stablize and fine I'll rack it into the carboy and top up.


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Here's a special request label I had to whip up in a hurry:


----------



## MedPretzel

Beautiful label, and wine, Frank!


----------



## AAASTINKIE

I bottled my first White Zinfandel last night, even though I lost a
gallon down the sink and topped up with a gallon of water, it still
tastes OK to me, I gave a bottle to my bottle lady today for her to
sample.


----------



## PolishWineP

Nice color there, Stinkie!


----------



## MedPretzel

Where's Polly?


----------



## bilbo-in-maine

Maybe the bottle lady got Polly too


----------



## PolishWineP

Polly!? Bottlenapped?


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Polly's taking a break...lol

Bottled 2 batches of Limited Edition Trio Blanca today.


----------



## Waldo

Looks Greattttttttttttt Stinkie


----------



## RAMROD

Very nice!


----------



## AAASTINKIE

I made this label today for my brothers Trio Blanca:










took this picture when I was out getting seasick last fall.



PS I can't find Polly!!!!!!!!


----------



## MedPretzel

WHADDAYAMEANYOUCAN'TFINDPOLLY?!?!??!!???!!????









Wonderful label there, Stinkie! I hope that I can shoot some nice pictures soon for my labels. Do you live right on the ocean?


----------



## AAASTINKIE

I can't find POLLY!!...but I'm still looking, I hope I didn't have too
much Heif Weizen and used her in the woodstove for extra heat..lol

That picture is Martha's Vineyard, Massachusettes, my brother took me
out there fishing last fall, we came around the corner and hit the
ocean rollers (waves) and I felt sick, we didn't stay long and came
back in, I'll just stay in the sound from now on!!


----------



## bilbo-in-maine

Polly's gone missing, huh? I'd suspect bottle lady. You gave her a bottle of 
WHITE ZINFANDEL! We all know how good that can be. She's probably 
holding Polly ransom for several cases of the stuff. Do whatever she 
wants Frank



lol


----------



## Waldo

Polly Missing ??? Tell me it's not so !!!


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Polly has been found, and winter has returned here.


----------



## PolishWineP

Glad to hear that Polly is safe! Sorry to hear that winter is back.


----------



## Waldo

And_I wish we would get a big snow like that_


----------



## NorthernWinos

Waldo said:


> And_ I wish we would get a big snow like that_



Waldo...move on up North.....
2 days ago we had thunder and rain on the snow....then 2 days of beautiful melting, complete with some mud.....tomorrow a snow storm...March is so fickle in the North...Winter is loosing it's grip, long warm sunny days....but the changes in the weather is hard on the morale....


----------



## Waldo

Dont wannna move Wino..just would love to get a really good snow like that justonce here in Hillbilly country..


----------



## usafcajun

What's this 'Winter' thing you guys keep talking about? It's in the 80's down here in South Louisiana.....been like that a while now.... 


We go from Fall to Spring(early summer) 
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 17px"><NOBR>*83.6*°F</NOBR> / <NOBR>*28.7*°C</NOBR> 
<DIV id=b style="FONT-SIZE: 14px">Mostly Cloudy


----------



## NorthernWinos

Sounds like a winner to me, at least for the winters....but don't think I could take your summer heat and hummidity....I melt after 95*F....



*Edited by: Northern Winos *


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Miss Lilly holds the Mojo Spice while Pop Pop holds the chops for dinner, Mojo meets with Miss Lilly's aproval!!


----------



## masta

Excellent!!!


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Miss Lilly didn't eat her eggs, maybe it was because I forgot the Mojjo Spice....lol



PS Second picture is proof Polly is safe and sound.


----------



## PolishWineP

You don't expect her to eat ALL those eggs, do you? Maybe she should share with Polly!


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Lilly got dressed and went home this morning.


----------



## AAASTINKIE

I was told 2 or 3 eggs so thats what I cooked...lol

But she knew it was Sunday and she gets to go to Dunkin Doughnuts for a doughnut today, so she passed on the eggs!


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Today was bottling day for the Limited Edition kit Petite Sirah Zinfandel, I really like my mini jet wine filter!!


----------



## AAASTINKIE

The paper cutter comes in handy for making labels:


----------



## AAASTINKIE

my label:


----------



## AAASTINKIE

I got my April/May copy of wine maker magazine this week, and read the
article on bottles, so I used Bordeaux bottles dark color, trying to
stay traditional, I have quite a choice upstairs...lol


----------



## masta

Looking good Frank.....you really have some unique bottles!


----------



## AAASTINKIE

thats cause the bottle lady drinks a lot of wine...lol


----------



## AAASTINKIE

working on labels for the limited edition Agrigento Sicilian Grillo kit.


----------



## rgecaprock

I like them all, but , especially the 4th one......Ramona *Edited by: rgecaprock *


----------



## bilbo-in-maine

You sure paint good Frank!


----------



## PolishWineP

#4! Beauty!


----------



## Bert

My vote goes to # 4.....I really like that one.


----------



## Funky Fish

I'd say either the 3rd or 4th one - it's a tough decision!


----------



## AAASTINKIE

I like #2 cause of the colors, I think I'll make one page (6 labels) of each and have some of them all!!


----------



## peterCooper

I like #4


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Sounds like my warped sense of colors will have to go buy the wayside, #4 sounds like the winner!!


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Reading books with miss lilly,


----------



## AAASTINKIE

I am printing my White Zinfandel labels, I thought a bright label would go well with it.


----------



## AAASTINKIE

bottling White Zinfandel and Chardonnay:


----------



## AAASTINKIE

The bottle lady is saving me 5 cases of wiskey bottles for maple syrup,
I'm going to save a couple hundred dollars this year on bottles, that
is a wiskey bottle with White Zinfandel on the left...lol


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Label spraying area:


----------



## masta

Gas for Truck to drive around the woods of Maine: $2.50/ gal


Saving money on used whiskey bottles: $200.00


Labor to haul all that sap to the truck from each bucket: lots $$$


Satisfaction you made some of your friends' breakfast better with some great syrupriceless!!!


----------



## peterCooper

So how many times will you pour white zinfandel on your pancakes instead 
of maple syrup?


----------



## AAASTINKIE

275 more sap yesterday, 275 more sap today, I need a nap...lol


----------



## AAASTINKIE

The evaporator,


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Automated temperature control drawoff,


----------



## MedPretzel

It makes me tired just reading about it!


Great post!


As soon as the current stress is over, you can expect something in the mail.



Not tellin' you what it is though!


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Spinach/sausage soup:



1lb chicken sausage (sweet)

1 bag spinach chopped up a little

2 quarts chicken stock

large can of tomatoes (diced)

1 can canalli beans (white kidney beans)

1/3rd box Farfalle noodles (those bow tie ones)



cook the sausage in a fry pan, bring the chicken stock to a boil, add
the spinach to the stock, add the tomatoes and beans, cook the noodles
in a seperate pot, cut the cooked sausage up into small pieces, add to
the stew, simmer the stew while the noodles cook, add the noodles when
done, EAT.

( I add a few slices of ginger while the spinach is cooking and remove
them when done, also I add fresh peper and Italian seasoning)


----------



## pkcook

AA,


You're making my mouth water



. It looks wonderful. What wine would you suggest? I'm thinking a nice Chardonay or maybe a blush of sorts?


----------



## AAASTINKIE

I don't like wine, but it was great with a Hefe Weizen!!


----------



## AAASTINKIE

So I'm laying in bed this morning at 11:00 am (worked last night)
thinking why not grab a gallon of pilsner I started the other day and
add a cup of dark maple syrup to it and see how a Maple Pilsner tastes??

I also used my glass airlock, I like it but don't use it much, not sure
how I'm going to get it clean if it gets dirty, but I love the noise it
makes when bubbling.


----------



## rgecaprock

Frank,


Does your mind every stop working? The more I read your post, the more I want to try making beer!!!!


Ramona


This is what I did today......



*Edited by: rgecaprock *


----------



## bilbo-in-maine

Better to watch your feet than to drag them, I 'spose


----------



## masta

Sounds great Frank and the dark syrup is just the ticket to help retain the aroma and flavor. Be prepared for the fermentation to go on for quite a long time as the yeast will consume all of the sugar in the syrup.


How far along was the initial fermentation before adding the syrup?


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Oh, good thing you said that masta, I was going to bottle it with the
rest after 7 days, here's the labels I'm printing right now for my LE
kit:


----------



## AAASTINKIE

masta, the beer was 2 days into fermenting, I am going by the
instructions now, seven days in the primary, then bottle, my carboys
are all busy!!


----------



## AAASTINKIE

I've spent the day working on labels:


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Spent this morning working on wines,



this is what CO2 looks like during de-gassing


----------



## AAASTINKIE

The rack is full, when I give a bottle of wine this Christmas I won't have to tell them to wait a few months to drink it!!


----------



## OilnH2O

I see Polly likes to hang out where the action is!


----------



## AAASTINKIE

I spent all day today bottling, Island Mist Blackberry Cabernet, LE
Sicilian Grillo, Pilsner, and Wheat Beer, the Maple Pilsner gallon is
still fermenting.

Grillo:


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Here's the Wheat Beer, I used some pint bottles (Bass) two large bail
caps, and a few regular bottles. My truck is loaded, going to visit
family in the morning.


----------



## PolishWineP

Frank,


I am so jealous of your bottle collection! We don't have the intense recycling laws that you do, so our options are limited. I'd gather the bottles that grow on the side of the road, but wine and beer just don't look right in Jagermeister bottles!


----------



## MedPretzel

PolishWineP said:


> Frank,
> 
> 
> I am so jealous of your bottle collection! We don't have the intense recycling laws that you do, so our options are limited. I'd gather the bottles that grow on the side of the road, but wine and beer just don't look right in Jagermeister bottles!







I hear ya, pwp. We in Ohio are also too lax on recycling. In Germany, I would have had a million bottles because you are obligated to recycle. I do paper and biodegradables (I have a sad excuse for a compost bin, but do what I can), and glass? Well, let's just say that I keep most of the glass I use.



And re-use.


----------



## bilbo-in-maine

Wicked awesome as usual Frank! I have a few of those crazy bottles too, 
from Yarmouth redemption center. I keep going there for redemption, but 
nothing seems to happen...


----------



## PolishWineP

ThankGod someone was sent to do it for you...


----------



## AAASTINKIE

I just got back from bringing some wine to relatives and the fancy bottles were quite a hit!!


----------



## sally3

Wow! I hardly recognized this site...things have grown a bit over the year. I used to post under ljcjd. Nice to see all these names and that the "hobby" has grown so much!  Sally


----------



## Pepere

Frank: I gotta tell ya, I really enjoy the posts on the murple surple






Having been born in Maine (Biddeford, Saco) and having done gathering as a kid it brought back a lot of memories. By the way, your bottles are great looking and I love the color on your Wildberry Shiraz so much that I've decided to bottle mine in clear glass as soon as it's ready. Great looking lables by the way. 


Just received a couple of jars of home made razberry jam from friends around Bangor and it all reminded me of your "canning" posts as well as the stuff my "Grammy" used to make. Funny the memories we keep eh? Well, keep up the good work and let's keep "Polly" out of trouble.


Ron aka Pepere


----------



## peterCooper

Sally3,

This is no longer a "hobby", Like the man said, "This is not a life and death 
situation, it's much more imprtant than that!"


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Made my own chicken wings for the first time today, used the rotiserie
and was very pleased with the results, they were just great with some
Hefe Weizen (wheat beer):


----------



## sally3

I'm WAYYYYYY too hungry to be looking at that plate of food! Time to run out for lunch. When you're up at 4:00 am luch is overdue by 8:30. Hey you have a nice day.  Sally (beautiful day here in Michigan)


----------



## rgecaprock

I thought that we would try a new Easter tradition, no boring ham or pickled beets or scalloped potatoes.........tried this instead!!!



























I hope Masta will be bringing some MOJO Spice to Dallas....want to try it on these little tasty critters!!........Ramona


----------



## PolishWineP

Now that's what I'm talkin' about! Yee haawww! I may have to change my Easter menu!


----------



## AAASTINKIE

I was down reading to Dexter yesterday and he needs more jelly, since
the strawberrys won't be here till July I used some organic apple juice
and low sugar pectin and made organic low sugar apple jelly for my
grandchildren.


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Today was bottle Maple Pilsner day, love the Grolsh bottles!!


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Will be bottling Green Apple wine soon:


----------



## AAASTINKIE

I like this picture better, just found it on my computer:


----------



## Pepere

Frank: I really like your label for the Green Apple. I'm assuming that is from the Island Mist kit which I have'nt started yet.


Did you add extra sugar to the Green apple? How does it compare to the wildberry shiraz? 


I'm about ready to stabalize my WB shiraz and we rather like that. I haven't added the "F" pack yet but I think it will make a nice summer wine.


Ron


----------



## B M W

Nice label






it makes my mouth water just looking at it. I think a wine cooler for summer is the next one I want to try.


----------



## AAASTINKIE

pepere, I used a Bellissima kit. Second one everyone loved the first
one and no I don't add any extra sugar to the Island Mist kits I like
the low alcohol in them.


----------



## Pepere

Thanks Frank:


I just degassed and fined the WB Shiraz. Two days at 0.0996 and holding so I thought that should do it. I didn't use the entire "F" pack, actually about 2/3. I just kept adding until the wife and I agreed it was about right. I can't handle even a cooler that's too sweet. 


I must say both of those green apple labels look mighty fine and as I mentioned earlier, love the idea of clear bottles with your WB shiraz. It really shows off the nice color of the wine. Thanks again.


Ron


----------



## AAASTINKIE

today was pilsner bottling day!! I love the giant Grolsh bottle, I only have one!!


----------



## PolishWineP

All the pretty soldiers all lined up. For some reason there seems to be a swerve in the ranks of the middle platoon!


----------



## AAASTINKIE

there are two different batches there, one with silver caps, the other with gold caps.


----------



## MedPretzel

Lookin' good, Frankie!





The first beer I made (January?) was great - but I didn't have enought bottles and put them in grolsch bottles -- flat as a pancake. Did I do something wrong?





M.


----------



## sally3

Good morning Frank, Your beer looks terrific and very
professional. Is there sufficient effervescence when it's
home-made? I was thinking about ordering a "Corona" like beer kit
but if a pro like Med has hers turn out flat....yuk! I figure
your the man to ask.  Sally


----------



## MedPretzel

I'm not a pro with beermaking, that's for sure! But I have to tell you that I put them in the wrong kind of bottles. 





I haven't opened a real beer bottled one yet.


----------



## masta

There should be absolutely no difference in the carbonation of beer bottled in grolsch bottles and regular crown capped bottles unless the rubber gaskets were completely dried out enough not to seal (they are replaceable)


If it has been since January since it was bottled and it was in a room temperature area is should be well carbonated bynow. What was the beer and how much priming sugar was used?


Sally....homebrew ROCKS and carbonation is normally not an issue and can actually be adjusted to suit your tastes. Please check out the tutorial I put together a while back and it should answer most of your questions...if not....we are here to help you!


http://www.finevinewines.com/Home-Brewing-Tutorial.htm


----------



## PolishWineP

Sally,


We made a batch of home brew from a no boil kit, and we love it! No problem with carbonation at all. It rocks!


----------



## sally3

Oh now I'm really excited!!! This is new to me and I am looking
at the no boil kit that is simular to the Corona. Thanks you
all...and Med....who are you kidding...you are a pro.  
Sally





I love this hobby


----------



## sally3

Oh I forgot....where do I pay my tuition fees? I feel like I'm in
a doctorate program for wine makers.  Sally


----------



## peterCooper

Just send them to me, I'll pass them on.
Cash please no checks


----------



## AAASTINKIE

I haven't had any problems with carbonation, the best beers I have made
are Mexican Cerveza (Corona type) Pilsner, Wheat Beer, and Octoberfest,
Nut brown ale was good, but most of the other Darks were too bitter for
my tastes. The no boil kits do make fine beer as far as I am concerned.


----------



## sally3

Well then....we have it. One no boil kit for Sally please....and
a dozen limes too LOL. (oh and nachos supreme with x-tra salsa) 
As always thanks so much!  Sally


----------



## Bert

Just had 2 of the Cervezas that PWP and I brewed....after a long day at work they were really awesome....they are awesome on a warm afternoon too.


----------



## MedPretzel

Oh...... I accept PayPal.


----------



## PolishWineP

Bert is just so sweet! I didn't feel well last night so he had the 1st Cerveza for me, and THEN he had one for himself.



And he's the one who made secret calls to George to order the Cerveza kit for me for my birthday.






Sally, tuition here is free, but you have to remember to turn around and pass the knowledge on to others. (Sorry folks, she won't be crediting your PayPal accounts now.



) Some days I learn so much here that I'm afraid my brain will explode! But then I just delete a bunch of stuff that I learned in grade school that turns out to be wrong,



and it makes room for more information!


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Bottled the Soputh African Chennin Blanc and the Green Apple wine today:










What a nice color the Chennin Blanc has!!








My label art, never thought I could be an artist!!...lol


----------



## masta

Nice lookin labels and wine Frank!!


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Thanks Masta, I am enjoying making the labels now, really trying to come up with eyecatchers.

I put 1/2 my Apple wine in 750's and 1/2 in 12oz. Green beer bottles for wine coolers.


----------



## AAASTINKIE

If anyone stops by, don't drive in the yard, it's still too soft!!!...lol


----------



## PolishWineP

Frank! The 4X4 doesn't do you any good if the wheels aren't on the ground!


----------



## AAASTINKIE

I picked 9 quarts of dandelions today to make 3 gallons of dandelion wine, started today:


----------



## OldWino1

Hey i saw pics of the classic chainti bottles. How do you wash and clean them without the stuff getting wet and falling apart. My daugher likes those bottles and we make a lot of Chainti. Please help


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Hey i saw pics of the classic chainti bottles. How do you wash and
clean them without the stuff getting wet and falling apart. My daugher
likes those bottles and we make a lot of Chainti. Please help



I wash the inside with the brass bottle washer:

http://www.finevinewines.com/ProdDetA.asp?PartNumber=4800

http://www.finevinewines.com/ProdDetA.asp?PartNumber=4804



Then I just wipe the outside with a damp cloth and scrape the label off with a razor scraper.


----------



## OldWino1

There seems to be a love for food and beverage in these forums. Those mud bugs look wonderful now did you suck the bodies after you twisted the tails off? I have not been able to do that yet. But more wine and you never know or may fresh home brews.


----------



## AAASTINKIE

boiled my dandelion wine tonight and added the lemons, oranges and the
yeast. The zest of the lemons and oranges went into the boil.










the juice and pulp went into the primary.


----------



## PolishWineP

Looks like Polly found some kin folk! 


Our dandalions just flowered this weekend, but being in the city everyone around us keeps their yards sprayed. (I've even seen some neighbors walk into the yards next to them to spray!



) Not much available to us.


----------



## AAASTINKIE

I never pickled fiddleheads before, last night was a first:


----------



## Harry

Hey Stinkie


What in the heck is Fiddleheads? They look good tho LOL


Sure would like to taste some of your Maple Syrup


Harry


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Fiddleheads are ferns that grow on river banks in the spring here in
Maine, when they first come out of the ground they are coiled up like a
fiddlehead, you can pick them for about 2 or 3 weeks. They have their
own flavor and you either like them or NOT...lol



So I was at Walmart shopping the other day and there was a orange
discount sticker on a 6lb roast of beef for ten bucks, I bought it
thinking I would try it in the smoker even though I was under the idea
it was the wrong cut to come out good. I used the cooking method used
for prime rib, rubbed it with raw garlic, crushed pepper, and kosher
salt, preheated the cookshack smoker to 250, smoked meat for 1 hour,
lowered heat to 150 for 5 more hours, it was GREAT!!


----------



## masta

Looks great but where is the Mojjo and Hot Sauce?


----------



## sally3

You are truly a talented man! Do you have a lot of company or a
really BIG freezer? You must be a fun neighbor to have. I'd
be visiting around dinner time with an empty glass and dish in
hand.  Sally


----------



## rgecaprock

Yea, I look forward to Frank's next culinary adventure!!!! If we can't be there......it's the next best thing






Ramona


----------



## AAASTINKIE

I usually only post about food that goes good with wine or beer, but if
you just like food!! Today I'm baking Chocolate Chip cookies to take to
work, the secret (other than my recipe) is making my own Matagaskar
Bourbon vanilla extract!!


----------



## masta

Damn Frank you need to get your own show on the Food Network!


Any chance you will share the recipe for the vanilla extract?


----------



## rgecaprock

Frank, you would make someone a fine husband!!!!


Ramona


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Go to Ebay and buy 1/2lb Borbon vanilla beans, they don't have any
Matagaskar beans now, just ones from New Gunni, just be sure to get the
bourbon beans, buy a 1/2 gallon jug of cheap vodka, split all the
vanilla beans down the middle long ways to expose the tiny beans
inside, drink enough of the vodka to fit the beans in, you'll need the
drink after splitting all those beans!! put the beans in the vodka and
shake up once in a while, it is best if you can wait a year for it to
work, but if you want some sooner, shake more often, I shaked everyday
on my first pint cause I wanted to use some soon. The beans are really
cheap now compared to what I paid for them in the past. A pint of
extract will last me for years.


----------



## masta

Awesome...Thanks!


----------



## AAASTINKIE

OK I cut enough firewood for today, now smoking brook trout in the cookshack.



(file photo) "you talkin' to me??"


----------



## Pepere

Frank: Very nice Brookies. They don't grow that big here in Maryland. A 12"er is a monster.


My last trip up to Grand Lake was so long ago I guess I've forgotten how nice the brookies get up your way.


----------



## sally3

OMG!!! You are the MAN! Someone is going to snatch you right up out there in the woods.


----------



## Angell Wine

Is it the beer, the wine, the medication, what ever it is send me some. You got to be the most creative man I've ever seen.


----------



## sally3

Hey angel...he's a renaissance man. I just can't understand how
someone can be sooooo time efficient. Frank...you're my hero. 
Sally3


----------



## MedPretzel

Holy cow, Frank. You're lookin' very tough and mean!


----------



## jobe05

Martina, I to thought he looked a little beefed up, more than usual...........





Probably from pulling the truck out of the mud...


----------



## AAASTINKIE

All I can tell ya is it is really nice out today and sunny, I cut some
wood, the black flies were out but after I got cleaned up I noticed the
wind had picked up, I was going to the store but decided to take my
dandelion gathering stuff with me (I have a dust mask now so no alergic
reaction) anyway when I saw this field I was in it fast...lol another
batch (3 gallons) in the primary!!










This time I picked the dandelions and cut the petals off the top so there is no green stuff.


----------



## PolishWineP

Looks like you've gotten a bumper crop! Nice farming!


