Chickweed wine - I'm going for it!

[Raptor99]

Better yet, make a cup of tea and let that decide for you. Looks like I may have 3 different kind judging by the slight variations of the flower. One is very fragrant and doesn't taste bad. Another is awful.

Normally I would totally agree with you. If I don't like the tea made with an herb, why would I make wine/mead with it? In this case, I am going mainly for the medicinal benefit, so I can tolerate a certain amount of bitterness or vegetative flavor.

Be sure that you are looking at yarrow rather than queen annes's lace. They are quite similar in appearance, until you closely examine the leaves. Differences Between Yarrow & Queen Anne's Lace - Unruly Gardening

I have found that yarrow flowers have a less bitter flavor than the leaves. I haven't been able to find a clear answer as to whether the medicinal benefits are the same.

 

[FlamingoEmporium]

I noticed it had a slightly different flavor in different parts of the property. Soil? Sun? Age?

that’s where the cats have been peeing …..

 

[Newbie Mel]

@Newbie Mel If you are interested in using herbs with medicinal properties, you should consider metheglin, which is the name for herb meads. The word "metheglin" comes from two Welsh words, one meaning "medicinal" and the other "alcoholic." Many of the methelgins made in centuries past were created to treat medical conditions.

It's important that you have learned to distinguish yarrow from queen anne's lace and hemlock (both of which are toxic). They are quite different once you know what you are looking for. Yarrow is easy to propagate if you want to grow more.

I would not consume wild lettuce because it can act as a psychoactive drug and cause hallucinations: Wild Lettuce (Lactuca virosa): Pain Relief, Benefits and Risks This site, Healthline: Medical information and health advice you can trust. is a good source for information about the medicinal benefit and possible side effects of various herbs.

The best herbal treatment that I have found for muscle and joint pain is yarrow + meadowsweet + juniper berry (see the recipe linked above). But be sure to read the precautions for each herb on healthline.com. For example, some herbs act as blood thinners, which might be good/bad depending on your medical condition. Some will help lower blood pressure, while others might raise it. Some herbs should not be consumed long term on a daily basis. With all medicines and herbs, it is important to consider the stress they put on your liver and kidneys.

I don’t see the link to the recipe, would you mind sending it again, please?Sounds interesting.

 

[Raptor99]

that’s where the cats have been peeing …..

Nitrogen is good for the plants! Just be sure to rinse them off.

 

[Raptor99]

I don’t see the link to the recipe, would you mind sending it again, please?Sounds interesting.

Here's the link: How to Brew Your Mead Like a Viking: 3 Bold Recipe Variants

The first recipe was my starting point. I follow modern mead making procedures, including organic nutrients using SNA and a wine/mead yeast rather than wild yeast. You can make a tea using the same proportions of the herbs (by weight).

 

[Newbie Mel]

Here's the link: How to Brew Your Mead Like a Viking: 3 Bold Recipe Variants

The first recipe was my starting point. I follow modern mead making procedures, including organic nutrients using SNA and a wine/mead yeast rather than wild yeast. You can make a tea using the same proportions of the herbs (by weight).

Now I see where you had linked the article earlier in the thread! Thank you for sending again. Definitely sounds like something I want to try.

 

[BigDaveK]

that’s where the cats have been peeing …..

It's possible but they seem to prefer the flower beds. And especially anything I've recently planted.

 

[BigDaveK]

Nitrogen is good for the plants! Just be sure to rinse them off.

I do my part...often. Ah, the simple pleasures of living in the country!

 

[vinny]

Well.. I went for it too!

I got 223 grams of chickweed from the greenhouse. The flavor was a delicious lettuce with a clover finish. Last night I dumped a litre or so of hot water over top and steeped overnight.

The smell.. Spinach!

This morning I wrung out the greens, dropped the Ph to 3.9 with citric acid, brought the SG up to 1.090, and sprinkled some EC-1118 on top. Accompanied with some nutrient and pectic enzyme, that about wrapped it up.

My water is 7.3 coming out of the well, so it took 2 1/4 tsp of citric acid to drop me down. The flavor is a bright lemony spinachiness. I don't know how else to describe it.

Not much to see!

.

 

[vinny]

And just so I'm not the guy showing up late, stealing all the ideas and bringing nothing original....

Chickweed dip!

Tastes like a really flavorful spinach dip, water chestnuts and all.. MMMMmmm.

 

[winemaker81]

Chickweed dip!

Sounds good to me!

 

[Raptor99]

I just found some chickweed on my property!

I used 2 quarts (197 gr).

Did you use the leaves, stems, and flowers together? Did you make a tea first with hot water like @vinny did, or just dump the herbs into the primary?

@vinny Did the flavor seem about right with 223 g per gallon? I noticed that you are growing chickweed in your greenhouse!

 

[vinny]

This is what Dave told me.

I used everything but the roots and hardly had any flowers. I skipped the tannin and went with what he wrote below and another note that he dumped hot water over them and steeped the greens overnight. I only had one location so I went with what I had. I am just curious if I get apricot out of spinach. I've never made a wine like this, so I don't know about right, but the flavor was present!


Taste the chickweed! I tried it from 3-4 locations and there was a noticeable difference to me. There again - Soil? Sun?
I used 2 quarts of chickweed which came in at 197 grams. Pre-anything the pH was 5.00 and the SG 1.000. I personally like citric acid with my flower wines and got it to pH 3.3ish. A bit of pectic enzyme never hurts, nutrient, and what the heck let's add an 1/8 tsp tannin. And I went with 1118. It was a surprisingly slow ferment - 10 days to go from 1.090 to 1.020 when I transferred.
Good luck!

 

[BigDaveK]

The smell.. Spinach!

Well...uh....I do have Baby Spinach Wine on my list!

 

[BigDaveK]

Did you use the leaves, stems, and flowers together? Did you make a tea first with hot water like @vinny did, or just dump the herbs into the primary?

I removed everything, and squeezed, after letting it steep overnight. I'm still hesitant fermenting with the greens of anything. Haven't done it yet but I'm sure I will out of curiosity.

 

[Ohio Bob]

Well...uh....I do have Baby Spinach Wine on my list!

Of course you did, we were waiting for it!

 

[BigDaveK]

Be sure that you are looking at yarrow rather than queen annes's lace. They are quite similar in appearance, until you closely examine the leaves. Differences Between Yarrow & Queen Anne's Lace - Unruly Gardening

I'm a bit late with this but these are the three yarrow I have. Different varieties or different growing conditions, I don't know. And today I found a 4th one.

 

[BigDaveK]

It's only been a few months but the darn thing was crystal clear with minimal lees. I used citric acid but surprisingly there were tartrate crystals!
Bottled yesterday.
Another big surprise - it still tastes like apricot wine!
I may add a bit of hibiscus for color next time.

 

[winemaker81]

I may add a bit of hibiscus for color next time.

Or not. That's a good color for an apricot wine, and it may be better to leave some wines their natural color. I'm visualizing having that in the glass and smelling apricot. It's a good visualization.

 

[BigDaveK]

Or not. That's a good color for an apricot wine, and it may be better to leave some wines their natural color. I'm visualizing having that in the glass and smelling apricot. It's a good visualization.

You make a good point, Bryan, and perhaps I shouldn't be so quick to judge.
Most of my non berry wines are shades of yellow/amber and my knee jerk reaction is for more color. I'll give some thought to "appropriate" color in the future.