My fig tree has defeated me! Must make wine!

[TXsharon]

I need lots of help. I have several fig trees that surround my new home. Most of the figs are not ripe yet but one tree is making about 8 pounds of huge, beautiful purple figs everyday. I have canned a few, canned chutney, frozen lots, baked figs with chicken and goat cheese, sliced them in salad, made salad dressing and some are steeping in vodka. I try to stay away from sugary jams and stuff like that.

My grandmother did not raise me to waste figs so I guess I need to make wine but I don't know where to start. I looked up winemaking kits. Would something like this work? http://www.midwestsupplies.com/starter-winemaking-equipment-kit-w-floor-corking-machine.html

I need winemaking for epic dummies.

Sharon

 

[Arne]

First, welcome to our forum. Along with the equiptment you will need some yeast, campden tablets, potassium sorbate, some yeast nutrient, yeast energizer, maybe some tannin and acid blend. A small bottle or package of each will make several batches of wine. To help clear the wine, you mite pick up some bentenite, sparkaloid, and or superkleer. Next time you order if you decide you are going to stay with the winemaking, order a spare hydrometer. They are pretty fragile and prone to breaking. With that you should be good to go. If you stay with it you will find more things to buy, but once you have the basics, there is not much you have to spend money on. Not saying that you won't find more that you want, but you do not need it. Arne.

By the way, when you get the equiptment come on back here and start asking questions. It usually doesn't take too long to get the answers you want.

 

[DomR]

There are many kits on the market and they are all good enough to get started. Amazon is also a good place to find kits. I like the fact that that one comes with a floor corker since this year I had a major accident with my hand corker. I picked up much about wine making from Jack Kellers site http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/ and by using discussion forums. There are many knowledgable people here who will be more than happy to help you get started. Here is Jack's recipe for a fresh fig wine, I find his recipies are a good place to start. http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/reques6.asp I have to warn you. Once you start making wine, it's hard to stop.

 

[TXsharon]

Thank you for the info and encouragement. I will start shopping right away.

 

[Duster]

Welcome, Glad you found us and I wish I had the same problems you have with having too much fruit.
along with a starter kit that you had found you may want to check out a chemical kit. I think your better off buying the stuff indavidualy once you get the feel for what you need but to start off the kit is a good way to go. http://71.18.225.134/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=522
Also the Kit you have selected comes with a 7.5 gallon bucket. If your going to be using real fruit you may want something a bit larger. I know it sounds offensive but pick up a new and clean kitchen trash can for a primary bucket. Lastly I strongly recommend getting some cheese cloth as well, Line your primary bucket with it when all your figs go in, that way in a few days when your ready to rack your wine over to the secondary you can lift the cheese cloth out with all the fruit in it and squeeze the wine out of the fruit with little effort.
Lastly, as Arne said, ask all the questions you want.
good luck and keeps us informed on how its going, were here to help.

 

[TXsharon]

Thank you! I found a kit on Amazon that looks about the same as the one I posted above but it's a lot better price. I haven't ordered anything yet though. I've been trying to read about making wine. This site has some pdf books linked but the links aren't working. So I've been reading on JackKeller.net.

If I get a trash can for my primary won't I also need a larger secondary?

 

[saramc]

Welcome to the forum. I am a fig fanatic and have more than 50 of them growing in containers, and anxiously awaiting the three year mark when I should have figs galore!

You may want to consider listing your fruit on Craiglist. A dehydrator?

In regard to larger primary ... when working with fresh fruit you have a lot more volume and by the time your rack to secondary (the carboy) you are moving just liquid. Most times you lose volume as you move from primary to secondary, just really depends. Fresh figs are quite juicy and naturally sweet. I actually use two large Rubbermaid LUGS (the rectangular or round ones), they are not as tall as trash cans and easier for me to work with, easier to reach the bottom of the container, etc. I also don't use cheesecloth and instead prefer to use straining bags and even nylon panty hose; I save my cheesecloth for cheese, just me.

 

[sonofasailor]

I am not trying to Hi-jack the forum but have a very similar issue. I'm brand new to this forum and home wine making. I have the same exact problem...so many figs. We have canned, dried, baked figs...but yet the figs still keep ripening. So we decided to try making wine. Have purchased a wine making kit and ingredient kit. The fig wine recipe I found is for 1 gallon of wine...the kit calls for 6 gallons. The recipe states that it can be modified for any amount by adjusting amount of figs, water and sugar. Do you also have to adjust acid blend, yeast nutrient and wine yeast? Sorry for jumping in here just have so many figs.....thanks and cheers.

 

[DomR]

Just multiply everything by 6 except the yeast. One package is good for 6 gallons sprinkled on top. Many wine makers will make a yeast starter the night before to guarantee the yeast will be active and give it a good healthy start. I have done it both ways without any problems but do perfer the starter method.

 

[Rocky]

TXsharon, what a great problem to have! I love fresh figs and, when they are available, we pay about $1 each here in Ohio.

 

[TXsharon]

Jump in. We all learn from each other.

 

[TXsharon]

I wish I could send you some. I took 10 pounds to the local food pantry on Saturday. The end of this month I have to travel for my job for about 5 days so I'm not going to start a wine project until after that.

 

[saramc]

If the fragile figs would survive shipping I would definitely pay the price!

 

[Rocky]

That is the problem, Sara. They are normally packed in something akin to an egg carton, one fig to a cell. I am sure that is a lot of the price we pay. In Tuscany, they grew wild along the roads. We used to walk from village to village and we could eat our fill. Most of them fell on the ground and rotted.