----------



## djcoop

Angell Wine said:


> Is it the beer, the wine, the medication, what ever it is send me some. You got to be the most creative man I've ever seen.




Yep, creative and energetic!! You must make "special" wine up there!!


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Boiled Dandelion #2 today and into the carboy, this recipe will have no rasins and be a less bodied wine.


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Bottled the LE Nebbiolo d'Alba today


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Stablized and fined the Calypso Bianco today, de-gassing in the carboy
makes foam over most of the time for me and I watch my wine go down the
sink!!


----------



## peterCooper

Must be your effervescent sprit!


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Did it again tonight with the Zinfandel Blush, I'm too lazy to use the bottling bucket.


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Bottled a few Pilsners tonight.


----------



## OilnH2O

Looks like you're still having a problem with that platoon in the back dressing right and covering down!






But, looks great all standing at attention!


----------



## peterCooper

THat is an incredibly good label!


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Thanks Peter, I Googled the label and over wrote 2006 over 1999, then
printed it on Avery 8254 labels using Printmaster and printed them on
my old Canon BJC 6000 which does a very good job for me.


----------



## PolishWineP

That label is almost nice enough to get me to start coming up with new labels! But not quite...


----------



## Angell Wine

I called in sick today because of you, AAASTINKIE. I was taking the kids to school this morning when I saw a field of dandelions. Spent most of the morning picking &amp; plucking.


----------



## rgecaprock

There aren't any dandelions in Houston


----------



## masta

rgecaprock said:


> There aren't any dandelions in Houston




Consider yourself lucky!



Those who have them taking over their lawns spend lots of money and time to get rid of them.


----------



## rgecaprock

That is exactly why. If I had them in my yard I would leave them. I think they are pretty!!!


Ramona


----------



## Angell Wine

Weed-be-gone or any 2,4-D base product will kill them dead especially in bloom. Be careful not get it on your good flowers or grape vines or they will be dead too.


----------



## PolishWineP

When I was in Vermont a few years ago over Memorial Day weekend I would have sworn that was the State Flower!


----------



## PolishWineP

Angell Wine said:


> I called in sick today because of you, AAASTINKIE. I was taking the kids to school this morning when I saw a field of dandelions. Spent most of the morning picking &amp; plucking.




This is really good, blaming poor Stinkie for you skipping work to pick dandelions. Can you just imagine if someone from work had seen you?


----------



## Angell Wine

My crew was some 200 miles away yesterday. I had a meeting here in town that wascanceled at the lastminuteand wasrescheduled till next week. One littlescheduling problem made me think of the things I'd rather be doing than the things I'd need to be doing.


----------



## tropicalgal

Hey Stinkie! Thanks for telling me about the sight. Just wanted you to know that I did get registered! Great topic. Now I won't have to bug you all the time asking "how" and "why's."


----------



## rgecaprock

Welcome tropicalgal,


Are you going to give winemaking a go? You will enjoy the forum!!!


Ramona


----------



## tropicalgal

I am going to geive it a try - with as much as I have bugged Stinkie with questions about making wine - I figure I should at least try it. I see you live in Houston. I'm not too far from ya - about an hour south...


So far the forum seems great. It looks like there are a lot of expeirnced people on the site. I'm sure I will annoy all of you with my questions.




(Hopefully, not too badly.)


----------



## PolishWineP

This is why we're here! You ask questions, we answer, and then we feel that we serve a purpose in life.


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Hi Tropicalgal, glad to see your here, Caution this could be addictive...lol

We can't wait to help you get your first kit started!!


----------



## Pepere

Allow me to contribute my 2 cents. You have opted into the best home wine making forum around. Read, learn but most of all enjoy.


Welcome aboard!!






Oh yes we do love pictures of your wine efforts.


----------



## tropicalgal

Well, it should be long before I start my first batch. I bought a Island Mist kit. Since it doesn't need to age, I figured I would make something to "sample" while I am working on the next (whatever that ends up being.)Thanks for the greetings and I'm sure once I get all my stuff ready, I'll be bombarding you with questions!!


----------



## rgecaprock

I just bottled my Welches Niagara yesterday and had two bottles of it last night. I have to say it is as good as any white wine I have ever had. It is very fruity and well balanced with sweetness and acid. Going to start a Welches White/Rasberry, maybe today. I also started a Green Tea Ginger wine that promises to be interesting.


Tropicalgal, there are alot of experienced guys and girls here who have knowledge in all kinds of wine making from Jalapeno to Lilac to the kit wines. Be sure to post pictures along the way!!


Ramona


----------



## tropicalgal

I was just thinking that I need to send my camera in - I am not sure what it's problem is - other than it has one... That way it will be ready for all the action. 


I'm not sure what kind to try after I finish the Island Mist. My mom (who all of a sudden think this is a wonderful idea) like sweeter wines and I like dry wines. I'll probably try to humor her first. Then worry about what I would like to try. Is the Welches Niagara recipe posted on this site?


----------



## pkcook

Tropicalgal,


Welcome to the forum. Here is a Jack Keller recipe for Welches wine (either red or white)
<CENTER>*WELCH'S GRAPE JUICE WINE*</CENTER>*
<UL>
<LI>1 gallon Welch's grape juice (red or white) 
<LI>sugar to raise s.g. to 1.095 
<LI>2 tsp acid blend 
<LI>1 tsp pectic enzyme 
<LI>1 tsp yeast nutrient 
<LI>1 pkt Montrachet wine yeast </LI>[/list]


In a quart jar, activate yeast in ¼ cup of grape juice and ¼ cup of warm water with ¼ teaspoon of sugar and 2 pinches of yeast nutrient dissolved in it. Cover and set aside to develop a vigorous fermentation. Pour grape juice in primary and float a hydrometer in it to determine sugar content. Add sufficient sugar to raise specific gravity to 1.095 (see hydrometer table at http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/hydrom.asp) and stir well to dissolve sugar and assist sulfites (sulfur dioxide) in dissipating. Add remaining ingredients except yeast. Cover primary and set aside 12 hours. Every 2 hours add ¼ cup of grape juice to the jar of yeast starter. After 12 hours, add activated wine yeast and recover primary. When active fermentation slows down (about 5-7 days), transfer to secondary and fit airlock. When clear, rack, top up and refit airlock. After additional 30 days, stabilize, sweeten if desired and set aside 10-14 days to ensure refermentation does not ensue. Carefully rack into bottles and age at least 3 months. 


*


----------



## AAASTINKIE

I just got back from my annual fishing trip to Cape Cod (Falmouth) with
my brothers, we didn't catch any fish today, but I had a good time with
my family.

The tide was late (actually we were early) so we went to Martha's
Vineard to get breakfast, I was looking for my pay Jimmy Buffet, but he
slept in...lol


----------



## pkcook

AAA


Better luck tomorrow. I just got back from my sister's farm in central KY and caught a bunch of largemouth bass out of her farm pond. Here is the biggest one of the day:


----------



## rgecaprock

Those farm ponds are the best fishing. That is Curtis with a hybrid bluegill and the catfish is one that I caught that didn't get away. We had some really big ones on that snapped our lines. This is in Oklahoma where we went after the Winestock weekend. Had tornados in the area too as you can see fron the dark sky....pk...nice bass!!!! Ramona


----------



## pkcook

rgecaprock,


The sky looks wicked! The bluegill is huge. They are my favorite eating fish!


PC


----------



## peterCooper

So which one is the Bluegill?
I am pescarily challenged, unless is is a large piece of cod, batter and served 
with chips


----------



## AAASTINKIE

TEXAS!!


If you ever get the chance to visit TEXAS, don't pass it up, Kurt and Ramona have been exellent hosts!! I hate to go home tomorrow!! We had a little wine tasting, I brought 16 bottles of wine with me on the plane, and a carry on bag with a pair of shorts and a few tee shirts...lol (how many clothes do you really need?)





*Edited by: AAASTINKIE *


----------



## MedPretzel

Looks like fun, guys!





Glad you enjoyed yourselves!





M.


----------



## PolishWineP

Frank,


What all did you do in Texas?


----------



## AAASTINKIE

PWP,



What goes on in TEXAS, stays in TEXAS!!


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Back to wine making, I have two batches ready to bottle, just have to find the time.

Calypso Bianco, and Zinfandel Blush.


----------



## Waldo

Bottled a Green Apple Riesling recentlythat has been bulk aging in the carboy for about 3 months now.


----------



## PolishWineP

AAASTINKIE said:


> PWP,
> 
> What goes on in TEXAS, stays in TEXAS!!




You must have had loads of fun then!


----------



## rgecaprock

All jokes aside.........Frank and I had a great time!! Good food, good friends, great wine. Saw some of the city, experienced a bayou...with alligators andmet some nice people along the way!!


Ramona


----------



## Pepere

Frank and Waldo:


All three of those wines look just awesome guys!!












Waldo, I just racked my green apple riesling about a week ago and it is just begining to clear. Added 2lbs of sugar and 1/2 of the "F pack" to the primary and I must say it is tasting pretty good.








The red is a chianti and been bulk aging about a month in carboy. Tasting pretty good as well. The primary has a Vieux Chateau du Roi I just started this morning............looks like these carboys breed like rabbits eh?


----------



## rgecaprock

Waldo,


Welcome back! Good to see you! Ramona


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Good to see you back Waldo, I'm under the idea the low alcohol wine
kits are not meant to be aged, I think it says in my Calypso kit the
flavor suffers over time.


----------



## PolishWineP

Frank,


I believe you are right, not meant for aging. Guess we'll have to be sure to drink all of ours up this summer! I'm sure friends and relatives will be glad to help us out and even take bottles to enjoy at home. Our friends and family are like that, always willing to lend a helping hand.


----------



## Waldo

With the green apple drinking it up is no problem. It goes away as quickly as I get it bottled






Other pressing matters kept this batch in the carboy longer than usual but it's almost gone now. I just ordered another kit fropm George.


----------



## Waldo

rgecaprock said:


> Waldo,
> 
> 
> Welcome back! Good to see you! Ramona




Thanks Ramona....Loks like the fishing trip went really well. I think that scene with the barn would make a good label


----------



## tropicalgal

rgecaprock said:


> All jokes aside.........Frank and I had a great time!! Good food, good friends, great wine. Saw some of the city, experienced a bayou...with alligators andmet some nice people along the way!!
> 
> 
> Ramona




Ramona - are you trying to scare them. You didn't actually SEE an alligator - only my alligator traps!!!



I don't know what Dwight told ya - but don't let his stories scare ya.(He's not really a local - ya know?!?!)The bayou isn't that bad!! Glad I was able to meet both of you!


----------



## tropicalgal

AAASTINKIE said:


> I just got back from my annual fishing trip to Cape Cod (Falmouth) with my brothers, we didn't catch any fish today, but I had a good time with my family.
> The tide was late (actually we were early) so we went to Martha's Vineard to get breakfast, I was looking for my pay Jimmy Buffet, but he slept in...lol




Ran into Buffet for ya - he was in Cincinnati on June 8th!



Outstanding show! Horrible flights (both ways)!!!


----------



## AAASTINKIE

My camera threw a fit on me but I finally got it going, I bottled the
Calypso Bianco and the Zinfandel today, the Zinfandel was a blush but
500ml. wine conditioner made it into a White Zinfandel, can't seem to
keep enough of that in stock..lol

Here's the Caylipso left, Zinfandel right.


----------



## AAASTINKIE

I have to get to work on some labels, haven't made any yet!!


----------



## Bill B

very nice Stinkie, wow what nice color. Great job my friend.


Bill


----------



## PolishWineP

Behind some good men is a soap bottle with a plastic head.






Looking good, Stinkie!


----------



## Waldo

Great looking wines Stinkie


----------



## Pepere

Those wines are looking awesome!! I just love the color and clarity of both. Bravo Sir Stinkie.


----------



## AAASTINKIE

The mini jet wine filter give the wine the shine, here's a new label:


----------



## AAASTINKIE

One more:


----------



## AAASTINKIE

one more:


----------



## peterCooper

That last one's good Frank.


----------



## AAASTINKIE

This dark beer has been aging for months, it was the last two bottles,
too bad, it was smooth but bitter, really good, beer ages well, went
great with a few steaks and Mastas hot sauce!!


----------



## PolishWineP

Nice looking beer and beef! RE: the labels, I like the first one best!


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Stablized and fined the Dandelion wine today, It tastes HOT, I think
that's what HOT means, kinda like Alcohol, the bactch with rasins is
14% ABV, the batch without is 15% ABV. Seven gallons total, I used
Super Kleer to fine.


----------



## AAASTINKIE

While I was at it, I bottled the Buttery Chardonnay, I took a taste of
it and it was SMOOTH!!! I'm not a big wine drinker but this stuff was
good as far as I could tell from a sip, ran a case down to the bottle
lady for her approval.


----------



## AAASTINKIE




----------



## Pepere

Stinkie"


the label is great but the clarity of the Chard is exquisite. Nicely done.


----------



## Waldo

Great job stinkie on the wine and the labels


----------



## bilbo-in-maine

One lucky bottle lady!


----------



## Bill B

Very nice Stinkie. great job.


Bill


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Strawberry Jam day here, picked this morning, made jam this afternoon.
























PS I snuck in a mountain bike ride in between picking and canning...what a nice day in Maine...."don't get no better than this"


----------



## Pepere

Hey Stinkie, I noticed in the first Pic Ms Polly was missing and there were two substitutes in her place, one "A-Jacks" and "Di-Al."I thought maybe she had abandoned you in your time of need.






Imagine my relief to see her back on the job after the jam was in the jars. She must have been taking a break.






Nice looking preserves. How do you find the time??


----------



## AAASTINKIE

I work shiftwork, had my three days off this week, I haven't got to mow
the lawn yet this summer!! But I got the important things done!! I'm
brewing a Mexican Cerveza today and maybe a Nut Brown Ale.


----------



## AAASTINKIE

I just smoked some shrimp on my Cookshack smoker for the first time, I'll never boil a shrimp again!!


----------



## grapeman

Oh Yeah, those I can taste over here in NY!



The Cerveza is very good- too bad it's not done to go along with those shrimp. What kind of wine are you having with those tasty crustaceans? 


I'mgrilling some chicken with peas and new red baby potatoes I just picked. First of the season up here. Lucky they grew at all with the lousy weather this year.


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Trio Blanca, what else?
*Edited by: AAASTINKIE *


----------



## Waldo

At what temp and how long did you smoke them Stinkie........Damn those look good podner !!!


----------



## AAASTINKIE

I marinated the shrimp in 1TBS of Zatarain's liquid Shrimp and Crab
boil, and my salt free house rub (3 parts garlic, 3 cayanne, 2 paprika,
2 cummin) mixed this in while preheating the Cookshack smoker to drive
off the harsh first smoke, then put the shrimp in for 30 minutes at 250.

This smoker is one of the best purchases I have ever made!!


----------



## Waldo

Thanks Stinkie.......I am definately going to give those a try this weekend. Think I might mojo mine just a bit and see how that turns out


----------



## OldWino1

what kind of wine will go with those?


----------



## Dean

I would think that a bright pinot grigio or lightly oaked chardonnay would be best with those! Maybe even a Sauv blanc, but I think that the flavour of the smoke and prawns might take away from the citrus and grassy tastes of the Sauv unless it is quite high on acid.

oooooo! Better yet, might even be a dry reisling.


----------



## Waldo

Went down right well with a bottle of slightly chilled Muscadine


----------



## AAASTINKIE

The dandelion wine looks real good, will be ready to filter and bottle in a few weeks:


----------



## pkcook

It looks really clear now. Filtering should make it sparkle



.


----------



## Pepere

This stuff looks like liquid gold. Great job stinkie!!


----------



## paubin

Looks great AAA, Now I wish that I had picked dandylions this year!



Pete


----------



## Wade E

Hi AAA, I'm curious, wahat does dandellion wine taste like. Yours looks
awesome. Is there any difference making this than typical fruit wine,
Thanks

Wade


*Edited by: wadewade *


----------



## AAASTINKIE

I made two different batches from Jack Kellers recipes, one with
raisins for body and one without, I short changed the recipes by using
SuperKleer for a fining agent when stablizing and fining. Sorry I haven't tasted it yet.






*Edited by: AAASTINKIE *


----------



## Waldo

Wade I am sure Martina could provide some tasting notes on Dandellion. I dont think there is a flower growing that she has not made a wine from.


----------



## Vaughn

Looking at my yard...I think a batch of chickweed wine is in order...


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Cheri, my bottle lady gave me this fish bottle!!

Oh, and it looks like Polly has found her own clown and become quite smitten with him...lol


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Today was Vanilla Extract day, it takes a year for it to age, then it just keeps getting better, FDA standard for 1X extract:

A single 
fold vanilla contains the extractive matter of 13.35 ounces of vanilla 
beans, containing less than 25% moisture, in one gallon of 35% aqueous 
ethyl alcohol

I used 16 oz per 3.5 ltrs so I'm a little stronger.

Vanilla beans are a bargain on EBay now so I'm loading up, I give a lot away.

(I can't help but notice Polly has her pink dress on today, whats up with that?)








</font>


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Clown Boy!!


----------



## AAASTINKIE

I used the food processor to chop the beans up, I cut them down the middle last time and its murder on the hands.


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Yea, but I'm your Clown Boy!!


----------



## AAASTINKIE

4 jugs of extract, shake it up every few weeks for a year and it's good
to go, I made 2 Bourbon vanilla's and 2 Tahitian vanilla's. Some left
over Vodka, I'll pour it down the sink later...lol









*Edited by: AAASTINKIE *


----------



## tropicalgal

I need to do that!! I have 3 bags of the Bourbon beans sitting on my counter. Finish up Thursday for a wek - maybe I'll get it done then. I see you're still hard at it stinkie!!


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Some would say it's the OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) if it is
then LOTS of us here have it!!...lol I think we are just FUN people who
like to stay busy!! Tropicalgal, did you start a wine kit yet? Maybe
these days off would be a good time to start one, it doesn't take long
to start and after 5 to 7 days rack to the carboy, that doesn't take
long either. You just need some time in a month to bottle it.


----------



## PolishWineP

Let's hear it for OCD!



I've been making bath bombes and bath salts this week. I had to get more supplies today and was disappointed in the scent selection at the food coop. Guess I'll have to order on line. 
Polly is looking very pretty in her pink dress. If she has something going on with Clown Boy, I hope it's just for fun!


----------



## AAASTINKIE

What are you going to do after a day off after 15 strait on shutdown?

MAKE PICKLES!! (and after test some Pinot Nour..lol)


----------



## AAASTINKIE

The Dilly Beans should be nice with the fresh dill:


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Finished Product:


----------



## pkcook

Looks great!I'm hungry.


Congrats on 500 replies to this thread (51 pages)



. George, is this a record on the message board?


----------



## rgecaprock

Never get tired of checking in to see what Stinkie is up too !!!


Ramona


----------



## masta

Yes this thread has the most replies and views and Stinkie is a real winner!


----------



## NorthernWinos

Everything looks great and yummy...does make your mouth water.




I also always check to see what AAASTINKIE is up to....good inspiration.
All if done lately is pick some flowers for drying[Tansy and Yarrow] ...finally another good use for the treadmill, hang dried flowers on it.


----------



## NorthernWinos

OVER 10,00 VIEWS</font>

VERY IMPRESSIVE AND VERY INTERESTING INFORMATION</font>
WOW!!!!!!</font>


----------



## AAASTINKIE

10,000 SWEET!!..lol

Here's a pic of my Mexican Cerveza bottle in Corona bottles, nice and
clear after 2 weeks, needs about 2 months of aging and it's great!!
(I've made it before and it got rave reviews).


----------



## AAASTINKIE

I can't keep these two apart, not sure whats going on here??


----------



## PolishWineP

I think they make a cute couple!


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Stablized and fined the Piesporter tonight, look nice.


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Made the Dandelion labels tonight, hoping to get it in the bottle this week.


----------



## rgecaprock

Love it!!!!!!


----------



## PolishWineP

Stinkie,
That is a wonderful label! By far, one of your best. Really tugs at the old heart.


----------



## Bert

That is a very cool looking label.....How's the wine..so far??


----------



## Waldo

Great Label Stinkie


----------



## peterCooper

Fantastic.
Wish I had that kind of talent.


----------



## AAASTINKIE

"tugs at the heart" I dunno, it's just a kid in the yard...lol

"hows the wine?" I dunno, I never tasted it...lol

"wish I had that kind of talent" I'm a hack...lol

THANKS YA'LL.....AAA


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Saturday I went to see my grandchildren, Dexter thought I was funny...lol,









*Edited by: AAASTINKIE *


----------



## rgecaprock

That is a fantastic picture!!!!!


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Well, here's one more.


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Back on the wine front, I bottled the Dandelion yesterday and the Italian Barolo Bianco also.


----------



## AAASTINKIE

The Dandelion is in the green bottles, Barolo in the blue. The
Dandelion was strong tasting probably due to the 15% ABV, the Barolo
was nice and smooth.


----------



## AAASTINKIE

I have the bottles washed and the shrink caps on, will try to label tonight, but need to make pickles first!!


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Labels are going on Dandelion (I need the room to make the pickles).


----------



## MedPretzel

Beautiful, very beautiful!


I love the label and the wine. 


Good job!


M.


----------



## AAASTINKIE

After 12 cases of pickles I'm getting sick of looking at cukes!!








</font>


----------



## NorthernWinos

WOW!!!!12 cases of pickles....that'almost 3 jars a week till your next harvest...going to be some good eating at your house. 



*Edited by: Northern Winos *


----------



## MedPretzel

My oh my, my cucumbers haven't really done much this year except bloom. I have yet to see a cuke.


----------



## NorthernWinos

MedPretzel said:


> My oh my, my cucumbers haven't really done much this year except bloom.  I have yet to see a cuke.



I'm having the same problem with the winter squash, seems it's all male blossoms...There are hundreds of big yellow flowers out there and not many squash....
Wonder if anyone [Martina ?] has made Squash Blossom Flower wine???
Know for sure that the flowers are good with Tempura batter and deep fried....



*Edited by: Northern Winos *


----------



## AAASTINKIE

<center>



<h1>*David Rosengarten's Basic Tiramisu*</h1></center>

<hr size="8">
<blockquote>

This recipe is from the TV Food Network, specifically from David Rosengarten's _Taste_
program. Check out the show. It's highly entertaining, Rosengarten's a
wonderful host, and you'll learn a lot about food. This recipe makes 12
servings. 


*Ingredients*

<ul><lh></lh>[*]_EGGS, 8, with yolks and whites separated_[*]_SUGAR, 1/3 cup_[*]_MASCARPONE, 1 pound_[*]_HEAVY CREAM, 1 cup_[*]_ESPRESSO COFFEE, 2 cups cooled_[*]_BRANDY, 2/3 cup_[*]_LADY FINGERS, 30_[*]_BITTERSWEET CHOCOLATE, 2 ounces grated_[*]_COCOA POWDER, Dutch process, sifted, for garnish_[/list]


*Directions*

<lh></lh>
Mix the sugar into the egg yolks, blending well.
Add a little Mascarpone at a time to the egg yolk mixture, and mix until smooth. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, beat the whipping cream until stiff peaks form. Set this aside as well.
In another bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form.
Fold the whipped cream into the egg yolk mixture, then fold in the beaten egg whites.
Spread about 1/3 of the cream mixture of a 4-6 quart glass baking dish or serving bowl.
Place expresso coffee in a large mixing bowl, and combine with the brandy.
Dip a lady finger into the expresso, lay it in baking dish on cream mixture.
Top with grated chocolate.
Continue in this manner, laying lady fingers side by side to cover the bottom.
Place another 1/3 of cream mixture on top of soaked lady fingers.
Cover this with another layer of expresso-soaked lady fingers.
Top with remaining cream mixture and grated chocolate.
Dust final layer with grated chocolate and cocoa powder.
Chill 2 hours to set.
</blockquote>


----------



## AAASTINKIE

I had a few free minutes today so I tried my first batch of 

<h1>*Tiramisu*</h1>


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Few more pictures, it wasn't that hard to make!!


----------



## AAASTINKIE

I've been informed those aren't Lady Fingers, I looked but couldn't
find any, anyone know what a lady finger is, I need to perfect my
recipe...lol


----------



## NorthernWinos

AAASTINKIE said:


> I've been informed those aren't Lady Fingers, I looked but couldn't
> find any, anyone know what a lady finger is, I need to perfect my
> recipe...lol



Lady fingers are shaped like the cookies you used, but are very light and flaky, like a shortbread.... They are harder to find...


----------



## masta

http://www.heavenlytiramisu.com/lfingers.htm


----------



## peterCooper

I thought Lady's Fingers were okra!!


----------



## masta

peterCooper said:


> I thought Lady's Fingers were okra!!




Lady's fingers is another name for okra. This name only dates back to the early 20th century, and originally applied to a small variety of okra.The kidney vetch, with small thin flowers said to resemble a small hand, originally held claim to the name 'lady's fingers' (17th century), but in the late 19th century the name was also applied to varieties of potatoes, apples, bananas and grapes. Most have gone by the wayside, but the 'lady's fingers' name is still associated with okra, and of course, ladyfingers as applied to a small finger shaped sponge cake.


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Welches White Niagara 100% juice



18 cans concentrate

pectic enzyme (per dosage on package)

acid blend 4 TBS

yeast nutrient (per dosage on package)

yeast energizer (per dosage on package)

water to 23 ltr.

yeast 1 pkg (I used lavin 1116)

6 days rack to secondary

15 days (total) stablize and fine

campden 6 tabs

sorbate 1 1/2 tsp

superklear 1 pkg.

30 days filter and bottle

campden 6 tabs



31 bottles 11% ABV



Good taste at bottling time.


----------



## AAASTINKIE

These two are just fine, but I can't get any help out of them at all...lol


----------



## PolishWineP

They're too busy smiling at each other and being silly!




I too haven't gotten much for cukes or squash! Friend in Grand Forks couldn't figure out why he wasn't getting pumpkins with all the flowers on the vine. I had to have that little "talk" with him about males and females. I think he has 1 pumpkin that finally starting. Pathetic year for any kind of squash or melon.


----------



## OilnH2O

Maybe you ought to coachFrank on how to havethat "little talk" with Polly about the same subject -- she's been noticeably absent ever since you-know-who showed up!


----------



## NorthernWinos

AAASTINKIE said:


> These two are just fine, but I can't get any help out of them at all...lol



Don't think it's Polly and her friend anymore, they look different.....It's 'Palm' and 'Olive'


----------



## MedPretzel

which one is which?


----------



## grapeman

Olive is the girl on the left. Palm(short for Palmer) is the clown on the right.


----------



## AAASTINKIE

I think I'm going with this Niagara Label:


----------



## rgecaprock

That is a winner!!! Frank


Ramona


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Went with some of these also:


----------



## pkcook

It's working AAA



, I'm entertained!


----------



## Angell Wine

You're better than watching TV.


----------



## AAASTINKIE

I'm just not thrilled about my White Niagara labels, I'll have to keep at it till I get it right!!


----------



## MedPretzel

The canadian side of the falls is nicer.






The rainbow sparkles it up a bit. 


I, too, am entertained!


M.


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Miss Lilly arrived safe and sound, I was a little taken back at the
airport, she just looked at me like she had no idea who I was, but she
remembered on the way home..


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Polly and Clown Boy had a rough night!! A 2 year old can make a mess in a hurry!!


----------



## MedPretzel

Very cute granddaughter! Obviously, she looks nothing like you.


----------



## NorthernWinos

Looks like Polly and The Jester had quite a night....


----------



## MedPretzel

Maybe they drank too much wine?


----------



## NorthernWinos

MedPretzel said:


> Maybe they drank too much wine?




You speak from experience????
I have been like that a time or two.....


----------



## MedPretzel

Many, many years ago, NW...


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Picked up some blueberries today, 15lbs for one batch, bagged them and
into the freezer for a few days, then I'll start a wine and maybe get
one more batch, it was $36 for the berries.


----------



## OldWino1

what does blueberry wine taste like. I know what a blueberry tastes like but I cant imagine it as wine


----------



## Wade E

I've had it from a local winery in Shelton, Ct. and it is delicous. I bet AAA's is even better. Yum!!!!


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Pitched the yeast tonight, lavin 1118, juice is nice and red!!


----------



## Waldo

Looking yummy there stinkie


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Give the blueberry wine a stir everyday, it's looking good and
fermentation is going much faster this year, I think due to the yeast
energizer and maybe now that I am sure to oxygenize the juice and water
before starting.


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Just got home from night shift, searing this sirloin in the smoker now,
I can turn it down and go to bed in an hour!! (and wake up to a smoked
roast breakfast) it's been marinating in garlic all night.


----------



## AAASTINKIE

I started telling PWP about my sirloin and remembered I had to
put this jerkey in the food dryer this morning also, it's a meaty day
here in Maine!!..lo






l


----------



## PolishWineP

You've inspired me! I may start some jerky today!


----------



## AAASTINKIE

If ya can't have breakfast till 1pm, why can't ya have beef!!


----------



## AAASTINKIE

I just racked the 1st blueberry to the secondary at 1.020SG it's got an
10%PA I'm just under 6 gallons, I'll put it on oak cubes from George
when it's done fermenting and use a 5 gallon carboy and a smaller jug
for the rest.


----------



## Pepere

Between the roast and the blueberry wine me thinks I might have to move back to Maine and give youa hand with all that work, smoking meat, making wine, making syrup, cutting wood, stacking wood, unburying trucks after spring thaw............ on second thought I'd better stay in Maryland and watch you make wine.



Most entertaining and I'm less likely to hurt myself.


Great looking wine stinkie!!






Wonderful looking smoked meats.................


----------



## pkcook

Man Stinkie,


You make it tough to read the posts here. Between the beautiful roast and the blueberry wine, I'm druelling all over my keyboard



. I've been tempted to order blueberry bushes for my back yard, but I've read they need acid. I'm inspired now to go ahead!


----------



## AAASTINKIE

I don't grow anything, just go to farms or the guy on the side of the
road and get my fruits and veggy's, maybe that's why I have the time to
do everything..lol one time a guy was selling 1/2 pigs out of the back
of his truck, you know I had to have one...lol


----------



## jobe05

A Half a PIG!






Won't they Fall over?


----------



## Waldo

Which half did ya get stinkie ?


----------



## AAASTINKIE

I had the right side of the pig, it just looked like they took a
bandsaw and cut it in half, his nose was still there and
everything...lol I came home and just cut it up and froze it!!

OK so I wouldn't be a slacker today I just bottled 5 gallons of Maple Syrup, getting behind on my friends list..lol



Polly and Clown boy asked for pancakes, I said how about you help me
clean up this mess, Clown said (I call him Clown) how about you make
our pancakes and we can watch YOU clean up while we eat,
aaaaahhhhhahahahah!!! (he has quite a sense of humor).


----------



## MedPretzel

You are so productive, Stinkie..............


I don't know how you do it.






Can you send some "productiveness" over to Ohio?


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Before I was playing dress up today, I bottled a batch of Piesporter wine.








</font></font>


----------



## AAASTINKIE

First day of vacation #5 made pickled beets today and started batch #2 of blueberry wine.


----------



## pkcook

I love pickled beets with pinto beans and cornbread. HEAVEN!


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Went to the Maine Coast, Rockland, yesterday with my daughter Hope,
caught a few Mackerel, and enjoyed the beauty!! (oh, and pickled more
beets when I got home)


----------



## NorthernWinos

Are you sure you aren't Martha Stewart in disguise????You sure are a 'Jack of all Trades'...love it???


----------



## scotty

jobe05 said:


> A Half a PIG!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Won't they Fall over?


----------



## peterCooper

Northern Winos said:


> Are you sure you aren't Martha Stewart in disguise????You sure are a 'Jack of all Trades'...love it???




I don't think AAA has spent as much time in prison. He's too busy!


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Polly and clown boy have found a friend.


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Lilly helped me make Chocolate Chip cookies today.


----------



## AAASTINKIE




----------



## AAASTINKIE

Some more pictures of the Maine coast, the light house is Owls Head Light.


----------



## AAASTINKIE




----------



## AAASTINKIE

My Yacht!!


----------



## Waldo

Love your yacht stinkie..Now..Introduce your friend podner.


----------



## NorthernWinos

Is the Lovely Lady also your official photographer???


----------



## AAASTINKIE

I'm sorry this is my daughter, Hope, and her daughter Lillyanna.


----------



## MedPretzel

Very pretty women, and very beautiful names. My sister-in-law shares the same name as your granddaughter. 


M.


----------



## sangwitch

I want to move to Maine! I miss New England.


----------



## sangwitch

AAASTINKIE said:


> Polly and clown boy have found a friend.




four beautiful smiles! (well, I'm not so sure about clown boy)


----------



## AAASTINKIE

If your pasionate about cooking you will understand, I have been
"pumping the pithons" and did not understand my new strength, broke my
favorite spoon for cooking tonight, making a batch of "Debs del
Pasta fagioli" (with extra cayanne) my heart is broken I don't know
what to do, Polly was heart broken, Clown boy was totally indifferent!!


----------



## AAASTINKIE

PS, I'm leaving for vacation to Cape Cod to see my brothers and sisters
in the morning, back with pictures soon, six cases of the good stuff in
the truck, SEE YA!!!


----------



## masta

I am heading to the Cape myself in the morning for my annual fishing/eating/drinking trip with the boys from work. Weather looks decent after a deluge all day today just hope the wind dies down for smoother seas. 


A 18+ ft great white shark was spotted cruising a chum slick off the coast of RI this week near Block Island. The Captain who was chartering the boat has 25 years in the biz and said it was in the 3000 lb range and the six Massachusetts State Troopers on board were getting very nervous!!


----------



## paubin

WOW Masta, I sure am glad my wife doesn't read these posts! If she saw anything about sharks near Block Island we wouldn't be vacationing there again...LOL


Pete


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Batch #1 Blueberry went on the Oak Cubes from George today, will be there for 2 months.


----------



## AAASTINKIE




----------



## sangwitch

looks awesome. Nice rich color. What are those yellow handles on the sides of the carboy? Is that a custom made carboy carrier?


----------



## Coaster

http://www.finevinewines.com/ProdDetA.asp?PartNumber=5168



This is the yellow handles I think.


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Geo has the yellow carriers, they make lifting the carboy MUCH easier!!


----------



## sangwitch

hey I'm all about making my job easier!


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Ramona sent me some Cactus rootings, I planted them today.


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Aquarius and Quest for fire in a hanging basket.


----------



## AAASTINKIE

<h1>Mexican Ceviche</h1>



<div ="id">Recipe #8899

8 ratings


<div ="deion">This
dish is a regular served on the beaches of Mexico. Serve it as a
seafood appetizer or as a side salad dish. You can alter it to suit
your own taste. Make it as spicy or as mild as you wish. My friends all
love it. I often use shrimp &amp; fishor shrimp &amp; scallops - when I
do this I do not marinate the shrimp as the shrimp tend to get tough .
I steam the shrimp and add them a few hours before serving as I mix all
the ingredients to gether. In Mexico when they make this they often add
Sea water



½ day
20 min prep</span> 

<div id="scale" style="display: none; text-align: right; clear: right;">
< ="/recipe/getrecipe.zsp" method="get" name="adjust">
Change to: <label>
< name="scaleto" size="3" value="4" ="edit"> servings
</label>
<label>< name="sys" value="e" ="">US</label> <label>< name="sys" value="m" ="">Metric</label>
< value="Update" ="submit">
< name="id" value="8899" ="">


</>






<table ="ingredients">
<t><tr>
<td ="amt">
1
</td>
<td>
lb

<a href="http://www.recipezaar.com/library/getentry.zsp?id=74" target="_blank">
halibut fillets</a></span> or


<a href="http://www.recipezaar.com/library/getentry.zsp?id=191" target="_blank">
sea bass fillets</a></span> or


<a href="http://www.recipezaar.com/library/getentry.zsp?id=288" target="_blank">
red snapper fillets</a></span> (or use a mixture of fish and shrimp)
</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td ="amt">
5-6
</td>
<td>


<a href="http://www.recipezaar.com/library/getentry.zsp?id=260" target="_blank">
limes</a></span> (Enough Juice to cover fish)
</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td ="amt">
1
</td>
<td>
cup
diced 
<a href="http://www.recipezaar.com/library/getentry.zsp?id=151" target="_blank">
fresh tomatoes</a></span> </td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td ="amt">
1
</td>
<td>


green pepper</span>, sweet, chopped </td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td ="amt">
4
</td>
<td>
tablespoons
chopped 
<a href="http://www.recipezaar.com/library/getentry.zsp?id=171" target="_blank">
parsley</a></span> or


<a href="http://www.recipezaar.com/library/getentry.zsp?id=16" target="_blank">
cilantro</a></span> </td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td ="amt">
1/4
</td>
<td>
teaspoon

<a href="http://www.recipezaar.com/library/getentry.zsp?id=359" target="_blank">
salt</a></span> </td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td ="amt">
1/4
</td>
<td>
teaspoon

<a href="http://www.recipezaar.com/library/getentry.zsp?id=337" target="_blank">
pepper</a></span> </td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td ="amt">
1/2
</td>
<td>
teaspoon

<a href="http://www.recipezaar.com/library/getentry.zsp?id=334" target="_blank">
oregano</a></span> </td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td ="amt">
2
</td>
<td>


jalapeno peppers</span>, chopped (or more to suit your taste)
</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td ="amt">
2
</td>
<td>
tablespoons

<a href="http://www.recipezaar.com/library/getentry.zsp?id=680" target="_blank">
white vinegar</a></span>  </td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td ="amt">
1
</td>
<td>
medium

<a href="http://www.recipezaar.com/library/getentry.zsp?id=148" target="_blank">
onion</a></span>, finely chopped </td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td ="amt">
2
</td>
<td>
tablespoons

<a href="http://www.recipezaar.com/library/getentry.zsp?id=16" target="_blank">
fresh cilantro</a></span>, chopped </td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td ="amt">
1
</td>
<td>
dash

<a href="http://www.recipezaar.com/library/getentry.zsp?id=743" target="_blank">
Tabasco sauce</a></span> </td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td ="amt">


</td>
<td>

<a href="http://www.recipezaar.com/library/getentry.zsp?id=259" target="_blank">
lettuce leaves</a></span> (to line serving bowls)
</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td ="amt">


</td>
<td>

<a href="http://www.recipezaar.com/library/getentry.zsp?id=190" target="_blank">
avocados</a></span> (optional)</span>
</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td ="amt">


</td>
<td>

<a href="http://www.recipezaar.com/library/getentry.zsp?id=498" target="_blank">
black olives</a></span>, sliced (for garnish)
(optional)</span></td></tr></t>
</table>


<div ="steps">

Dice the fish (approximately 1/2 inch dice if using shrimp use cleaned shrimp).
Marinate fish in the lime juice in the fridge overnight (this step cooks the fish).
Stir often.
Pour off most of the Lime juice (Just leave it moist).
Add remaining ingredients except lettuce, Avacado and olive. Do this preferably a few hours before serving &amp; refrigerate.
Toss well and arrange in individual serving bowls that are lined with the lettuce leaves.
If you wish garnish with Sliced Avacado and sliced black Olives.
I used scallops and haddock


----------



## AAASTINKIE

I liked it, I served it with fried summer squash and Blueberry wine.


----------



## Wade E

Looks delish.


----------



## jobe05

I say winefest 2007 is in Maine!


Sinkie, you have more fun in your average day to day life that I have once every few years on vacation...........


Your dinner look awesome!


----------



## AAASTINKIE

I realized yesterday what a great life I have as I fished with my son off the coast of Maine.


----------



## AAASTINKIE

This one fought pretty hard, but I had to throw him back!!


----------



## Wade E

Your son is a big boy, I wouldn't want to make him mad!


----------



## Waldo

Now that's what i call a "Grinner" stinkie. When ya reel em in they are just a grinning cause they know they are too little to keep and you are just gonna throw em back


----------



## grapeman

That must have been one hungry fish to eat the bait. In that kind of water you were probably using bait twice that size.



Sounds like you had a good time on vacation. I'm sure we all were waiting for you to get back, I know I kept looking for new posts from you to signal your return home.


----------



## AAASTINKIE

My son and his wife wanted to bottle beer and wine yesterday so we did,
I had 2 batches of Pilsner and a batch of White Niagara ready to
bottle. Makes light work with someone helping!!


----------



## AAASTINKIE

appleman said:


> That must have been one hungry fish to eat the bait. In
> that kind of water you were probably using bait twice that size.
> 
> 
> 
> Sounds
> like you had a good time on vacation. I'm sure we all were waiting for
> you to get back, I know I kept looking for new posts from you to signal
> your return home.





I'm not on vacation appleman, my lifes a vacation..lol

Takes me 2 hours to drive to Rockland to go fishing, I worked my 3 days
this week, I do have to start nights tonight for 3 more nights. I
slacked off on my posting, sorry, I was busy having too much fun..lol


----------



## pkcook

Post card scenery Stinkie. Is that a lighthouse in the background? Wow!


----------



## Waldo

Not a lighthouse pk..Thats stinkie's primary fermenting vessel



*Edited by: Waldo *


----------



## pkcook

I would like to help on the rack job on that one!


----------



## AAASTINKIE

I opened one of my experimental Maple Pilsners from 4 months ago the
other day, great taste and a fantastic head!! I'd like to get a head
like that on all my beer!!


----------



## AAASTINKIE

That's Owls Head Light in the pictures, here's my son in 1992.


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Racked the #2 Blueberry onto the oak today, what a mess trying to save all the wine from the sludge!!


----------



## AAASTINKIE

A rainy day here in Maine, time to make some labels:


----------



## AAASTINKIE

One more and I'm off to work!!


----------



## NorthernWinos

AAASTINKIE...love your labels...very European

To get the ü onto your label...hold down the alt key and punch in 129 on the keypad....





alt 129 = ü


or...
control + u 
UPPER CASE
control + shift + u

[these don't seem to work on this Site...¿]













*Edited by: Northern Winos *


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Salsa time, this is the first time I have made salsa, but everyone
wants some so I have made around 5 cases so far, the Kitchen Aide food
processor I bought on EBay has been a big help chopping the items up.


----------



## AAASTINKIE

This is a 4 gallon pot!!


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Four gallons after straining off lots of juice to make it nice and thick gets you 16 pints of finished product.


----------



## pkcook

What did you do with the juice you drained off?


----------



## NorthernWinos

Your Salsa looks great...I too hope you saved the juice....would be good in beer...




I add some commercial tomato paste to my Salsa that I process in mason jars...it sure helps thicken it up....
Can see you love to can produce, yours always looks so good...it is fun and very rewarding....


----------



## AAASTINKIE

I feel bad now cause I dumped the juice down the drain, but I have no
time for some things, I'm going to work in 1/2 hour and working for 24
strait hours. I make a special salsa for my daughter who has 3
children, two of them have autism and they are all on a special diet
and can have no processed foods, so my salsa is all fresh items, with
no additives, thats why I can't use tomatoe paste to thicken it.


----------



## NorthernWinos

Hope you had a good day [24hr] shift....that's brutal...
Do you grow Italian Roma tomatoes????They really thicken Salsa up too....
Sometimes I add chopped Roma's at the end for a chunky Salsa....
Also, when coring regular tomatoes squeeze them into the sink and get rid of much of the juice and seeds......
Envy your Kitchen Aid.....1st Class there



...I get my tricks from garage sales....so get second best..


----------



## AAASTINKIE

I don't grow anything, I buy or have it given to me, the Kitchenaide
foodprocessor was the deal of the century!! It was almost unused and
came with the 5 blade kit which normaly sells for $100 and thats all I
paid for the whole setup!!


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Today I bottled the White Niagara Welches, used a package of Super
Smoother in it, and bottled 3 gallons dry and added 1/2 bottle wine
conditioner (250ml) to the other 3 gallons, I must say I like the
sweetened version, I also used champagne bottles to save money, no
corks, just some 3 cent beer caps!!!


----------



## AAASTINKIE

I also fined my #1 Bluberry, it has only been on the oak cubes for 1
month, but I needed the carboy, I sweetened it with a full bottle of
wine conditioner (500ml) and used Super Kleer on it, racked to a 5
gallon carboy with 1 750ml bottle extra. I tasted it and thought it was
very good.


----------



## Wade E

AAAStinkie, is that an autosiphon I spot and if so, is it worth the $


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Yes it's an autosiphon, there are two items that are must have for a new winemaker, autosiphon and a bag decaper!!!!


----------



## grapeman

Don't rush the blueberry to bottle, or at least add some sorbate before bottling. Last year I bottled after 4 months. A few months later started to notice a few bubbles in it. A while later I heard a pop- fizz, ran in in time to see Mt Vesuvius erupting all over the floor. It was a full size bottle, so it made a full size mess



. I refrigerated the rest of the bottles to stop any further activity. It wasn't as good as when I first bottled it. The extra fermentation stripped some of the flavors, but it was still very good.


Yours looks awesome


----------



## Waldo

I think the wine conditioner has sorbate in it doesn't it? 
Does this work better than just a sugar water?
Oh yes.......Awesome looking wine there stinkie




Would like to put a "lip lock" on a bottle of that.


----------



## grapeman

You're right Waldo, the conditioner would have sorbate in it. I'm just paranoid now everytime I see blueberry in a bottle after the eruption. I've only used conditioner one time- I don't like the results I got with mine(it tasted funny after adding it), so I use sorbate and sweeten with sugar water when a wine needs it.


----------



## MedPretzel

Lookin' good, Stinkie!!!


----------



## Harry

Hey there Waldo



Iam looking at some steam juicers on Ebay. I have a question,Where did you get yours all i have seen have aluminum bottoms and id like a stainless steal.I have a birthday in November &amp; am hinting to my sweet wife for one LOL.





Also i hit it lucky today! I know this lady that is getting a divorce and she gave 22 5 Gallon carboys that has been in her barn about 15 years. They are plenty dirty but will clean up.



Harry


----------



## Waldo

HArry, you lucky rascal you. Sounds like you may need more than one steamer to get all them carboys a bubbling




I purchaed mine on ebay and is stainless with the aluminum clad bottom which distributes the heat better than just stainless would. Other than that, it is all stainless.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&amp;ih=014&amp;item=330019586754&amp;rd=1&amp;sspagename=STRK%3AMEWN%3AIT&amp;rd=1


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Secret blueberry recipe here, PUT ON YOUR FOIL HATS PLEASE!!

I put sorbate in when stablizing.

I stirred the blueberries every day, only recorded it when I took a SG reading.

This made 5 gallons, and one 750ml bottle, it's in the carboy fining.







*Edited by: AAASTINKIE *


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Finished Shingling my daughters garage for this year, more to do next
summer, but done for now, I had a marathon yesterday, feel like an old
man today (wasn't the pilsners..lol).

Cost of materials $400.

Making my baby girl very happy....priceless...


----------



## rgecaprock

Frank, 


I wish I had a Dad like you!!!! But you will certainly do for a great friend!!


Ramona


Fantastic job!!!*Edited by: rgecaprock *


----------



## jobe05

Stinkie..... Thats incredible.... Whats more incredible is when one stops and thinks of all the things that you do, cook, can, make wine, beer, fish and play with the kids, fix not just your house up, but now your kids house, chop wood, babysit and still old down a full time job..........


I gotta say, I hope my wife never reads this thread



She thinks all men are capable of is working and making wine......... personnally, I want to keep it that way, but you may give us gents a bad name...... LOL


----------



## rgecaprock

Jobe05


Frank just doesn't stop. He came to visit me in June and I felt like a spoiled princess, he cooked, did dishes and waited on me, I didn't do a thing all weekend except enjoy his company!!!!! 


He is one of a kind!!! Ramona


----------



## Harry

Thanks for the info on the steamer,man i dont know what to do with all these carboys i have given 4 to friends who make wine.


Harry


----------



## Waldo

Awesome job there stinkie


----------



## grapeman

Harry, I wish I had that problem of too many carboys. 
Stinkie- that's a first rate installation there!


----------



## AAASTINKIE

I'm on a 15 night shutdown run at work so I can't get much done, all I
did today was can some green tomatoe pickles, make and can 7qts of
spagetti sauce, and brew two beers. I'm slacking off...lol


----------



## AAASTINKIE




----------



## AAASTINKIE

Keep those primary's full!!


----------



## Wade E

Stinkie, what do you do with the green tomatoes?


----------



## NorthernWinos

Looks like he made some relish or pickles of some sort....
Tiny green tomatoes make nice pickles, just use your favorite pickle recipe and use them instead of cukes.
Fried green tomatoes are great...
I have made green tomato mincemeat before and canned it...I didn't put the suet in it like they said...It made great Christmas pies and tarts....Had lots of spices, apples and raisins..it is very good...yummmm!!!
:&gt*Edited by: Northern Winos *


----------



## Wade E

Those dont look tiny to me. I have never tried fried green tomatoes, what do they taste like?


*Edited by: wadewade *


----------



## NorthernWinos

Looks like Stinkie made his green tomato pickles out of big tomatoes....guess we have to wait for him to get off work to check back for the details...
For the tiny tomato pickles that I make I grow Sweet Million or Tiny Tim, etc...they are cherry tomatoes...then I use the green ones, about 1 inch around, then they are all the same size...put some garlic and hot red peppers in the jar too...
Fried green tomaotes probably aren't for everyone, they are kind of tart...I slice them about 1/2" thick, dip them in Shore Lunch or seasoned flour and fry them in oil on medium heat...turn them and melt a peice of cheese on them...do the same with Eggplant....We like them....some people don't.


----------



## Wade E

I'll have to try them next year. As for this year, it was the first
year I started a garden. It was very small but successful. I will
definetly expand next year.


----------



## jobe05

Wade, here in NC people kept telling me to try fried cucumbers, they say it taste just like fried green tomatoes whithout the acid. I love fried green tomatoes but couldn't imagine fried cucumber. But one day, while we were frying some tomatoes, we had a couple cucumbers sitting there so I decided to try it. The were very good! They did taste like fried green tomatoes whithout the acid taste, nota hint of cucumber. Just slice the cucumber about 1/8" thick, wet them, roll in flour (with salt and pepper), and deep fry. You'll enjoy them.


----------



## Wade E

I do that with squash and eggplant. Delicious, have you ever tried
fried squash flowers for breakfast, Yum. I put maple syrup on them.


----------



## AAASTINKIE

35 - 40 medium to large green tomatoes</span>


12 large onions</span>





slice thinly sprinkle with canning salt or kosher salt and
let sit in a container on your counter overnight (cover container with plastic
wrap) I prefer canning salt because it doesn't leave a residue.</span>





24 hours later</span>





In a large pot mix</span>


2 quarts of vinegar</span>


6 cups of sugar</span>


8 heaping tablespoons of mixed pickling spice</span>


Bring to boil</span>





Put pickle and onion mix in colander and rinse with cold
water. (let drain) Then put this mixture into the vinegar mixture and bring to
a boil. Boil hard for about 5 minutes then pack into freshly sterilized canning
jars. Put lids on immediately. </span>





For this amount of tomatoes and onions you will probably
need to repeat this procedure about 4 times. </span>





You can add green peppers or hot peppers to this recipe
also. This is a wonderful relish to have on the table for almost any dinner. Be
prepared - Your house will smell like pickles for a week!!! </span>





If you have vinegar left over you can freeze it or
refrigerate it for a week or so an make another batch as you get more green
tomatoes or peppers.</span>


----------



## AAASTINKIE

I made Tiramisu again, this time I had real Lady Fingers, they really soak up the booze!!





*Ingredients*


<ul>
<lh></lh>[*]_EGGS, 8, with yolks and whites separated_[*]_SUGAR, 1/3 cup_[*]_MASCARPONE, 1 pound_[*]_HEAVY CREAM, 1 cup_[*]_ESPRESSO COFFEE, 2 cups cooled_[*]_BRANDY, 2/3 cup_[*]_LADY FINGERS, 30_[*]_BITTERSWEET CHOCOLATE, 2 ounces grated_[*]_COCOA POWDER, Dutch process, sifted, for garnish_
[/list]



*Directions*



<lh></lh>
Mix the sugar into the egg yolks, blending well.
Add a little Mascarpone at a time to the egg yolk mixture, and mix until smooth. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, beat the whipping cream until stiff peaks form. Set this aside as well.
In another bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form.
Fold the whipped cream into the egg yolk mixture, then fold in the beaten egg whites.
Spread about 1/3 of the cream mixture of a 4-6 quart glass baking dish or serving bowl.
Place expresso coffee in a large mixing bowl, and combine with the brandy.
Dip a lady finger into the expresso, lay it in baking dish on cream mixture.
Top with grated chocolate.
Continue in this manner, laying lady fingers side by side to cover the bottom.
Place another 1/3 of cream mixture on top of soaked lady fingers.
Cover this with another layer of expresso-soaked lady fingers.
Top with remaining cream mixture and grated chocolate.
Dust final layer with grated chocolate and cocoa powder.
Chill 2 hours to set.


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Finished product:


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Today was pumkin picking time with the grand children.


----------



## AAASTINKIE

The go cart rides were the hit of the day!!


----------



## Wade E

Now that looks like fun. Just set up all the pumpkins like an obstacle course!


----------



## pkcook

Fall outings are the BEST! I love harvest time. That gocart looks like it would be a hoot!


----------



## grapeman

That's one happy looking kid - and the child looks like it's having fun too!









This has been one terrible year here for pumpkins. I didn't get any in, normally I grow a few hundred 25 to 100 pound ones as a hobby, but it was so wet this spring that I didn't bother. My brother grows several acres every year for the farm stand. He only got a few bins full this year so he had to buy some in. Happy Halloween!


----------



## pkcook

The local stands here in south western Ohio are packed with pumpkins.


----------



## AAASTINKIE

I had a 24 hour stretch off Friday, so of course what else to do with all that free time but bottle my wines!!

I did a German Riesling, Gewurztraminer, and 5 gallons of Wild Maine Blueberry.


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Don't worry about those empty carboys...lol

The primary's have Australian Chardonnay and a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc pecolating away as I post this.


----------



## AAASTINKIE

My new blueberry label:


----------



## Waldo

Great looking wines stinkie and I really like that blueberry label.


----------



## Wade E

Ohhhh, that blueberry sound real goooood.


----------



## NorthernWinos

Love the blueberry label....bet the wine is awesome too....could you Post your recipe????


----------



## pkcook

Great looking wines Stinkie. I love the label!


----------



## AAASTINKIE

I stired everyday, it only says stir once because I took the SG that
day. There is 1 bottle (500ml) of wine conditioner in it, it looks like
I added a bottle of wine the way its written, but I added no wine. Yhe
batch I have on oak right now, I did not fine, will try doing it after
its done oaking, no reason why. I put more sugar in my new batch to
bring the ABV up so I could top up without too much dilution. Water to US 6.5 gallons.






*Edited by: AAASTINKIE *


----------



## AAASTINKIE

The wine "Cellar" (closet) is starting to take shape, it's hard working
so much, lot's of overtime right now (hunting season). I have the two
shelves built, am going to put a rack in the opening between them.


----------



## AAASTINKIE




----------



## rgecaprock

Frank, 
That is awesome....you do have a big closet there. You need to put a little table in there for special dining occasions!!! If I were lucky enough to have a wine cellar I would make a dining area in there also!!!!! Then hire a chef to serve me and my company!!!............Ramona




Anyone thought of adding private dining room......what about you Bill B? Princess?Masta? That would but ultimate fun!!

*Edited by: rgecaprock *


----------



## Dean

damn, it's taken me this long to finally realize you live in a log house! The first pic, showed the wall. I'm so jealous! I've always wanted one!

Frank, you are truly gifted.


----------



## AAASTINKIE

People think this is a really cool camp or a crappy house...lol!!

I'm starting to realize how lucky I truly am!!


----------



## Waldo

Stinkie...i dont see no smoke coming from that grill on the deck.....Whaz Up???



*Edited by: Waldo *


----------



## AAASTINKIE

This is a two year old photo, I don't have a "grill" anymore, if ya can't smoke it, why eat it??...lol


----------



## Waldo

Now theres a good theory


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Made 15 pints of "Hot Maple" BBQ sauce today.


----------



## masta

Ok....Hot Maple BBQ sauce...is?


----------



## Wade E

Never heard of it but it sounds good and I bet it sticks to the food really nice!


----------



## AAASTINKIE

masta said:


> Ok....Hot Maple BBQ sauce...is?







2 64 oz bottles ketchup (walmart brand)


1.5 ltr white wine


1 qt maple syrup


3 cups venegar


1 cup "franks" hot sauce


1/2 bottle liquid smoke


1/3 jar chili powder


1/3 jar black pepper (2.5 oz jars from walmart, the cheap stuff)


2 TBS salt


1 tsp cayanne pepper


2 cups frnches yellow mustard


2 TBS garlic powder





simmer for 1/2 hour, makes 15 pints



water bath 5 minutes


----------



## pkcook

What do you use this on Stinkie?


----------



## AAASTINKIE

pkcook said:


> What do you use this on Stinkie?





I had some on a plate of wings last night and I almost sucked the skin off my fingers...lol (file photo)


----------



## Waldo

Wooooooooooooo Lordy Stinkie,,,,,,,Them look like wings that would make ya slap your grandma !!!!


----------



## masta

1 cup "franks" hot sauce....OH HELL NO!!!!


1 cup of "mastas" hot sauce....


----------



## AAASTINKIE

I originally started with this recipe and made it once but way too much
spices for me I had to dilute it to make it usable, but it was time to
try again so I made up my recipe. But this is where I got the ketchup
idea, the putting it back into the ketchup jars didn't work well for me
the forst time as the hot sauce melted the plastic jugs, so I went with
glass but you could use them if you let it cool first.




SHACK Secret Famous Barbeque (BBQ) Sauce (Vinegar Based Recipe)


----------



## grapeman

AAASTINKIE said:


> I originally started with this recipe and made it once but way too much spices for me I had to dilute it to make it usable, but it was time to try again so I made up my recipe. But this is where I got the ketchup idea, the putting it back into the ketchup jars didn't work well for me the forst time as the hot sauce melted the plastic jugs, so I went with glass but you could use them if you let it cool first.
> 
> SHACK Secret Famous Barbeque (BBQ) Sauce (Vinegar Based Recipe)




I had to read this twice- at first I thought the "hot sauce" was so spicy hot that it melted the plastic- then I realized you meant it was such a high temp that the plastic melted.






Anyway that just looks like really gooooodd stuff- as usual Frank.


----------



## sangwitch

had a date with Polly huh? Is she smiling cause of the beer, the wings or because you just know how to treat a lady?


----------



## AAASTINKIE

I think Polly's smiling cause Clown Boy is putting the moves on her, now he's wearing his silk ascot...lol







*Edited by: AAASTINKIE *


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Dinner was rotiserie chicken breast with sauce.

The sauce is the BOMB..lol


----------



## AAASTINKIE

I bought one of the wine racks from Sam's Club like PWP has and it's a very nice rack for the price, fits just right in the space I had, now I just have to fill it up!!


----------



## AAASTINKIE




----------



## AAASTINKIE




----------



## sangwitch

Looks great - like a little country store. I want to get in there and do some shopping.


----------



## rgecaprock

I'd like to hang out in therein a comfey chair and a nice lamp and a glass of wine or should I say an empty glassand a good book!!! 
and an afghan since it is probably pretty cold in there!!!!!


Ramona



*Edited by: rgecaprock *


----------



## Wade E

I just want to get in and GET OUT!




*Edited by: wadewade *


----------



## Pepere

Wade has the right idea. Hit n Run, but we'd mail the empties back........honest!


----------



## daveb50

Looks like the kind of place I would want to take off my coat and stay awhile.


----------



## rgecaprock

Does it smell like cedar in there?


----------



## PolishWineP

I go for the comfy chair. I'll bring my own glass and cork screw! Heck, I'll even wash the bottles when I'm done!



Nice rack you got there, Stinkie!


----------



## AAASTINKIE

I keep it 45 in there in the winter so everything is ready to drink...lol


----------



## AAASTINKIE

A Stinkie Christmas Story:

My daughter Tara has three children, 2, 5, and
7 years old, the two older boys are autistic, the 5 year old can't talk
and uses stickers to ask for something, they make special portable
computers to give these children voices, Tara bought one for $810 on
Ebay this week, I told her I would make the payments on it for her
(these units new are $4,000) the one she bought his a older unit but
has never been used, it will have pictures for the child to press on
(touch screen) and use a voice to communicate. Anyway My daughter
doesn't really know my family and I wanted her to understand that they
are good people so I sent my brothers and sisters a email telling them
of this need and I was down there yesterday visiting (Cape Cod, Mass
300 miles from my house) I have an envelope with me to give my little
girl with $600 in it tomorrow morning, it will be a heart touching
Christmas morning tomorrow.

Merry Christmas to all of you!









</span>
*Edited by: AAASTINKIE *


----------



## Waldo

nd a very Merry Christmas to you and all of yours Stinkie........What a perfectly fitting Christmas Story to exemplify the true spirit of the Season


----------



## rgecaprock

Frank,


That is a Beautiful Christmas Story!!!




Merry Christmas to you and yours.




Ramona


----------



## Wade E

That is a very touching story AAA. The Christmas spirit is upon us and it shows everywhere I look.


----------



## NorthernWinos

Merry Christmas STINKIE...I am sure your heart is filled with the joy you give to others....


----------



## jobe05

Very touching story Frank, please keep us posted on how tomorrow turns out. You have a wonderfull family to spend the day with.


Merry Christmas to you.


----------



## PolishWineP

Frank,
How lucky they are to have you in their lives! Merry Christmas to you and yours!


----------



## Pepere

Stinkie: Great story. I'm sure your house will be filled with the Christmas Spirit. Continued blessings at the "AAA" place. 


By the way not sure where your at but we just bought a summer cottage around Newport just outside of Bangor. Merry Christmas Stinkie


----------



## Angell Wine

All I got to say is that you the MAN !! A real Man with Honor.


----------



## MedPretzel

{{{{{{{{{{{{{{HUG to Frank}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Pepere, I'm right here: N 44° 44.055 W 069° 29.233</font></span> 
OK Deep in the woods of Canaan, Maine, about 15 miles from Newport, have your people call my people and we will do lunch...lol (PM Me)

MedPretzel, a hug from you, umm, I've been alone for a long time now, WOW!!

I had a wonderfull time at my daughters home, slept over last night, heard the children playing with their new toys downstairs, then they were coming up to get me so I got up and came down and we opened presents. My daughter cried when she saw what I had for her, here is a picture she made for me, it is on my kitchen wall now. (I can't get the picture to load now, I'll try it tomorrow)


----------



## AAASTINKIE

I went to a different store today to see if they had anyone getting their Grolsh bottles, no and they had 5 cases and 2 big ones!! I have about 40 upstairs that it has taken me 1 1/2 years to collect and scored 122 bottles today....ain't life grand...lol (25 cents each)
(I don't know why but I'm having no luck posting the picture my daughter made for me, I'll keep working on it though)


----------



## AAASTINKIE

I had a great idea, walk out in the kitchen and take the picture over again.


----------



## Wade E

Thats quite the collection of Grolsh. Walk out in the kitchen, thats using your noggen!


----------



## AAASTINKIE

I just happened to have had 12 gallons of beer waiting to be bottled, looks nice in the Grolsch bottles!!


----------



## NorthernWinos

WOW!!!!!</font>You and Polly and her Jester friend sure were busy last night!!!


----------



## grapeman

That's a lot of suds, but who better to help than Polly and friends. I recognize Polly and Clown boy, but who is the third one?


How often do you need to replace the seals on that type bottle-every time you fill or less often? What kinds of beer did you put in them this time?


----------



## AAASTINKIE

The other soap bottle doesn't have a name yet, but its a frog antenna ball from www.geocaching.com
the beer is American Light, 1/2 malt 1/2 sugar, sorry but its my favorite, nice light and clean with a good flavor. (fast drinkin' beer) I have an Octoberfest kit here with 3lbs of extra DME to try to make a High Test Maple beer one of these days!!
The rubber seals on the Grolsch bottles last a long time I think, you don't have to replace them unless they start to crack, but at $7 per 100 it's no big item.


----------



## grapeman

For the frog how about the obvious- Kermit.







I like both those beers too, butI think the Oktoberfest is now Decemberfest or maybe Januaryfest.









Good to know about the seals. I was thinking of trying some of those bottles, but my nephew gave me a few hundred new beer bottles a couple months ago and then gave me a thousand bottle caps so I will probably stick with regular bottles.


----------



## Waldo

Stinkie...what the heck did Polly get for Christmas?


----------



## NorthernWinos

Waldo said:


> Stinkie...what the heck did Polly get for Christmas?



Looks like she got a frog...


----------



## Wade E

Looks like the Party is at Frank's house this weekend!!


----------



## kutya

Stinkie: Polly looks real happy with all that beer....


----------



## AAASTINKIE

About a case and a half of the Grolsch bottles were really dirty inside so I had to make a power cleaning brush...lol


----------



## Wade E

Pretty cool idea. Nothing better than mopre power and less labor.


----------



## AAASTINKIE

My daughter posted this to livejournal Christmas night.



<TABLE cellPadding=3>
<T>
<TR>
<TD align=left =#c0c0ff colSpan=3>*Monday, December 25th, 2006*</TD></TR>
<TR>
<TD style="TEXT-ALIGN: center" =#ffffff><a href="http://www.livejournal.com/users/marliah/" target="_blank">*marliah*



</A> </TD>
<TD>_10:15p_</TD>
<TD>
<DIV style="TEXT-ALIGN: left">Once upon a time there was a girl. She fell in love with a wonderful man and married him and together they had 3 children. 3 boys who were the love and joy of their lives. Two of them had special needs, one was nonverbal.

One day when this boy was 5, his mom and dad and Poppy (her dad) decided they could not wait any longer and they set out to find him a voice. They all wanted so badly to hear him talk and knew he had so much to say. 

Mom found him a talking machine, at a good price but still very expensive. Poppy said, buy it, I will help you so she did. So happy was everyone that this little boy would soon have a voice.

The girls Dad sent this note out to his family (the girl knew nothing of it):

_This email is to all my brothers and sisters, my daughter Tara has 3 children, John (7), Matthew (5), and Dexter (2), John and Matthew are autistic. John is not too bad but hard to live with sometimes. Matthew does not talk and used stickers to show what he needs. I have been helping Tara as much as I can, buying her a dryer two weeks ago, with two of the boys still messing their pants and in cloth diapers I felt she needed one right away. Anyway, she bought a special computer for Matthew on Ebay last night and I said I would make the payments for it, if any of you would like to help me it would be appriciated, I would most like her to know we have a family that cares for each other.
I love you all. 

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi<WBR>ewItem&amp;ssPageName=ADME:B:EOIBSAA:US:11&amp;Item=110068454397
_


On Christmas morning there was a Christmas miracle awaiting her. Her Dad handed her an envelope with a copy of this note and $720 which was given by members of her Dads family and his friends. This together with the $300 she already had was more than enough to cover the talking machine. 

Tears of joy streamed down her face as she opened each envelope containing each persons donation and was overwhelmed by the generosity and love she felt. Initially they flowed out of gratitude for money needed to pay for this machine. Tears would flow many more times that day as the enormity of it all became clear.

It wasnt until that evening the girl saw that there was much more going on. She realized the dream she once thought shattered was not so, that her sons even through their disabilities would be able to do what she had most dreamed for them. To Glorify God. For even as a young child this boy had, people who had never met him, gave of love from the depths of their hearts to help him. 

She also realized the amazing love that exists on this earth when people put the needs of others before their own. That amidst the evil and sadness and anger, there is still goodness and love out there. And so much of it that she had failed to see before.

Then she began to think that maybe the disabilities she had seen as a curse really were not, but maybe were in some strange way a kind of blessing. That perhaps God really had planned it to be that way, that maybe it wasn't her own screw up as she had always thought, but the master plan at work. That God had intended all along to use this child (actually both her children) to touch hearts and allow others to find the joy in selfless love. She knew now without a doubt that God did most certianly have a plan for this childrens lives and would use him for His glory.

Not only that but she herself had been blessed by these very children, she had learned so much about the power of love and the amazing love that her father (in heaven and on earth) had for her through her children. And that in all these trials, in the pain there were blessings beyond comprehension. Blessings that could only be recieved in the suffering. Learning to appriciate the small things (a word spoken, a letter written, a hug, being looked at, a touch, a smile), being touched by the love and kindness of others and finding out who her "true friends" in life were. 

She saw how amazingly wonderful Gods love was and how obvious it was that He was showing Himself in all of this.

Of course, this girl I speak of is me.

I am completely and utterly overflowing with love and thanks for this day. For all that everyone has done and for the realizations I have been given.

This gift has touched my heart so deeply and changed my thinking about alot of things.

I was reminded today of times in my life when God had prepared me for this journey without my even knowing. One time stood out clearly in my mind.

When I was a child my family used to make maple syrup. One year God put it on my dads heart to give this syrup away for free with a donation to a camp for disabled children. We once even toured the place and many times drove by as we boated on the lake it was on. I believe that the whole experince in helping those kids and learning about them was where my love for disabled people was begun, it was then I began to realize that not everyone had a healthy working body as I did and that learning as easy as it was for me did not come so easy to all children. A seed was planted...

Imagine my surprise when a couple weeks back I was told about a summer camp that would accept the boys and it was the very same one we had supported so many years ago. All of the memories of that came flooding back today. And the reality hit me. God has been preparing me for this even then. He was so very present and so obviously knowing of what was to come. Its overwhelming to discover, to see it all so clearly. To realize all that at once leaves me in awe.

I'm so thankful and joyful for everything that I can't stop crying these tears of joy. God has used my dad so many times in my life to help me and to prepare me for this and again today to remind me of His love for me.

How grateful I am to my dad for hearing Gods call and doing what he knew was right. Thank you Dad for listening. You had no way of knowing then thay your obedience to God was preparing your own child for the life she would come to live. You have always been the most giving person I have ever known. How thankful I am for you painting this picture of what God looks like though the way you live your life. For showing me the love a father has for his child, and giving me a glimpse of the incredible love God has for us.

Its something so wonderful that words cannot explain it. Its a happiness that just has me filled to overflowing. Knowing my dreams are not dead, that God has a plan and will see it through no matter what happens. And knowing that I am so very loved. By God, by my own father, by family far away that I have not seen since I was a child....

Its been the Christmas to top all Christmases in my life. 

I just had to share this with the world more because I can't contain this joy than anything else.

This passage keeps coming into my mind:

1 Corinthians 13
_1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. 2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned,[a] but have not love, it profits me nothing.
4 Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; 5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; 6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 
8 Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part. 10 But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away. 
11 When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. 12 For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known. 
13 And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love._

*happy sigh* _....the greatest of these is love."_ Not only did I experience that love today, but I got to see that God is using our children to bring more of that love into the hearts of people. What greater service can they do for God? By simply being, they exalt His name. Only God could think up something that cool.

I stand amazed and so very incredibly thankful. To see Gods love so clearly. Its like sitting in the middle of a rainbow surrounded by sunshine and warmth and having big arms hugging you and never letting go.....thats what it feels like deep in my soul right now. My words seem simple and are incapable of describing what I feel inside so I will just leave you with that my feeble attempt.

And big thank yous to everyone who made this all possible through their help with funds:
God, of course!
My Dad
My Aunt Shelia and Uncle Pat
My Uncle John and Aunt Joy
My Aunt Joan and Uncle Ralph
My Dads friend Tracey 
My Dads friend Cheri and her family
My Granny
Johns Father and stepmother


*gen_here*
Our Nephew Ryan
Johns sister Sandra and her husband Chris

And of course thanks to everyone else who brought gifts for us and/or the children today and just made today such a wonderful day. Love you all! </TD></TR></T></TABLE>


----------



## masta

AMEN!!!!!


----------



## jobe05

If that doesn't touch ones heart and bring out the true spirit and meaning of this time of year, and giving in general, nothing will.


You should be very proud of your girl Frank, and you should give yourself a pat on the back for raising shuch a sweet, caring, and very insightfull person.


----------



## NorthernWinos

jobe05 said:


> If that doesn't touch ones heart and bring out the true spirit and meaning of this time of year, and giving in general, nothing will.
> 
> You should be very proud of your girl Frank, and you should give yourself a pat on the back for raising shuch a sweet, caring, and very insightfull person.




I agree...very touching....Peace in 2007 for all...no exceptions!!!


----------



## rgecaprock

Frank,


To Know you is to Love you.







Ramona


----------



## Waldo




----------



## OilnH2O

A great story, Frank -- and it started with a simple gesture of maple syrup given away. Itshows how even the simplist gesture of kindness can reap uncounted rewards. How proud you must be of your daughter and your whole family -- _thank you_ for sharing with us.


----------



## peterCooper

Wonderful story!


----------



## jobe05

OilnH2O said:


> and it started with a simple gesture of maple syrup given away. Itshows how even the simplist gesture of kindness can reap uncounted rewards.




It's called "Paying it forward" (Great movie for those who have never seen it but I think it's called "Pay it forward").


Something I wish more people in this world would think about.


----------



## sangwitch

Frank, at first I thought it was written byyou and Iwas touched reading it, but when Irealized it was writtenby your daughter... oh man... emotional


What a beautiful story.


----------



## paubin

Frank, you and your family are one of a kinds. I truely hope to meat you some day. I hope you and yours have had a joyous Christmas and will have a wonderful New Year. 


Pete


----------



## Dean

Most awesome! Renew's faith in mankind it does!


----------



## AAASTINKIE

What you can do with a 
digital camera, a $.06 guitar from EBay, and a computer...lol





</font>


----------



## Wade E

I think I have that CD!


----------



## Angell Wine

wade said:


> I think I have that CD!


Let me guess, you bought the CD on e-bay for $.06*Edited by: Angell Wine *


----------



## Wade E

Man thats Frank Turner. You cant get that for under $20.
*Edited by: wade *


----------



## AAASTINKIE

I just picked up Miss Lilly at the Bangor airport at 10pm, she has a cold and is home in bed now, a snow storm is coming tomorrow, but if all goes well I should have some pictures tomorrow night..(my daughter and granddaughter (Lilly) live in Tennessee now.


----------



## Waldo

Great.Hope the little princess gets to feeling bettrer soon stinkie. Always look forward to your pictures


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Lilly arrived late last night 
with a cold (from Tennessee on an airplane), but was in good spirits this 
morning for breakfast with her little pony.





</font>


----------



## sangwitch

what a doll! I pray my kids will be that beautiful.


----------



## Waldo

I was so ugly as a baby that my momma carried me upside down without a diaper on and told everybody I was born with just one eye


----------



## sangwitch

Good Lord! I just sprayed milk out of my nose waldo!


----------



## Waldo

Bwahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa sorry sang






She is a doll stinkie....*Edited by: Waldo *


----------



## OilnH2O

Wow Waldo




!!


That was just PRICELESS!


----------



## NorthernWinos

Waldo said:


> I was so ugly as a baby that my momma carried me upside down without a diaper on and told everybody I was born with just one eye



Now...that's funny!!!!


----------



## rgecaprock

Waldo,


That is so funny, reminds me of some of my dad's sayings.....only his was about "skinny",,,,,not me......"the Splendid Splinter",,my younger sister.


I didn't get the skinny genes....lol
Ramona


----------



## Waldo

Stinkie.......how long will the little Princess be there? You going to take her fishing?


----------



## jobe05

Frank: She is just adorable. How long will she be staying with you (till she's about 60, I know



) 


Whats on the agenda? Pictures please.*Edited by: jobe05 *


----------



## PolishWineP

I think Frank is going to be busy spending time with that Lovely Lilly and not hanging out with us. As it should be!


----------



## Wade E

Ya kids will do that to ya! She's precious Frank!


----------



## AAASTINKIE

I don't know what the big 
deal with about babysitting a 2 year old....</font>


Just turn the sink on and 
let her play!!

</font>


----------



## AAASTINKIE

pictures tomorrow they won't load today


----------



## AAASTINKIE




----------



## AAASTINKIE




----------



## AAASTINKIE




----------



## AAASTINKIE

just make sure you have some dry clothes!!


----------



## Wade E

And water damage insurance!



She is a cutie! lucky man Frank!


----------



## Waldo

She is a doll stinkie.......Do I see a couple of trays of cookies in the background there ready for the oven?


----------



## geocorn

She is definitely is related! She is really cute. Takes me back to when mine were that age.


----------



## rgecaprock

Frank,


Are you grooming her to be your X71 assistant?


Ramona


----------



## Harry

Stinkie you have a cute lil helper there , Looks like she is having fun 


Harry


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Yes waldo, we were making oatmeal raisin cookies, we also made seafood chowda today, and played in the sink and played with marbles and legos. It's all fun except the part about, pop-pop sit here on the floor with me, pop-pop like chairs...lol


----------



## Funky Fish

AAASTINKIE said:


> I don't know what the big deal with about babysitting a 2 year old....
> 
> 
> Just turn the sink on and let her play!!




Just like my cats!


----------



## OilnH2O

Frank, when we had outside chores we had a great time with our kids anda bucket&amp;brush "washing rocks." 


"Hmmm...not quiteclean yet, Sweetie. Better wash them some more!" I suppose we coulda been reported to social services!


----------



## Waldo

AAASTINKIE said:


> Yes waldo, we were making oatmeal raisin cookies, we also made seafood chowda today, and played in the sink and played with marbles and legos. It's all fun except the part about, pop-pop sit here on the floor with me, pop-pop like chairs...lol




I know thats right stinkie



I would like to put a lip lock around a big spoon full of that chowda ..I know it has to be awesome


----------



## Harry

Frank send some of dat good chowder to usin here in Texas or da recipe, May wifey can make a batch. I love it i was in Newport RI when i was in the navy and had it just about every friday.
Harry


----------



## AAASTINKIE

My little sweetheart has gone home to Tennessee today




It appears to feel good to soak your elbows in water...lol


----------



## rgecaprock

Now Frank,
She is going to try that at home then she will be crying to come back to POP-POP's.


Ramona


----------



## AAASTINKIE




----------



## Wade E

Is that Palmolive?


----------



## masta

What a sweetie Frank.....all the money we spend on expensive toys and kids are happy playing in the water or in a empty box.


----------



## jsmahoney

So sweet and Happy! You should be proud!


----------



## Pepere

A smile that lights up the room.



Awesome.


I know you'vehad a little snow up that way, what, no sledding?


----------



## AAASTINKIE

My first sprout on my cactus Ramona sent to me, spring must be close!!


----------



## AAASTINKIE

The house has gone quiet, today I bottled a White Zinfandel, A Red Zinfandel, and started a Piesporter. Most of my labels now are printed on plain paper, cut out with my paper cutter and glued on with glue sticks, make the bottles much easier to clean, I still make fancy labels for gift bottles.


----------



## AAASTINKIE




----------



## peterCooper

Very nice Frank.
Me for one, I'd like a quiet house for a few days. With a sixteen year old and a thirteen year old, quiet is something I don't get a lot of.



*Edited by: peterCooper *


----------



## PolishWineP

We used to look forward to the day that all the kids were gone. We had an empty house for a few weeks and then we got another foster kid. I have to admit, the house is a lot more interesting with kids in it!


----------



## Waldo

And silence is ..............:LOUD"
Great looking wines stinkie.....and labels


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Snowy cabin...


----------



## B M W

Whenour youngest left about a year ago, I needed something to do, while surfing the net I came across this site and thought it sounded like something fun, so I bought the stuff to start making wine. It did give me something fun to do and I really enjoy the hobby. I'm on my third kit now, and my hubby is making beer. Not the same as having the kids home, but something to do.


----------



## Waldo

I gotta ask about that roof stinkie ?????????????????


----------



## AAASTINKIE

I have to keep the snow off the roof, by putting blue tarps up every winter the snow mostly slides off by itself, the tarp are cheap $60 per year, new tarps every year. I don't want the ice dams messing up my new shingles.


----------



## NorthernWinos

Ahhh...that explains it....The dreaded blue tarp on a roof is not a good site...bet that really works good for you....great idea.


----------



## Funky Fish

Watch _Grumpy Old Men_ - one of the old guys tries to help get the snow off of his neighbor's roof by hosing it down. Funny movie.


----------



## Joanie

AAASTINKIE said:


> My first sprout on my cactus Ramona sent to me, spring must be close!!



Is that your new $.06 left-handed guitar back there???


----------



## grapeman

The blue tarp can also be used in the winter as a slip and slide. Position it as shown in the picture, wait for a few feet of snowfall sliding off the roof so you have so real high banks built up, with no huge drop from the eaves to the snowbanks. Then put on a nice slippery snowmobile suit, climb up on the roof peak and slide down the tarp onto the snow below!



WWWWWeeeeeeeeeee






Disclaimer!!!!!!****SLIDE AT YOUR OWN RISK! - The above is just a hypthetical situation and is not intended to be taken seriosly***Disclaimer


When I was young we used to go to the camp in the Adirondacks after a big snowstorm. We would try to snowmobile through six feet of snow to get to the camp. We would get off the snowmobiles next to the roof and climb up on with a shovel and spend the next few hours trying to get most of the snow off it so it wouldn't collapse the roof. I don't miss that much!


By the way Stinkie, that is a nice serene picture. No need to get away to the cabin, you live in one


----------



## NorthernWinos

Where we use to live [125 miles away] we were protected by pine trees, the snow would just dump on our roof...to the chimney hight..then my Honey would have to shovel the snow off the roof....When we went to sell he had to replace the shingles from shoveling...the house was only 12 years old...but the shingles were damaged from being shoveled.

Here we are more in the open...the wind just blows the snow off the roof....that is in the winter that we get snow....shouldn't speak...winter is far from over up here....*Edited by: Northern Winos *


----------



## Waldo

And now I know..........The rest of the story !!!


----------



## jobe05

appleman said:


> When I was young we used to go to the camp in the Adirondacks after a big snowstorm.




I grew up in Central NY as well Appleman, where in the Adirondacks were you??? Remember the winter of 66? People were told to stay in their house because if you wlaked on top of the snow you could get electricuted if you walked on the electric wires on the telephone poles.


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Yes, Joan, there is also a picture of me and my $.06 guitar on page 75. I can't tell the story of my singing career yet, it just might be coming up in a future "Polly" episode...lol...


----------



## grapeman

jobe, The camp was near Loon Lake not far from Saranac Lake and Lake Placid. I do remember some real bad snows when I was young, but we never got the storms that buried the poles while I can remember. I used to make snow caves in drifts about 10 feet high though. I have seen pictures of my Mom standing next to telephone poles that only came up to her waist though.


----------



## Joanie

AAASTINKIE said:


> Yes, Joan, there is also a picture of me and my $.06 guitar on page 75. I can't tell the story of my singing career yet, it just might be coming up in a future "Polly" episode...lol...



The first thing is to learn how to be left handed.


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Brainstorming a new "Polly" session, AAA goes to the "Grand Olde Oprey" ready to go onstage and play the violin, AAA sudenly realizes he is left handed with a right handed fiddle he bought on EBAY while consuming alcoholic beverages one night and watching Country Music Television, it was only 19.99, found out about the 78 dollar shipping charge when he came to the next day.*Edited by: AAASTINKIE *


----------



## daveb50

Alcohol, Country Music and E bay do not mix, friends never let friends drink, cryand buy. 
I can see it now...AAA onstage at the "Grande Ole' Oprey", pickin and grinnin', with poly on base.


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Lilly has a new puppy down in Tennessee, I think his name is scooter.


----------



## Wade E

The puppy is putting up a good fight but Lilly is still cuter!


----------



## grapeman

Stinkie you better watch out for Lilly! It's a good thing she is so cute 'cause she could get in trouble stealing one of Walmart's shopping carts. 
"No honest, Mr. Policeman, (Batt, Batt go the eyelashes), I didn't take the shopping cart. My puppy got his leash caught in it and dragged it home. I'm gonna bring it back tomorrow. Honest(Batt Batt)"


----------



## Waldo

You have gotta make a label with her on it stinkie...A Ms Lilly Reserve


----------



## sally3




----------



## sally3

She just gets cuter and cuter...wow, can I be her agent?


----------



## AAASTINKIE

She is a princess, so far this week on EBay I have bought her....around 10 princess dresses, a princess bed canopy, princess vanity, princess tent and sleeping bag set, a new china tea set (we had fun with the set I bought when she was born when she was here, but the new set has a tablecloth and napkins) Good thing for overtime!!..lol


----------



## Angell Wine

Spoiling the grandkids. Thats your job ain't it Stinky.


----------



## daveb50

Angell Wine said:


> Spoiling the grandkids. Thats your job ain't it Stinky.




Spoiling is not onlythe Grandparents job, It's their right. How else can you get even with you kids, for what they did when they were Teenagers? (At least that's what my Mom told me, laughing the whole time) Besides, it's just so much fun!
Dave (3 Spoiled Grandkids of my own)


----------



## AAASTINKIE

It's snowin' here now!


----------



## Joanie

No, Stink..._this_ is snow!






Being able to see this barn has always been an indicator of how bad it's snowing and blowing. If you can't see it, it's baaad! I can still see it!


----------



## Angell Wine

We gota couple of snowflakestoday .


----------



## NorthernWinos

Joan...am I missing something in the photos...I always have trouble with photos on this Forum....What barn???? I see a hedge....

Boy...you guys out East are hogging all the moisture...After last summer's drought and very little snow this winter we need moisture....Please...send us some snow!!!!

All we got in February has been cold...like another morning of -24*F today...a warming trend in store for us and flurries this weekend...

Guess...we take what God thinks we need...no complaint department 'Up-Stairs'


----------



## grapeman

Joan, I see the barn-barely. I hear you about today, only we got ours late-and still are. Not quite 2 feet now, more expected overnight. The blizzard warnings are still in effect until sometime tomorrow or the next day. At 4:00 this afternoon visibility here was about 40 feet, and we live surrounded by trees where it doesn't blow as hard. 2 feet of fluffly powder and 40 mph winds don't mix well. I tried taking a picture but nothing showed up. I'll try again tomorrow if the winds die down some. Spending a quiet day home with the wife and kids-you aren't supposed to go out on the roads. I am the proud recipient of my son's cold/flu so not too much going on.


----------



## AAASTINKIE

A BLIZZARD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 5 AM EST THURSDAY. 


SNOWFALL TOTALS WILL RANGE FROM 8 TO 12 INCHES ALONG THE COAST AND 16 TO 24 INCHES IN THE MOUNTAINS AND FOOTHILLS THROUGH LATE TONIGHT. SLEET WILL MIX WITH THE SNOW AT TIMES NEAR THE COAST. A THUNDERSTORM IS ALSO POSSIBLE THIS EVENING.



POSSIBLE FIRE AND BRIMSTONE ALSO, CHANCE OF LOCUSTS AND TREE FROGS BY MORNING.


----------



## Wade E

Sorry to hear you are sick. I have 2 kids, 1 goes to daycare and
school, the other just daycare. Its a vicious cycle here. From 1 kid to
another then my wife then me, then another cycle.


----------



## grapeman

How'd you make out Frank with the snow? We ended up with about 24 -25 inches. That's what they officially measured a few miles away anyway(25.7 inches). I'm glad I got the drive plowed late yesterday because I couldn't start my tractor to do it this AM. Chill factor about -25 all night. I had it plugged in all night, but all I got were some white puffs this AM out of the diesel. My brother came up with his tractor this morning and blew the extra snow out we got last night so the wife could get out to work. 












My poor little truck was fairly buried. I'm glad I moved it late yesterday or it would be buried till spring thaw.


----------



## AAASTINKIE

We only wound up with 18", I worked last night, but don't work again
till Monday, so I was slacking today, all I did was, bottle 12 gallons
of American Light beer, fine and stablize a blueberry and piesporter
wine, brew 12 more gallons of American Light (I kinda like that
stuff!!) and made a batch of Franks famous Hot Maple BBQ sauce...."its
da bomb"


----------



## rgecaprock

Had sunny blue skys today, 64 degrees. Like Angell said, this has been a long winter for Texas. I'm hoping that tonight is the last night I have to cover my plants, going to 34.
You guys really got it but you must be ready for spring after all that!!!


Frank, it's time for you to sit down, drink some brew and listen to some country and some western music



.


Apple, same to you slide a white into one of those drifts you'll be relaxing in no time.


Ramona


----------



## MedPretzel

Cleveland got 2 feet in 16 hours last week. I got stuck with my car about 6 times. Helped about 13 cars out of some sort of drift/snow... (my car has been included in the 13).


3 more inches came down tonight. Plus, the arctic cold is really starting to bother me now.


The weather is supposed to break by wednesday. we finally will be in the UPPER 20's...


:S


----------



## grapeman

Good to see you on the board tonight Martina. Maybe winter will go away some day. It actually got up to 30 today


----------



## NorthernWinos

Been in the plus teens today...near +30*F the next few days...NICE!!! after 3 weeks of below normal and many days didn't get above 0*F...kind of nice to get a break.

Put firewood in the furnace/wood room yesterday...enough that it might last the winter....if the weather stays warm.

Can't so anything about the weather but try to enjoy it and gather some memories....good or bad...


----------



## Joanie

Joan said:


> No, Stink..._this_ is snow!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Being able to see this barn has always been an indicator of how bad it's snowing and blowing. If you can't see it, it's baaad! I can still see it!



NW Maybe this picture will "clear" things up! =)





*Edited by: Joan *


----------



## NorthernWinos

AHHHHH!!!!! 
I can see clearly now,
The snow is gone....

Looks like your snow might be around for awhile...guess that depends on your temperatures....


----------



## sally3

Very cool...what's in that barn?


----------



## Joanie

It's packed full of hay. It used to be a beautiful gambrel roofed barn but it burned to the ground many years ago. We used the foundation (it's a basement barn) and rebuilt with metal. I've never liked the replacement. It has no character, no wood, no beauty at all.


----------



## Angell Wine

Back when I was a young one, you tell how much money people had by how big their barn was, Now it's how big the house is.


----------



## grapeman

What is the hay used for? Horses, cows, sale to others? I lost my hay barn 6 years ago but it had only been used for other storage or laid empty for a few years. We had 3 snowtorms in less than a week in the middle of March that year that put down six feet of snow- and the barn roof. We couldn't get to it to clean the roof off-too much snow even for the snowmobiles. I never replaced the barn...


----------



## OilnH2O

Barns are great, aren't they?


I _almost_ bought a place along the Yellowstone about 15 years ago, just because it had a barn with a river-rock first floor, frame post and beam second floor... can't remember much about the house! But, my decision on that barn was about the same as when, in 1973, I sold my '69 Mustang Mach 1 for $850 bucks to buy a pickup... (as my 15-year old son keeps reminding me!)







Sadly, "they" aren't making "barns" anymore -- just equipment sheds!


----------



## AAASTINKIE

I'm busy working 7 days a week for a few weeks, but I'm keeping the primary's full!!


----------



## AAASTINKIE

The only thing better than four cases of empty Grolsch bottles are full ones!!


----------



## AAASTINKIE

I got tired of working on beer and wine the other day so I made a batch of BBQ sauce to take a break...lol


----------



## Harry

Frank that BBQ sauce looks mity good you can share your recipe hint hint
Harry


----------



## Wade E

Frank, what are the metal tins under the primaries for?


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Those are some Stainless Steel pans I bought at the salvage store once, they fit just right and are there just in case one of the spicots leaks. I'll post the BBQ sauce recipe when get home (and remember).


----------



## sally3

Frank, you amaze me. You must be in motion 21 hours a day!



As for barns...I love the smell and feel of an old classic barn.
My house is for sale (for 6 months) so I can finally get out of the
city and build a small house in the country with a BIG, classic
barn. Hopfully with an indoor arena. I know what you mean,
in the old days I was concerned with the size of my house, now I do not
care about the house, I look for barn space and wine celler
potential. Of course the log cabin in the woods is the best of
everything.


----------



## sally3

hopfully=hopefully


----------



## Wade E

Mine leak about a drop every three days but it comes out the spigot and not from where the spigot meets the primary.


----------



## AAASTINKIE

I swap from days to nights today, so it was like a day off!!
So I bottled my next batch of American Light, I now have 8 1/2 cases carbonating in the kitchen.


----------



## AAASTINKIE

I made two True Brew kits today, a Nut Brown Ale, and a Oktoberfest that I tweaked up with 2lbs. extra light DME and 3 cups brown sugar, gave me a starting SG of 1.066 at 4.5 gallons, I finally got to use my 8 gallon brew pot.


----------



## AAASTINKIE

When I wasn't working on the beer, I racked the Piesporter, and Blueberry wines, Fined and stablized the two Italian Pinot Grigio kits, and started two Italian Barolo Bianco kits, did the laundry and dishes, now I'm resting, don't have to go to work for 30 minutes, Oh yea, I made Sheperds Pie, man I love this stuff!!Packed 7 lunches for work and ate till I was stuffed!!


----------



## PolishWineP

Nice pot! Hope Poor Bert doesn't see it!


----------



## Joanie

I'm feeling sorry for the poor shepherds you ground up in that pie! What did they ever do to you, Stinkie??


----------



## NorthernWinos

And with his third hand he took photos and Posted them to us....truely amazing!!!


----------



## Joanie

That's what I call talent, NW!!


----------



## Wade E

Im thinking this guy never sleeps!


----------



## sally3




----------



## sally3

Gee...I laid in bed until noon and then went to the mall and bought
clothes for my 16 year old son. I made a chicken baked dish with
fennel for dinner and felt like I had a full day until I read your
posts. Has NASA had the research team out to check your
DNA? I am speechless. X O


----------



## rgecaprock

Well, I know that Frank would be super busy as usual. I had a nice day...went to the Urban Market....high end junk....was looking for anything wine or plants and anything else that cought my eye!!!


The weather was beautiful.Had a nice lunch, good wine and fun with my friend.









I found a 5l demijohn with the word "Viresa" on the lip, I looked up antique demijohns and it looks like it could be from the 1800's based on the seams and the indention on the bottom. Also a cool dish. I love unusal old dishes.












The area of town we were in is a historical district....I could have stayed all day!!






A Great Day!!!! Ramona


----------



## NorthernWinos

Love the blue sky and green grass....Up here on de-tundra we got our first substantial snow....So it goes.*Edited by: Northern Winos *


----------



## PolishWineP

Nice finds! Eclectic is good!


----------



## Wade E

Looks like a nice relish dish and quite a nice display pce for the demi!


----------



## Harry

Ramona that is a nice find , Now you have to get some wine in the jug.


----------



## Wade E

Might not be a good idea as you never know what theyve been storing in it Harry. I guess it could be okay if cleaned really well but that is not smooth glass and it would be very easy for bacteria and what not to hide in crevices. That is why you should not really use carboys that people have stored coins in as they scratch the glass and it is very hard to clean out those miniscule scratches. In my opinion a very beautiful display pce. but I dont think I would put wine in it. What are your opinions people?

*Edited by: wade *


----------



## AAASTINKIE

I made another gallon of Vanilla extract today cause I was down to my last 2 1/2 gallons and I used 8 tablespoons this year cooking cookies......and ....you know......it has to age!!..


----------



## masta

WOW Frank...With all that OT you are working the quality of Vodka used has been kicked up a notch!


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Go to EBay and get 1/2 lb Madagaskar vanilla beans per 1/2 gallon vodka, the extract grade are fine, and the price is right at this time, the easiest way to chop them is cut them into 1" pieces and run them through the food processor, what you need to do is expose the inner seeds to the vodka, let is age for a year and you will have some good stuff, give it a shake up every week or so to help it mix.


----------



## AAASTINKIE

I wrote this to RJ Spagnols:

I made an En Primeur Australian Chardonnay kit dated 20051019 on 
10/19/06 that has a bitterness to it, I was wondering if you had any 
problems with this kit? I have all the notes on making the kit if you 
would like them.

The answer that tells me to test my oaked whites before giving them out (I gave a case to my sister and called her yesterday and she has given it all away, 12 people are going to think I'm a "hack"...lol)

I just checked our quality control and my own tracking, I have no
reports of issues with this kit. When was the wine bottled, it is a
fairly tannic wine, because of the amount of oak chips, so it may be
that it has not aged enough yet to allow the tannins to mellow.
</pre>


----------



## Dean

I've made that kit Stinkie and there was no bitterness to it whatsoever. Matter of fact, everyone who has tried it thinks that this is the best white kit I have ever made. I actually added extra oak after speaking with Dinesh Nair, who is spagnol's version of Tim V (but not as knowledgable as Tim). 

Of course since it is an EP, I did age it for about 10 months before I started drinking it. Checking my notes, I had trouble with this kit clearing properly, but cold stabilization fixed that. I'd say you just have to age this kit. I find that EP whites take at least 6-7 months aging, while EP reds take 14-18 months aging to be good.


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Thanks Dean, I'm going to need a bigger wine cellar...lol...


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Today I racked my Oktorerfest to a secondary and added 500ml Maple syrup boiled and cooled in 500ml water.


----------



## AAASTINKIE

my starting SG was 1.024, the syrup brought it up to SG 1.030.


----------



## grapeman

So Frank, do you add the maple syrup for flavoring and sweetness, or is it to bump up the alcohol- or both? That must be some sweet beer! Oh and do you still need to add sugar for carbonation before bottling.
I wonder what would happen if you started a beer with maple sap instead of water? 5 gallons of sap would yield about 1/8 gallon syrup. Ferment with that as well as normal stuff and then add some syrup at the end.




Hmmmmmmm....................
You have me thinking now. May need a road trip to my dear OLD brother's place. He's tapping this week.


----------



## AAASTINKIE

I will allow the Maple to ferment out, then prime with more Maple, I did this with1 gallon of Pilsner last year and the head was fantastic!!


----------



## Waldo

Damn stinkie..I don't even drink beer but that looks might good. Might make a convert outa me


----------



## Wade E

Man that does look good. Im not much of a beer drinker eithe because I
really dont like many commercial beers but every time I go to Maltose
Express which is a local beer and wine supply store near me they
usually have 2 of their beers on tap and I always like them. I think Im
gonna have to invest in a few items to make a batch!


----------



## Dean

Wade, I highly recommend making your own beer! It is worlds above anything you can purchase commercially, unless you have a local microbrew near you. And if you DO happen to have a local microbrew near you, go in, introduce yourself to the brewmaster as a fellow fermenter of all things good, and he might let you take home some liquid yeast culture! Yeast contributes to about 30% of the flavor profile in beer, and almost every brewery has a unique culture. It all makes seriously good stuff!


----------



## AAASTINKIE

OK, maybe I am a little OCD, I had to drive through a blizzard (OK it was just a snow storm, and not that bad) to go to the health food store (100 miles round trip) to pick up my ice wine kit today, even though I can't start it yet I just had to have it with me, I also got the ingredients to make a maple pilsner to maybe enter in Samuel Adams Long Shot contest, and man it would be a long shot!!..lol..


----------



## masta

Ishould enter also if I have enough left from last year.....Maple Porter!








May the best man win Frank.


----------



## Wade E

Thanks Dean. I will make at least 1 brew this year and I know, its like
wine, once I start Ill be needing another basement for making
beer!


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Might not be a good idea to ferment a 23 ltr batch of beer in a 6.5 gal primary...lol


----------



## AAASTINKIE

I'm going to have to get the shop vac out!!..


----------



## masta

Put in a blow-off tube into a bucket for now and then buy a bigger primary!


----------



## grapeman

Maybe you can just slurp it up. No sense in wasting it


----------



## Wade E

Wow, Ive heard and experienced the wine volcano but never the beer volcano!


----------



## NorthernWinos

YIKES!!!


----------



## AAASTINKIE

masta said:


> Put in a blow-off tube into a bucket for now and then buy a bigger primary!



Please don't encourage the encouragable!!





I was proud on myself for being at the brewstore today and NOT coming out with a new 7.8 primary, I think I have enough, just trying to fill the wine cellar up!!..









*Edited by: AAASTINKIE *


----------



## Wade E

Whats cookin Frank?


----------



## Waldo

Stinkie.....Collecting any of that maple yet?


----------



## paubin

Stinky, using a blow off tube is the best idea from everything I've read. It gets rid off the fusel oils. 


Appleman, I remember reading in Charlie Papazains book about a Porter made with Maple Sap. Sounds good to me!


Pete


----------



## grapeman

I'm going to have to find me a few taps and get them up pretty soon. I have a few dozen sugar maples I could tap. Warmer days are coming. My brother invited me out to his sugarhouse this weekend, but it is several hours each way. I may opt to tap my own trees and collect enough sap for a batch. Only problem- three feet of snow on the level in the woods.


----------



## Wade E

Okay, all this beer talk is making me start my kit Sat. even if I need
to use both brew belts on it to keep it warm. My wife wont let it come
upstairs as she doesnt like the smell of stuff fermenting.


----------



## NorthernWinos

Wade....Can you put the primaries in a small heated room away from the main living quarters so she won't smell them???

Tell her it smells like bread rising and baking...train her thoughts to think of something good...

The beer only ferments for a short time...then once it's in the bottles we kept the bottles a bit warmer for a while so that it could start to carbonate, then into the root cellar.

Hope you have fun with your beer kit...it's something to do till spring comes...


----------



## NorthernWinos

Appleman...3 feet of snow in the woods....not good. Think we got about 2 feet over the past month...but it has been getting above freezing the past few day and the snow is settling....along with the warmer temps we get clouds and fog and freezing drizzle...it looks gloomy...but warm...

Our next project is to get out in the woods and cut some firewood for next year...that goes pretty quick with the wood splitter...so am hoping the snow settles down even more...

The longer days sure makes your mind rush...then you look outside and see that white stuff and calm yourself down...just a waiting game for us Northerners...Spring a long way off...darn!!!


----------



## Wade E

There is no where in this house that she will not complain about it. In 1 month I can start seperating the basement into rooms as April 16 my basement will be waterproofed then I can start framing out partitions. I will have an 11' x 11' wine room with the furnace in there I will probably put an elecric baseboard heater in there with a thermostat so I can maintain a good temp in there when the brew belt isnt enough. The rest of the basement will be heated with regular radiators. There will be a small unheated area that Im going to insulate to use for wine racks (storage) for all my wines.


----------



## NorthernWinos

Wade...Sounds like you have a good plan with your basement. 

The old house that was here had a wet basement...when it would rain we'd be down there sweeping and vacuming...why is it the floor drain is never in the lowest part of the floor??? 

Hope you take photos of your progress....will be nice to have your own space down there...a dream come true...


----------



## Wade E

We cant even keep up with it once it starts leaking.


----------



## NorthernWinos

wade said:


> We cant even keep up with it once it starts leaking.



YIKES!!!





Might I suggest an indoor pool...


----------



## Wade E

Or throw a heater in there and have a hot tub!


----------



## jsmahoney

I don't know, I thought about a smallflotation device, a bottle of that brew/wine, some tropical music,maybe a few rubber duckies, and relax. In home away from home trip to the Bahamas. Can't get any better than that!


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Bottled some Piesporter last night and Blueberry also, here's the label for the Piesporter, I printed it on plain paper and when I cut it out I trimmed the writing off the bottom.


----------



## AAASTINKIE

My friend Tracey gave me a box of blueberries, around 26lbs left with a little freezer burn, will make fine wine I'm sure!!


----------



## grapeman

That will make a nice label Stinkie. Where did you find that one at?


Wild Blueberries- now that will indeedy make a mighty fine wine. I wouldn't think a little freezer burn will hurt anything. Post as you go!


Are you going to get any snow out of this latest round? The local weather geek says we will get a foot, with 10-20 inches in the Green Mtns in Vt. on Saturday! Yuck- and to think it was 60 yesterday!


----------



## pkcook

Stinkie,


You have some wonderful friends! I was at the store today looking at blueberries (both canned and fresh). Very expensive. I'm sure that much will make some great wine!


----------



## AAASTINKIE

It's cold out so I have a nice fire going.


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Blueberries are in the primary now, not what I was going for, I added three gallons of water to each of two primary's and had a SG of 1.010, not as much sugar in blueberries as I was thinking, so I boiled 15lbs of sugar this added another gallon to each primary bringing them to five gallons each, the blueberries took a gallon of space in each one also, the SG shows an ABV of 12%. Starting SG was 1.085


----------



## AAASTINKIE

canned 18lbs of smelts last night.


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Of course there's nothin' better than a feed of fried smelts on a cold night!!


----------



## NorthernWinos

Lilac has a crush on Clown Boy???? Is that what the note says???

What does Polly think about that????


----------



## jobe05

Wow..... Do those smelt look good.


In 1975 we had a shop teacher that took a bunch of us to his camp one weekend to go smelt fishing. He told us the only way we could go was if we bought a fish net (fine mesh) and a brand new metal trash can....... We filled those trash cans in what seemed like a few minutes but was really 4 or 5 hours, still not bad for the amount of fish we cought. 


And my Favorite way to make tem is just what you have there..... Fried.


Except when they were alive, we would just through them in the hot pan of oil, they turn themselves over.


----------



## rgecaprock

OK, what about the bones...how do you eat around them or do you eat them too.




rge


----------



## jobe05

Ya eats them too






They are very soft and almost unoticeable. When we would fry them live, whole, we would just pull the heads off which pulled the guts out all in one peice........ well........ almost in one peice.


They are like Sardines, but milder in my opinion.


----------



## AAASTINKIE

The wine cellar is coming along.


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Bottled a Mexican Cerveza and a Pale Ale today.


----------



## NorthernWinos

Nice stash of goodies....


----------



## Wade E

Thats quite the supply you have there Frank.


----------



## AAASTINKIE

I made a special beer, Maple Octoberfest, used 2lbs extra light DME and 3 cups of brown sugar and primed it with Maple syrup, I guess I should try one to see if its drinkable...lol....


----------



## Joanie

That plane is dropping kegs of beer, right?

=)


----------



## PolishWineP

Nice label! Bombed away!






*Edited by: PolishWineP *


----------



## Wade E

Joan, those bombs would more likely BSGB's, Body Seeking Grolsh Bottles!


----------



## Joanie

Hehehe

I was told there was going to be a sampling last night. I'm still waiting for the critique! Maybe there was too much sampling!


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Hey!! I just had one to check for carbonation!! It was strong but started tasting pretty good by the end of the glass...


----------



## AAASTINKIE

I got my first 100 buckets out today, have to get to work now!!


----------



## AAASTINKIE




----------



## AAASTINKIE




----------



## Wade E

Thats alot of buckets!


----------



## grapeman

Way to go Stinkie. Looks like a row of tasty syrup on the tree! What do you collect the sap in? What do you use to boil with? 


It reminds me of when I was a kid last century. We had a row of Sugar Maples along the road we would tap every spring. A lot of work collecting it up and boiling it down, but we all really enjoyed it.


----------



## Waldo

WOW.!!!!


----------



## jobe05

Frank, my hats off to ya buddy....... I don't know how you do it.


Looks fantastic



Please post more picture as you progress.


I wish there were Maple trees like that in NC.......


----------



## peterCooper

I was at a DoD Cybercrime conference in St. Louis a couple of weeks ago. I won a flagon (1 qt) of Maine Maple syrup. Haven't opened it yet, mostly because I find it difficult sometimes to use expensive things on myself 
(except wine toys of course)

It's amazing watching Frank's photos to imagine how many buckets went into that quart flagon.


----------



## grapeman

peterCooper said:


> It's amazing watching Frank's photos to imagine how many buckets went into that quart flagon.




Peter, that would be about 10 gallons of sap, average runs about 40 gallons sap= 1 gallon syrup.


----------



## Waldo

stinkie, have you ever had any problem with anyone emptying your buckets for themselves?


----------



## jobe05

Planning a road trip Waldo??????


----------



## Wade E

Is there a Maple Monster?


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Waldo said:


> stinkie, have you ever had any problem with anyone emptying your buckets for themselves?



No, but they do steal a few buckets every year, they leave the spouts, I think it's just someone who wants a few 5 gallon pails with handles.


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Put 100 more buckets out yesterday, 200 total now, thats all I think, getting too warm too fast again this year, I'll be hauling sap tomorrow. Today I'm racking the blueberry to the secondarys, looks like 7.5 gallons now, but I'll loose more at the next racking.


----------



## AAASTINKIE

I collect with the 6 gallon buckets, the ones on the trees are 4.5, I dump into the blue 1/2 drum and the pump pumps it up into the tank which holds 275 gallons.


----------



## AAASTINKIE




----------



## AAASTINKIE

Then I take the sap to the sugar house 30 miles away and unload into his 1500 gallon tank.







*Edited by: AAASTINKIE *


----------



## Wade E

Pretty cool setup!


----------



## Waldo

How much sap do you typically get from each tree stinkie?


----------



## grapeman

So the other guy boils it down for you? That would save a lot of equipment and make the job easier!


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Waldo said:


> How much sap do you typically get from each tree stinkie?



used to average 10 gallons of sap per tap hole.

yes I used to have my own evaporator, but it was expensive, time consuming and a LOT of work, now I started yesterday at noon and at 5pm I was home and he gets to stay up all night. I used to use 6 cords of wood in my evaporator, then I switched to oil and used $600 when fuel was .79 cents per gallon.


----------



## AAASTINKIE

I went shopping the other day and wanted a treat, so I bought a pound of the biggest shrimp, ya know what? They were good, but not that good!! Did go down nice with a cold one and some extra horseradish in the sauce.


----------



## Wade E

Oh yeh, extra horseradish and tabasco! Clear those sinus's right out.


----------



## grapeman

What you need is a little Nuclear Apple/Pepper Wine. THAT would really clear the sinuses out pronto.


----------



## Wade E

Does that mean I won!


----------



## AAASTINKIE

I'm going to a "Beach Party" tonight, how do I look??


----------



## NorthernWinos

Cool...a Hawaiian theme.....Hope you get laid....OOOPPS!!!! Can I say that???? 


***EDIT...I mean I hope you get some flowers placed around your neck by a beautiful lady.. .



*Edited by: Northern Winos *


----------



## jobe05

Northern Winos said:


> Cool...a Hawaiian thyme.....Hope you get laid....OOOPPS!!!! Can I say that????




I think you just did!!!!!!!!!!!!!


----------



## NorthernWinos

Now..... you all know I meant a flower leis...right???


----------



## Wade E

Whatever you say NW!


----------



## Grant

Scary, I have the same shirt AAASTINKIE


----------



## Waldo

Why!!! NW



BWAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!


----------



## Wade E

Way cool Frank. Book em Danu!


----------



## AAASTINKIE

OK, Enough with the snow, I give up!!


----------



## geocorn

NW, In that context, the proper spelling would be "leied". If you had used that, you would have been fine, but no one would have know what you were talking about.


----------



## grapeman

AAASTINKIE said:


> OK, Enough with the snow, I give up!!




I agree Frank. We got it too- a little less. Thank goodness it's a little above freezing and is slowly melting away. Only problem is another inch or two every day for the next four days! YUCK.


----------



## rgecaprock

Frank, you should stick your beers out there and get them chilling for tonight.


Ramona


----------



## NorthernWinos

We got about 4-6 inches...hard to tell it blew so hard....and is still blowing...Now we are having much below normal temeratures...so the snow it just sitting...cold for the next few nights....this is the most fickle time of the year....


They say the sun is at the hight of late August...could fool me!!!


----------



## AAASTINKIE

14" of snow here Wednesday night Thursday morning, Friday I collected 535 gallons of sap!! Going out in a while to see if I have to collect today, also made some labels this morning.


----------



## AAASTINKIE




----------



## rgecaprock

Very Nice Frank,


I like the Barolo Bianco!!!


----------



## sangwitch

Nice labels Frank! Are you still snowed in up there? How close are you to Mount Katahdin and the Applachain trail?


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Snowed in?? We only had 14"...lol



I'm 75 miles from Katadin, I think, I think I can hit the trail in around 40 miles.
Heres what 1600 gallons of sap gets me....


----------



## Waldo

stinkie.......is that stove authentic or a replica. It looks just like the one Mom had in her kitchen when I was a kid on the farm. It was one oof my chores every morning to get her a fire going in the stove as well as the fireplace. If it was my turn I always made sure there was a good gum backlog putin the fireplace before going to bed at night which assured a good bed of coals the next morning to get a fire going quickly. Them ole bare hardwood floors was mighty cold earl of a morning.


----------



## grapeman

Looks like about 20 gallons of pure maple syrup- lots of delicious pancakes there Stinkie. One good thing about the cold snowy weather, it's extending the maple syrup season.


----------



## Wade E

Or quite a few batches of Maple Porter!


----------



## sangwitch

Stink, you gonna ferment some of that syrup? I saw a couple of recipes on gotmead.com that I want to try. Has anyone here made any meads from maple syrup?
Waldo - tell us more stories!


----------



## sangwitch

this thread is approaching two milestones... 100 pages and 20,000 views! Polly will be so happy.


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Thats an Elmira cookstove, 30 years okld, I bought it used 20 years ago for $1200.
Just got in from hauling 275 gallons of sap to the sugarhouse, thats 8500lbs in 4 days, no place I'd rather be, not too shabby for and old men..lol


----------



## Wade E

You da man Frank!


----------



## AAASTINKIE

I finally got a picture of my little princess in one of the Disney dresses I sent her.


----------



## Wade E

Just adorable Frank! My daughter has hers from when she was about that
age and now puts it on 1 of her big stuffed animals but hers is Pink.
What a great time when theyre that age.


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Buckets are all washed!! I have to go to work tonight, so I'll put them away tomorrow, the hard part is OVER!!


----------



## AAASTINKIE

My hands will smell like bleach for a week!!


----------



## rgecaprock

We like a man with dishpan hands!!!!


----------



## Wade E

Thats alot of primaries Frank!


----------



## sangwitch

oh man... i need to know how long it took to wash all those. My back hurts just thinking about it!


----------



## grapeman

I'm looking at the labels that say Blueberry pie filling. Think of the wine all those full could make! 


A lot of people don't have an appreciation for all the hard work that goes into making your own food products-either for yourself or for sale. I feel your pain, but share in your satisfaction in doing it yourself(even if you do take the evaporation shortcut).


Everybody- have some flapjacks and french toast with Real Maple Syrup and raise your forks to Frank.


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Making Maple Syrup is a pain I look forward to every year, a pain of pleasure!! I made all the 3rd trip buckets fit in the truck yesterday by putting some in the back seat!! I didn't want to make another trip..lol


----------



## AAASTINKIE

The dandelions are trying to grow!! Poking through the snow...


----------



## Wade E

Now thats a full load and I still havent seen any dandelions here and Im sure its much warmer down here.


----------



## jobe05

Our Dandelions have come and almost gone now. Timmy (son) went out and got a bunch to make a gallon batch. He set up a screen name here and wanted to post his wine making experience, but I thought better of it. 






Frank: It looks like you left the lids on all the buckets, couldn't you have taken hem off and stacked them all???? Or do they have sap in them?


I envy you on being able to make Maple Syrup, I'd love to do that. I don't know if I'd need 25 gallons....... but a gallon or 2 would be fun.


If you ever sell any of that stuff, I'd be interested!*Edited by: jobe05 *


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Bottled syrup today. One step closer!!..


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Now I just have to clean up the mess!!..


----------



## Wade E

Now its time for French Toast!


----------



## AAASTINKIE

So I kept smelling BO, so I took a shower, then I opened the dishwasher to load the racks from making a batch of Jerky (I was multitasking) and it was the dishwasher that had the BO...lol..


----------



## Michael Vino

Truly inspirational! Dude, you wear me out watching this link….The jugs of syrup look ready for point of sale in a little country store. Very nicely done!!!!


----------



## peterCooper

Frank..It's your birthday. You got to 100 pages on this thread!!!


----------



## AAASTINKIE

It's finally a beautiful day here in Maine, sunny and 55 out. I broke out my new toy, tax return brushcutter, like a weed wacker on steroids...lol


----------



## AAASTINKIE

You have been warned, danger within 50ft.


----------



## Michael Vino

I got to get one of those "stand clear" signs for my office!!!!


Ya know I think Jeff Foxworthy would do a bit on these photo's.....


----------



## grapeman

It looks like you are headed out to Whack some snow! I had a head like that for the weed eater- gotta be careful with it. I never felt very comfortable with it. I got another head attachment I fell fairly safe with. There are three heavy swinging arms with serated edges on. It goes through small trees and big heavy stemmed weeds with ease. 


Everybody steer clear of Stinkie- by at leat 50 Feet.


----------



## Wade E

I got that weedeater attach. to appleman. Works good.


----------



## Waldo

Awesome stinkie.....Where do you get the little jugs from?


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Waldo said:


> Awesome stinkie.....Where do you get the little jugs from?



Umm...the little jug company, where else??


----------



## sally3




----------



## sally3

Maybe some day I'll figure out how to post. Very cool equipment...love the ear plugs.  X O Sally


----------



## OilnH2O

Wow, Frank! 


A hundred pages, a thousand posts, twenty thousand views! Your ARE working hard for all of us! Thanks!




*Edited by: OilnH2O *


----------



## PolishWineP

Wouldn't that be the Little Brown Jug store?


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Maple Syrup

George has at Dallas, 36 8oz. jugs of my Maple Syrup and has agreed to put a jug in any order you make for the first 36 to order and ask for some of my syrup, the syrup is free, I just ask for you to make a $5 donation the the children's charity of your choice, if you don't know of one, my favorite is the Pine Tree Camp for Crippled Children, run by the Pine Tree Society:

</font></font>Pine Tree Society

you may donate on line:

DonateNow

From George:
I just received 3 boxes of your maple syrup, so you can tell 
others to request them and will add them to their order. Just tell them to 
let me know in the special instructions box on the billing information 
screen.


</font>

</font>


----------



## AAASTINKIE




----------



## JWMINNESOTA

Your a fine man AAASTINKIE


----------



## Wade E

Awesome deal Frank.


----------



## Dean

Frank, you are a class act! Being in Canada, I don't order from George, but I did donate $100.00 to our local childrens hospital oncology ward, so that kids with cancer can have a few nice things to help ease the burden they bear.


----------



## masta

You are a good man Frank and to send all that syrup to George to help raise money for charity after all the hard work that goes into shows you truly are a very compassionate and giving person.



God bless you and the world needs more men like you!


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Cascade Hops
I cut down the trees yesterday





</font></font>


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Processed the wood today and cleaned up the mess




</font>


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Planted the four Cascade Hops roots




</font>


----------



## masta

Homegrown Hops.....Nice!!!


----------



## paubin

You are truely a man to admire there Frank. I wish I could pack as much into a day as you do.


Pete


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Well, yesterday I stablized and fined two White Zinfandel kits, I sweetened one kit with 2lbs of Honey for my daughter so we will see how that works out, also started two Piesporter kits, brewed an American Light and Nut Brown Ale beer kits, other than that it was a slow day...lol
Today I planted my horseradish in the rain cause I wanted it off my LIST!!
Then it was time to build a natural kitchen for Dexter my grandson who will be 3 in a few weeks.

I'll add picture later, won't work now.



*Edited by: AAASTINKIE *


----------



## AAASTINKIE

it's 18" high and 24" wide








*Edited by: AAASTINKIE *


----------



## AAASTINKIE

I've been trying to load these pictures for a week!! I re-took them today and here they are.





</font>


----------



## grapeman

That's so cute Frank!



I see competition the the old establishment of the Food Network (Emeril, Mario, Paula, and so on).


----------



## jobe05

Frank you are incredible.... 


If there was an award for man of the year, you'd get my vote.


Dexter will be very happy with that stove, any kid would be.*Edited by: jobe05 *


----------



## Wade E

Very cool my man!


----------



## AAASTINKIE

VACATION, yes I've been on vacation all week, I don't know how much more I can take though!! I'm about all spent (not really I LOVE it!!).
Jacked up the roof on the woodshed (22'X32') and re-roofed it, yes there is a tree in the middle of the roof...lol..


----------



## AAASTINKIE

I put some wire fence on the side of the garage for the Hops to climb on.


----------



## AAASTINKIE

I fixed the leaking roof on the chicken coup, cleaned the inside and ordered 25 baby chicks..






*Edited by: AAASTINKIE *


----------



## Wade E

My god man, are you a robot?


----------



## grapeman

Where do you keep the cow Stinkie? You ought to get one then you could make your own butter and cheese, sour milk, sour dough pancakes and on and on. Oh I almost forgot. Plenty of natural fetilizer!


----------



## AAASTINKIE

wade said:


> My god man, are you a robot?



sometimes I think I am...lol...



I stacked wood in the afternoon, it was 85 out!! But I wanted it under cover, it's going to be cold before you know it..lol..



OH, NO, now that I see this picture I'm going to have to jack up the roof on the garage tomorrow and get it strait!!


----------



## Wade E

Mama mia, you went in there!



I think its time for an overhaul on that puppy!


----------



## AAASTINKIE

It rained yesterday, good thing, I needed the rest! So I bottled my Super Tuscan and Red Ice Wine.


----------



## PolishWineP

Stinkie! I love that label! I just hope Mother Nature doesn't see it right now. I don't want her getting any funny ideas!


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Waldo, here's the missing label...shh....


----------



## trashy

So this is what it is like for the modern day person living in the country. Make your own jerky and syrup and grow things and fix things and.............

Then you take digital photos of all of this and send them to a web site so people all over the world can watch you! LOL Beats living off the grid in isolation.

Thanks for the great photos. I get tired just watching you. And i've still got about 95 pages to go!


----------



## Waldo

AAASTINKIE said:


> Waldo, here's the missing label...shh....







Got it !!


----------



## masta

Sorry for the delay Frank but I just found the e-mail with picture you sent me...it ended up in my junk mail folder! So after a few tests and thinking back on previous issues with uploading picture I found the problem.
The forum doesn't like certain symbols like apostrophes and parentheses in the file name and causes an error message. I changed the picture you sent me from "Dexter's Kitchen" to "Dexters Kitchen" and it loaded fine. Please let me know if you have any more trouble with picture loading as we would hate to miss any of your adventures!







*Edited by: masta *


----------



## peterCooper

I like the hooks for the kitchen utensils on the side. I presume the tools *behind* the kitchen are also used in culinary experiments


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Today was Dexter's birthday, he liked his kitchen I also gave him a bag of natural wine corks...lol


----------



## AAASTINKIE

He was having a hard time blowing out the candles!!


----------



## Wade E

Handsome little guy there. What did he cook?


----------



## NorthernWinos

What a cute photo of him in his kitchen...reminded me of when I was a kid...I had an outdoor 'kitchen' in the summer...it was near the pen where my folks kept the pullets and young roosters...I use to get the pullet eggs..[for anyone who doesn't know...pullets are young hens and lay tiny eggs when they first start to lay] I made mud pies with the little tiny eggs....would 'bake' them in the sun, they were likehockey pucks...I kept the tiny eggs in my kitchen....fond memories.



*Edited by: Northern Winos *


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Cleaned bottles and made labels today:


----------



## AAASTINKIE

I am surrounded by CHICKS...lol


----------



## Waldo

And the chicks will be for: Pest control? Egg production? An occasionalpot of chicken n dumplings? All the above? 
I love fresh eggs, so much better flavor than those you get in the store.


----------



## PolishWineP

Are you going to name them?


----------



## jobe05

PolishWineP said:


> Are you going to name them?











OH Yea................ He's going to name them.................


Extra Krispy....................


Original Recipe...............................


BBQ'ed....................................


Smoked........................................


Broiled...................................


Stew................................................


----------



## NorthernWinos

We had one Bantham left when we moved...her name was Sunday and her last name was Dinner.


----------



## Trigham

TOO funny both of you!!


Pleasure to meet you Stinky, I read through your whole post and agree with everyone else here you are quite a man!!
I travel to Wells and York maine quite frequently to visit friends, and hunt deer in northern Maine just below the Quebec Borderin november with them each year.Their family own the Lobster Restaurant in ogunquit,The Ogunquit Lobster Pound its called,Have u ever been there?Good luck with all the chics and again nice to meet you !!


----------



## rgecaprock

You guys........I'm running to the bathroom!!!!!!!


----------



## grapeman

What do you see when you look at chicks? 1 chick=1chicken dinner, 2 chicks=2 chicken dinners,25 chicks=25 chicken dinners. 


I keep having to resist stealing a few eggs from the nesting turkey and trying to hatch them. I'm getting the turkey fairly tame. I can go up to about 8 feet away and stand there and talk to it. It will stay put for about a minute. If I turn away and walk, it stays on the nest. If I stay too long, it stands up(close to 3 feet tall) hops out of the nest and trots slowly across the rows of vines. They should be hatching soon I suspect.


----------



## AAASTINKIE

I just wanted a dozen layers, but you have to order 25 chicks for shipping, we always had layers when the children were young but never tried meat birds, so I got a package with 10 layers and 15 meat birds, meat birds should be ready in 10 weeks or so, the layers will take 20 or more weeks to lay eggs, if the meat birds are as good as I have been told, I might have to build another coup and keep that up. I mostly wanted fresh eggs and meat for my daughter and grandsons, they live within city limits and can't have chickens.


----------



## JWMINNESOTA

We raised chickens years ago when we lived in AZ....now I find a book from the public library there, "Chickens in Our Backyard" ....I feel like Al Bundy, maybe someday I'll sneak down there andput it back, must be some late fee by now.


----------



## AAASTINKIE

I picked Dandelions today, it's a lot of work, and I was in too big of a hurry to look for my dust mask so now I'm all itchy and my eyes itch like crazy!!


----------



## AAASTINKIE

7 quarts of petals, going to make 6 gallons of wine, NO ZEST!!


----------



## grapeman

I think I will wait for the grapes to grow and ripen this year. That looks like one heckuva lot of work to me to pick all them and pull 1,879,986,754,352 petals off for a 6 gallon batch of wine!



My hats off to you Frank! *Edited by: appleman *


----------



## Wade E

Going for a 6'er huh. Afraid you might like it and kick yourself for not making more huh?


----------



## Trigham

Stinkie, if I may ask what did u use to take the petals off the head. 

Thanks
Trig


----------



## Wade E

I cut with sissors but looks like Frank did a better job unless he had some big dandy's. Have you ever had or made this AAA?


----------



## AAASTINKIE

I pick the heads in the field and cut the petals off with scissors into an ice chest. I cut till my hand started to get a blister, then it was enough already!! It's more work that you would think, but it only took me an hour to get the petals.


----------



## AAASTINKIE

The chicks moved to the chicken coup today.


----------



## Waldo

Sorry appleman but I think you goofed podner, I counted twice and I got 
1,879,986,754,353 petals


Nice looking chicks you got hanging out at your place there stinkie


----------



## AAASTINKIE

The super coup!!


----------



## AAASTINKIE

These are the flowers that grow here in Maine in May..


----------



## AAASTINKIE

And these Blue ones:


----------



## Dean

Those are Dicentra Spectabilis, otherwise known around here as "bleeding hearts". Very pretty plant, but almost is considered a weed around here. Ours are done for the year already.

edit: And the blue ones look like morning glory. Again, around here, a weed



*Edited by: Dean *


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Well, I got's some pretty weeds!!


----------



## NorthernWinos

The blue ones are wild violets around these parts. My Bleeding Hearts are blooming now too..love em.


----------



## Wade E

The chicks are very cute. The kids are going to love playig with them!


----------



## JWMINNESOTA

So Dean, hows about some Pics of Canadian Flowers Eh?


----------



## grapeman

I love Bleeding Hearts and Violets. They are vey pretty without being overly flashy. You can never have too many flowers.


Wade the kids will love to play with the chicks and when they get bigger they will love to chase them around the yard. Then one Sunday evening Stinkie will have the kids over for dinner. The kids will say" Hey Poppie! Where is Original Recipe and Extra Crispy. Stinkie will reply gruffly(if that's possible)"Shut up and eat your dinner" Kids-"What is this we are eating?"
Stinkie-"Frog Legs"
Kids-"But Poppie it tastes just like chicken"
...............................


----------



## Wade E

Appleman why do you like liberals so much?


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Had a rough day here at the farm, one extra crispy chicken died today (as opposed to a layer) then my dandelion wine in the primary was SG 1.150 just a little too strong, now I have two primary's with about 9 gallons, I made a yeast starter and they are going strong, brought the SG down to around 1.092.


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Bottled American Light Beer today in the RECORD heat here in Maine, radio said it was 92 but showed 96 at home!!


----------



## NorthernWinos

That's an army of bottles there....sure looks good!!! That's going to be some nice summer drinkin'....


----------



## Wade E

Thats alot of bottles there Frank and 95* in Maine, wow!


----------



## Trigham

gee Stinkie, send some of those bottles up here ,



ill put them on my steps to get them cold for you, your an 8 hr drive from me and we had snow flakes



falling yesterday....sheesh go figure!!!


----------



## Grant

Gee and we only had 12" of snow yesterday


Grant


----------



## NorthernWinos

Geez...12" of snow....that's a heartbreaker...hard on the morale...probably heading for Minnesota next.


----------



## Trigham

Grant said:


> Gee and we only had 12" of snow yesterday
> 
> 
> Grant




\Grant where are you in the great white north.


----------



## Dean

I'm guessing Grant is from Calgary. They were on the news out here becuase of their freak storm.


----------



## Trigham

Well with all of their oil, they can afford to have a longer winter,


----------



## Grant

I live just NE of Calgary


Forget the snow, we can afford to air condition too


Grant


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Racked the Dandelion wine to the secondary today, one batch smells good (the big one, the 3 gallon batch smelled a little sour?) I'm keeping them separate in case the small batch has a problem.


----------



## Wade E

Thats a nice color you got out of those Dandies Frank. I have to start
my gallon batch this weekend. Not jumping into this 1 full boar as you
have cause I have reservations about this!


----------



## grapeman

Alright Wade, enough of the references to that big pig(full boar). 


Frank, I hope that all turns out nice, you have a lot of it! I opted to not make any DWine this year since only the wife drinks it and she hasn't been pulling her weight with drinking it lately.*Edited by: appleman *


----------



## AAASTINKIE

I bottled my two batches of Vinodka Hard Cider yesterday, the directions said to filter with a wine filter, but after 2 gallons the filters were plugged, so I just bottled the cider as it was, tastes pretty good, I made it still because I wanted a semi sweet cider. Someday I would like to get a cornealius keg setup to carbonate without yeast, then I could make Champagne and clear beer.


----------



## AAASTINKIE

The kits come with little labels for the bottle caps, real nice, but they only give you 48 and you need 60??


----------



## Trigham

Frank, your pictures of the dandelions inspired me to go collect some of those yellow beauties,to try a first ever batch, well I went trout fishing and forgot the bucket in the garage....have u ever seen dandelions after they sat in a bucket witha lid on it for four days!!! Back to the feilds i go next sunny day!!!


P.S. if u want to see what I caught that made me forget ...seee waldos memorial day feast thread!!


----------



## AAASTINKIE

My daughter Tara, came with the boys yesterday for a visit, bringing gifts and a cake, my birthday is coming up one of these days I guess.


----------



## AAASTINKIE

I got a ZESTER!!


----------



## AAASTINKIE

We had to go see the chicks (a few times).


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Of course the high light of the day was throwing rocks in the bog!!


----------



## masta

Nice pictures Frank and I think all kids love to throw rocks in the water! 


I can see chicken with lemon zestcooking in the smoker this summer and then washed down with a few bottles of Hard Cider!


----------



## Trigham

Hey I like to throw rocks in the water tooo



!!!


Nice property for sure the more of it you show Frank!!


----------



## PolishWineP

I really like it when they make that *THUNK* sound when they hit the water.


----------



## Waldo

Hell, thats the sound Imake when I hit the water Princess


----------



## AAASTINKIE

We have hops plants!! I just noticed as I was posting this picture, one of those is a weed, just went out and picked it...lol


----------



## AAASTINKIE

I finally tackled the A/C swap in the wine cellar today, new small A/C in the closet.


----------



## AAASTINKIE

I moved the big A/C unit into the bedroom, had to cut the hole in the wall with a chainsaw, stink is almost gone now...lol


----------



## Wade E

You need air conditioners up there?


----------



## AAASTINKIE

wade said:


> You need air conditioners up there?




It was a sweltering 72 yesterday, I can't live in this HEAT!!!..


----------



## scotty

97 here-- yikes


----------



## jobe05

A couple of things Frank................ 


The "Herbs"....... When I was younger, I experimented with a plant that looks simular to the one growing near the stick in the picture............... Mine however was not an herb..........


And


Great job on the AC install.......... However..... for future reference, they call them "Window Units" for a reason............. No chainsaw required..







*Edited by: jobe05 *


----------



## NorthernWinos

Usually our house stays prety nice...I open the windows at night and close it up during the day....but...tonight it will only get into the 70's....So...time to install the 'window-units'...we need central air a few times a year.






Humid with heat index in the 90's today and tomorrow...Us Northerners just can't take this heat....but....everything is growing like crazy.


----------



## grapeman

jobe05 said:


> A couple of things Frank................
> 
> 
> The "Herbs"....... When I was younger, I experimented with a plant that looks simular to the one growing near the stick in the picture............... Mine however was not an herb..........






Weed(s) really grows up here in the north - and Jobe I was thinking the same thing only I didn't like weeds. I always had to pull them(actually I still do). The State uses helicopters every year to ferret out the little "patches" growing around. You would be surprised how many patches of "weeds" there are growing in corn fields and brushy areas. Usually their are harvests where dump trucks come in and haul the stuff off. If it's too much and in the relative open- they burn it in huge piles. They don't advertise burn days to prevent "sight-seers".


Once when I was hunting, I was going through a really thick area of brush, but it looked more open off to the side, so I made my way there. When I got there, most of the "crop" had been harvested. There were bundles of the stems(low value I guess) left on the ground like firewood. Some of the stumps were six inches across and a few unharvested plants were a good 12 feet high. After a quick look around, I hastily retreated. I had stumbled onto someones garden and I didn't want to get caught trespassing. I didn't tell anyone about it- didn't dare (I live near there). The next year the landowner and a couple others were put away for a few years for "gardening".


I stick to corn and tomatoes and now grapes and apples.


I don't know how you stand that heat Stinkie!


----------



## PolishWineP

I had to break down today and turn on the A/C when I got home. At 9:30pm we're still at 84 w/a dew point of 67. Not what I would call good sleeping weather. And Poor Bert knows what he'll suffer if I don't sleep well.



Poor Bert... He's really a prince of a guy...


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Miss Lilly has arrived from Tennessee for a visit with Poppy...


----------



## Joanie

Gee, I wonder whose granddaughter _she_ is?


----------



## Wade E

I wouldnt mess with her! Those could be jailhouse tats!


----------



## AAASTINKIE

My daughter, Hope, and I went fishing today, great weather, 80 and sunny, the fish cooperated also!!


----------



## Waldo

Did miss Lilly go fishing with you too stinkie? A mess of them on the grill would be great !!!


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Lilly likes the chicks, but is a little reluctant to touch them...


----------



## Wade E

Chicks are getting big.


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Poppy had a few Princess dresses laying around....


----------



## AAASTINKIE




----------



## AAASTINKIE




----------



## Joanie

We need to see *Poppy* in a princess dress! =)


----------



## Wade E

Dont encourage him Joan!


*Edited by: wade *


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Polly is still popular!!


----------



## Wade E

I bet she wants dollies head.



Such a doll.


----------



## Waldo

What a true Princess you have there stinkie


----------



## grapeman

Hey, I think you snuck an old picture in Stinkie! Her tats dissapeared!


----------



## NorthernWinos

appleman said:


> Hey, I think you snuck an old picture in Stinkie! Her tats dissapeared!




I saw that too...must have scrubed her up real good after fishing and playing with the chicks.


----------



## AAASTINKIE

I baked some French bread tonight for tomorrow night, my son and his wife are coming over, he likes red wine so I'll be going with a Chilean Carmenere by En Primeur (Spagnols)


----------



## Wade E

Bread looks awesome Frank and does that kit have the grape skins?


----------



## AAASTINKIE

No grape skins in the Chilean Carmenere, but I did make a Super Tuscan with grape skins, I want more age on it though I just bottled it a few months ago, his favorite red so far is a low priced Zinfandel I made.


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Lilly goes home tomorrow, we had our final tea party today.


----------



## Waldo

I'm having a really hard time stinkie figuring our which of you is the luckier one !!!


Great looking loaves too buddy. Wouldn't mind puttinga lip lock around a piece of that with some good butter slobbered all over it


----------



## PolishWineP

Waldo! Quit slobbering and use your napkin! Geeze! Can't take you anywhere.


----------



## Waldo

Sorry princess..did not realize it was that obvious...


----------



## AAASTINKIE

The hops are starting to take off!! They should be pretty big by September.


----------



## grapeman

I know nothing about Hops, so I looked them up. I found this site at UVM across the lake and not too far from you. Maybe there is something there that you can find interesting if you haven't seen it yet.
http://www.uvm.edu/~pass/perry/hops.html


----------



## Wade E

Looking good Frank!


----------



## AAASTINKIE

My son was here Sunday night, he like Red wine (tastes like dirt to me) he thought the Super Tuscan was great, was a kit with grape skins, but he still thinks the Vino del Vida Zinfandel kit is the best (a 55 dollar kit).
Well we had a piece of cheese in the fridge shrink wrapped we made years ago and he loves cheese, the cheese was very strong but again he loved it and of course wants me to make more, it was over 2 years and I will have to get re-trained on cheese making, but I still have the press upstairs. I didn't get a picture till the next morning...lol..


----------



## Wade E

Wow, 2 years huh! Its a good thing he likes the Vino kit seeing as how
the $ for the Amarone is lot pricier and the vino doesnt have to age as
long. How long was the Amarone aged for?


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Went to Monhegan Island, Maine with my new squeeze Rita, fantastic place to hike 12 miles out to sea.


----------



## jobe05

New Squeeze Rita????? Is that why you haven't been around in a while?

Rita needs to join the forum so we can all tell her what a lucky Gal she is! I'm sure she already knows though.

Good for you AA, you deserve someone special


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Thankfully, Rita is as adventurous as I am, we went 12 miles out in my 11' blow up boat...lol


----------



## Joanie

Isn't this the same pose Chris Columbus used before setting out for the New World?


----------



## NorthernWinos

Glad for you Stinkie...everybody needs somebody.


----------



## rgecaprock

Frank is setting out for a new world!!!! I couldn't be happier for you!!!
You and Rita make a great couple!!!!


Ramona


----------



## Waldo

Congrats Buddy !!! You did good


----------



## Wade E

Geat job Frank, how does she like yor beverages?


----------



## NorthernWinos

wade said:


> Geat job Frank, how does she like yor beverages?




How do you think he got her 12 miles out in the ocean in a rubber dingy????


----------



## Wade E




----------



## JWMINNESOTA

Smurfe tells us all to go buy rubbers, and Frank gets one that can hold two people!


----------



## peterCooper

JW,

Half the people you know are above average too. Unless you're contributing to this forum in which case all the people you know are above average. (do we have to go live in Wisconsin?)


----------



## AAASTINKIE

The Cascade hops are coming along fine.


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Plenty of little hop thingy's.


----------



## Wade E

Very cool Frank, Do you have to treat these plants like grape vines by pruning and cutting back? About how many hops are needed to brew a batch?


----------



## masta

Looking good Frank and when can we expect to see a batch brewing with fresh homegrown hops? 


Speaking of beer did you try the Maple Porter yet?*Edited by: masta *


----------



## AAASTINKIE

The vines die back every year and start over the next.
I still have to figure out when to pick them and dry them.
Maple Porter, a little too strong for my tastes, but my son drank it.


----------



## dfwwino

The hops look great. I can't wait to move to my new house and plant some next Spring. What side of the building did you plant the vines? I assume they like direct sunlight as much as possible.*Edited by: dfwwino *


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Yhey are on the south side of the garage, but only get direct sunlight in the afternoon due to a huge maple tree, but they are doing great, I didn't prepare the soil very well so they are a tough plant.


----------



## Waldo

They appear to be doing quite well stinkie.


----------



## AAASTINKIE

I picked some of the Cascade Hops today and am drying them in my food dryer, one trays worth.


----------



## grapeman

They look like little green artichaokes! I bet they will add the flavor to a few batches of beer. Great going.


----------



## dfwwino

The hops look great. So how many ounces did you pick? Should be enough for quite a few batches of beer.I wish I could taste a pale ale with those hops.


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Sorry I haven't been around for a while, have fallen in LOVE big time!! Plus I have been working 7 days a week for 6 weeks and a 15 day shutdown starts tonight, but after this 15 nights things should go back to normal, 3 days on 3 days off, I had 3 days off this week and my girl, Rita, and I went to camp and went hiking, also ate well, Steamers and King Crab legs.
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----------



## NorthernWinos

Glad you have a special friend....looking forward to the pix.


----------



## lockdude

Man thoses cascade hops look good.There one of my favorites.
lockdude


----------



## Wade E

Glad your finally get some time off there Frank, have you brewed a btch with those hops yet?


----------



## jobe05

AHHhhhh...... Love.........

The things it will do to a man..............

Been there......... done that.............. wait a minute....... Still doing that....





Glad things are going so well for ya Frank


----------



## Waldo

Congrats Stinkie.....Hopethe feelings you have right nownever ends for you buddy


----------



## AAASTINKIE

We usually stop at the winery for a "sample" on the way to the coast to get fresh lobsters.


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Nothing like fresh lobsters!!


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Lobsters!!


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Steamers!!


----------



## Wade E

What a pairing, steamers and white wine. No thats not the pairing Im referring to, you 2 look like your having a great time. Enjoy!


----------



## PolishWineP

Between you and texasermd, I'm done for the day. Once again, *I am jealous.* I'm happy for you, but I'm jealous. And a plate of Prairie Mountain Oysters will NOT fix it!!




**The PWP is not exhibiting the proper attitude and should go get a glass of adjustment.** *Edited by: PolishWineP *


----------



## Waldo

Man could I do some slobbering over them steamers !!!! Throw a drop cloth on the floor around my feet and give me plenty of rooom !!!!


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Sorry I haven't been around, being in Love is a full time job!! Even my primary's are all empty!! But my wine cellar is full. Rita bought me some Cross Country Skis for Christmas so we went skiing this weekend (it's COLD up here!!)


----------



## AAASTINKIE

My Sweetheart!!


----------



## grapeman

Stay Happy and Warm up there Frank. Pop in from time to time and let us know what is brewing and fermenting.


----------



## Waldo

Ditto from here stinkie


----------



## PolishWineP

And maybe start a batch of some kind of wine. It's nice to see you again and say hey to Rita!


----------



## Wade E

So happy that your happy with your honey. Have you brewed a small batch with those hops you grew or was the crop to small the first year?


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Brewed a Irish Stout today and a Pilsner with snow in the background.


----------



## grapeman

If I didn't know better I would think you were boiling maple syrup there Stinkie by the steam rising. Looks like you got some powder there yesterday too. We are picking up some more squalls today.


----------



## AAASTINKIE

All my children ans grandchildren were at my house yesterday for a visit at one time!! (it's been a long time!!)


----------



## Wade E

Frank, did Joan Photo edit you into that picture? Looks like a great Family get together! Merry Christmas!


----------



## trashy

pink hair, tats and shaved heads - my kind of people!

Great pic.


----------



## grapeman

Great picture Stinkie. Is that one grandson in the front row(second kid from the left)or are they all girls? My wife's parents had the first 8 out of 10 kids were boys! Glad they all made it over Frank. Hope they could stay a spell!


----------



## AAASTINKIE

All my grandchildren are boys except for Lilly..lol
My sweetheart and I got some cross country skiing in while I was on vacation last week, here we are with Sugarloaf mountain in the background, we were on their cross country trails and had a great time!!


----------



## Waldo

Poooorrrr Polly..........What has become of her Stinkie


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Lilly played with the crew when she was here for Christmas...lol


----------



## AAASTINKIE

I think I've had enough snow already!!


----------



## grapeman

Unfortunately Stinkie, the snow will keep coming for another few months! We are in our dry cycle now. We only generally get quick 2-3 inch snows for another month now then as the jet stream moves back north, we get another month with heavier snows. You guys can have the heavier snows and enjoy them. Go skiing!


----------



## Wade E

Thats quite the pile of snow there Frank.


----------



## Dean

We only get a little bit of snow per year, so I'll live my snow dreams through you Frank!


----------



## Wade E

What? You are from Canada right Dean?


----------



## Dean

LOL, yes Wade, I am from Canada, but I live on the west coast, in New Westminster. This is an old city that is part of Metro Vancouver. I'm actually only about 20 miles from the US border, and living on the pacific ocean has its advantages. Our heat is regulated by the ocean, so while we don't usually have blistering summers, we also don't get very cold winters either. We may get about 2 weeks total snow per year, and the rest is rain. RAIN RAIN RAIN....it's quite dreary and gray most of the time from October until March, with very little sunshine. I'm originally from the prairies, and we got our share of snow growing up, but here on the coast, we get nothing. I have the exact same weather that Seattle and Portland get.


----------



## Wade E

Ahhhhhhh, I didnt think there was such a thing as that in Canada. Learn something new every day!


----------



## joeswine

MY GOODNESS IF WE EVER GOT THAT KIND OF SNOW HERE IN NEW JERSEY&lt;YOU WOULDN'T FIND THE ENTIRE STATE UNTIL THE SPRING!


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Started a raspberry wine yesterday.


----------



## AAASTINKIE

They were skidding wood up the road so I bought 10 cord of wood for a good price (70 per cord) I didn't know 10 cord was such a big pile!!!! Time for some winter fun!! It will be nice to get the shed full before summer so I don't have to work on it this summer.


----------



## swillologist

That looks like it should keep you busy for an afternoon.


----------



## rgecaprock

Rita, 


I know you and Frank will be cozied up to many a fire!!!!!!


Ramona


----------



## grapeman

The nice thing about that wodd Frank is that it won't take a lot of hard splitting. A strike or two with a maul and it will pop in two and should be about the right soze. Only a few larger pieces. Looks like mostly maple and a few yellow birch. Nice score.


----------



## Joanie

I don't think I'd stand quite that close to it!!!



Rita, step away from the woodpile!


----------



## rgecaprock

I asked Frank on the phone....where do yo start with a pile like that...don't want to get burried in the woodpile.


Be Careful Frank!!!


Ramona


----------



## Wade E

That ought to keep you warm for awhile! Girls, those piles are more stable then you think.


----------



## Joanie

If you say so!


----------



## peterCooper

Oh What I'd do for a bit of snow down here!


----------



## swillologist

We are supposed to get some tomorrow peter. You can have it.


----------



## peterCooper

Not in Texas!


----------



## peterCooper

Thunderstorms and 65 for a high.


----------



## swillologist

Be ready for some more storms. It was almost 60 here yesterday. Right now it is 7. If this thing hold together like it is here. It could be quite a battle down in your area. *Edited by: swillologist *


----------



## PolishWineP

Frank, Click the link to see what you need for your wood pile!
http://www.youtube.com:80/watch?v=Ei9LlLLZwAU


----------



## zember311

PolishWineP said:


> Frank, Click the link to see what you need for your wood pile!
> http://www.youtube.com:80/watch?v=Ei9LlLLZwAU




OMG ! I want one of those and the only land I own is the mud on my shoes ..


----------



## Wade E

Thats contraption is amazing, I have seen this on the learning channel on Modern Marvels I think but it still amazes me. Thanks PWP for sharing.


----------



## AAASTINKIE

I have a Raspberry wine in the secondary now.


----------



## peterCooper

I have 25 strawberry plants on their way to me. I can't wait!


----------



## Waldo

My gawdddddddd, what will happen if stinkie gets one of those contraptions


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Been working on some labels.


----------



## Wade E

Love it frank!


----------



## Tomy

Have you ask the person that did the art work for permission to use it? Tomy


----------



## Michael Vino

AAAstinkie........where are you hiding these days.....I miss your adventures, photos and posts.


Hope you are doing well!


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Got home the other night after a 15 hour day and my sweetheart had made me Mussels in a wine sauce, she saute'd onions and garlic in olive oil and added 3/4 bottle of apple wine we made with some Linguica (like Kilbasa) took the Linguica out and cooked the Mussels then added the Linguica again, it was FANTASTIC!!


----------



## NorthernWinos

Frank...have you been getting much maple syrup this year????


----------



## Joanie

Yummmm, Frank!


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Northern Winos said:


> Frank...have you been getting much maple syrup this year????


I have the buckets washed and put away as of last week, 175 buckets, 1620 gallons of sap hauled, 20 gallons of syrup for me (I have a commercial place boil it and we go 80 to one 50/50) it's in 5 gallon pails on the kitchen floor waiting to be bottled, next to the two 23ltr. Italian Pinot Grigio kits I picked up today and the 6 American light beer kits and a Wheat beer and Mexican Cerveza kit. Soon as the two Super Tuscan grape skin kits are out of the primary's I'll get started on them, Tonight is my 8 strait day at work, after tomorrow night I'm on vacation for a week, I'll try to post some pictures then, am I staying busy enough?? PS I need a bigger wine cellar already...lol


----------



## Wade E

Frank, looks like the hunny really hooked you up with that meal. Thats a lot of fermenting you have to do there buddy.


----------



## AAASTINKIE

The Cascade hops I planted last year are growing like crazy!! I planted 7 more hops roots this year by the deck.


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Miss Lilly, my granddaughter is here for a visit, I moved some wood to expose the snow insulated underneath.


----------



## rgecaprock

She is so cute!!!!


----------



## grapeman

You should have a good crop of hops this year Frank. Lilly is just adorable- but I still can't get used to the hair color kids use these days! She looks like she has hair for a bright spring morning to hide in the flowers-maybe the lilacs.


----------



## Wade E

I agree as she is a cutie and we want to see some pics of hops when theyre full grown.


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Lilly's mom is a hairdresser, and it is bright hair...lol


----------



## AAASTINKIE

I also have a new grandson, Russ.


----------



## NorthernWinos

Is that a Trillium Miss Lilly has in her hand???? Is it a native one that comes in that color or one you planted????


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Northern Winos said:


> Is that a Trillium Miss Lilly has in her hand???? Is it a native one that comes in that color or one you planted????




The trilliums are native and grow all over my property like weeds, I have 47 acres so that's a lot of weeds!!...lol


PS I have only seen red ones here so far.*Edited by: AAASTINKIE *


----------



## rgecaprock

*Frank, she looks like a garden fairy!!!!*


My dad has pictures of me about that age in the woods in WV in the trilliums. They were white. Hope I can find that picture someday.


*I can almost see her wings!!!!!*


Ramona


----------



## rgecaprock

*Frank, she looks like a littlegarden fairy!!!!*


My dad has pictures of me about that age in the woods in WV in the trilliums. They were white. Hope I can find that picture someday.


*I can almost see her wings!!!!!*


Ramona


----------



## AAASTINKIE

I found a batch of Mexican Cerveza that was over carbonated, just dumped it all, didn't have any explosions or leaks. The caps were all puffed up.


----------



## PolishWineP

You poor thing! Didn't even taste it?


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Just a little too much carbonation...


----------



## AAASTINKIE




----------



## Joanie

Oh my goodness!!! How much yeast did you use, Frank?


----------



## PolishWineP

Oh Frank! I hope no terrorists get your recipe!


----------



## AAASTINKIE

I've been working on wines and beer all day, racked the Dandelion to the secondary.


----------



## AAASTINKIE

PolishWineP said:


> Oh Frank! I hope no terrorists get your recipe!


 I wasn't paranoid enough to think about terrorists but I am now, going out to check the perimeter now!!


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Joan said:


> Oh my goodness!!! How much yeast did you use, Frank?


 I remember that batch wasn't fermenting fast enough, think it finished in the bottles, figured I better dump it before the bottles started popping.


----------



## Waldo

Did ya just stick yer head in the sink and inhale deeply !!!!


----------



## grapeman

I woulda dumped em down my throat! But then you wouldn't have wanted to be near me- that would have been the belchin zone!


----------



## AAASTINKIE

I bought a pickup load of compost today, Rita and I planted 2 new apple trees. This gives me 13 trees, I just started taking care of them last year so they should start producing in a few years, but they all had blossems this year except one tree.


----------



## AAASTINKIE

I also made tomatoe planters from 16" fiberglass pipes with cages that should last a lifetime, also in the picture we put tires filled with compost on some felt and my new Toyota Yaris (40 MPG) is in the background.


----------



## grapeman

Sounds like somebody is living "Green". Great ideas for recycling Stinkie. What are you planting in the tires?


----------



## AAASTINKIE

appleman said:


> Sounds like somebody is living "Green". Great ideas for recycling Stinkie. What are you planting in the tires?
> 
> The tire will have cukes, summer squash, and maybe some peppers, I had to stop posting for a while, we had lobster fest for dinner...lobsters are priced right this time of year, I bought a 3 lb'der for my sweetheart and 4 small ones for me with 2 lbs. of steamers, took a while to eat dinner, was good with Cabernet sauvingnon for Rita and an Irish Stout for me.


----------



## AAASTINKIE

appleman said:


> Sounds like somebody is living "Green". Great ideas for recycling Stinkie. What are you planting in the tires?
> 
> The tire will have cukes, summer squash, and maybe some peppers, I had to stop posting for a while, we had lobster fest for dinner...lobsters are priced right this time of year, I bought a 3 lb'der for my sweetheart and 4 small ones for me with 2 lbs. of steamers, took a while to eat dinner, was good with Cabernet sauvingnon for Rita and an Irish Stout for me.


----------



## grapeman

It must be great living there in Maine with all the seafood. I love what seafood I can eat, but lobsters and crabs are out of the question. How are the hops coming along this year? I saw you planted some more.


----------



## AAASTINKIE

This is one of two Stainless Steel tomato planters I made, last years hops are in the background, growing like weeds, they are 8 feet tall already!!


----------



## rgecaprock

Frank, What is the purpose of the tires. If I used them here the plants would probably ignite!!! 98 on my thermometer today. You are so ingenious.


Ramona*Edited by: rgecaprock *


----------



## grapeman

Great looking planter. That should really last for many years. You will need a ladder for those hops. That's great! Hope they bear well for you and the weather agrees for a good harvest.


----------



## NorthernWinos

Looks like a dinner fit for a King and Queen...who else could eat like that.

What a fabulous meal.


----------



## AAASTINKIE

rgecaprock said:


> Frank, What is the purpose of the tires. If I used them here the plants would probably ignite!!! 98 on my thermometer today. You are so ingenious.
> I just wanted to make raised beds for growing and I always have a few tires laying around, they will heat up and help things grow faster up hear in the cold, and the paper machine felt from work will keep the veggy's off the dirt.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Ramona


----------



## AAASTINKIE

I'm thinking once you make good wine you might as well try for some great vinegar, my first try with 1 gallon of pinot noir diluted to 2 gallons of starter and primed with braggs. After it becomes vinegar I'm going to put it on oak chips for the winter.


----------



## AAASTINKIE

PS Did I tell ya this is the GREATEST woman in the world, and I'm going to marry her soon!!

"it don't get no better than this"


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Opps, let me rephrase that, she's going to marry me, I wanted to marry her a long time ago, I knew when I met her she was the one!!


----------



## Joanie

Congratulations, Frank! It couldn't happen to a nicer guy!


----------



## grapeman

Frank I hate to mention this, but you have that deer caught in the headlights look in that picture






Seriously though, Congratulations to the both of you. You deserve each other, even if you get the better end of the deal.


Better get the Wedding Wine going if it isn't already aging!


----------



## NorthernWinos

Congratulations...The magic will never end.


----------



## rgecaprock

Frank and Rita,


Congratulations!!!!! I'm so glad that you are both so happy.I would love to be at your wedding. Are you still thinking of Monhegan Island?


Have you set a date!!!


Ramona


----------



## PolishWineP

Best wishes to the both of you! Frank, she must be one special woman!


----------



## Bert

Congratulation Frank and Rita....Best wishes to the both of you..


----------



## Waldo

Congratulations Stinkie...Best wishes for a long and happy union


----------



## rrawhide

Hey Stinkie

Best always - I'm sure she is great - mine too - we've lasted only 38 years with (at least) 38 more to go!!! Way to go!!

rrawhide


----------



## joeswine

good luck to the both of you an most importantly good health







http://www.sweetim.com/s.asp?im=gen&amp;ref=12


----------



## JWMINNESOTA

Cant be anything better than finding your soul mate! You do look very happy together!


----------



## AAASTINKIE

The Hops I planted this spring, are about 2 feet tall now. These are the Hops I planted last year, they went to the top of the garage 12 feet and are curling around now!! They die back to roots every year, so this is all new growth!!


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Jalapeno's will be stuffed with cheese before you know it!!


----------



## AAASTINKIE

Can't wait for fall to pick the first of my horseradish!!


----------



## Joanie

Find yourself one of those old-fashioned hand grinders and prepare to cry! Your sinuses will never be clearer!


----------



## grapeman

Things are really growing for you in the great north woods, eh? The hops are looking super. The peppers are looking great and the horseradish is looking horseradishy! Will the roots be big enough this year? I haven't ground that up since my grandmother and I used to make it about 40 years ago. Nothing like the taste of fresh made!


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## Wade E

I hear ya there Joan. I ground up my 1st fresh horseradish the year before last and all I can say is WOW!


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## AAASTINKIE

We have been trapping some wild kittens here, 5 so far, they live in the chicken coup for now till we get them fixed and find homes for them.


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## AAASTINKIE

For those of you building wine cellars, build them as large as possible, cause they will always be too small...lol


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## Wade E

I second that on the cellar. The end of this year I will be completely and utterly full to ceiling. Those are some cute kittens there.
*Edited by: wade *


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## Frank&Rita

If anyone else is confused, AAASTINKIE is now Frank of Frank&amp;Rita.


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## jobe05

Frank&amp;Rita said:


> If anyone else is confused, AAASTINKIE is now Frank of Frank&amp;Rita.



Well....... I'm usually confused, but I know that.........


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## Rocky_Top

Got it : Frank = AAASTINKIE 
AAASTINKIE + Rita = Frank&amp;Rita
Rita does not = AAASTINKIE
conclusion: Frank stinks &amp; Rita does not


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## Waldo

Looks like Rita has done a great job organizing your cellar stiinkie


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## rgecaprock

Ha Ha, Rocky Top


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