This years fruits

[Stressbaby]

Update to earlier post - Found a total of almost 8 pounds of frozen blueberries dating back to 2008 (The old ones still tasted good when thawed out) I added in a bag of last years blueberries to bring the total to 8 pounds. (That fills my little fermentation bag and should give me about 1.5 to 1.75 gallons of must to start with. Figure with that many berries I should be sure to have at least 1.5 to 1.75 gallons due to expected lees at the end of primary.

BUT I don't think I'll need to add any water except what it takes to dissolve enough sugar - going to aim for about 14-15 ABV (Starting SG at 1.100 approx hopefully ending at .995) so a dry wine. Flavor should be good if the berries are good just can't get more berries into a single gallon batch without some advance prep and I'm not going to spend my time doing that.

Any ideas on this. Still waiting for all the berries to thaw out in the fridge before I launch this batch. Basement temp is right at 72 so fermentation should run smartly once started. Only concern about fermentation is overflow with that much must in that 2 gallon fermenter.

Just my 2 cents, but I think you will be adding a lot of water to get 8# of berries to 1.5 gallons total volume. My experience is more like 12-13# of fruit for each gallon. YMMV

 

[Stressbaby]

We picked 10# of blackberries yesterday plus 10# of blueberries.
The goal is 30# blue, 60# black, 30# elderberries...we'll see...

 

[Scooter68]

"Just my 2 cents, but I think you will be adding a lot of water to get 8# of berries to 1.5 gallons total volume. My experience is more like 12-13# of fruit for each gallon."

Well it actually took 7 cups of water 2 of which were simple syrup. Ended up with a hair over 1.5 gallons. Got out an old fashioned Ricer/strainer to crush and press out they juice from the blueberries then adjusted the SG a little. Starting fermentation tomorrow with 1.100 SG and PH of 2.14 ABV should come in about 14% if I ferment down to .990. Dropped Campden tablet after testing pH and SG. Tomorrow the yeast starter drops and with a basement temp of 72 degrees we should be bubbling nicely by Wednesday.

 

[cozmogeek]

Our raspberries have been crazy this year. We got at least 3 times as many berries as last year. I have frozen enough to make 3 gallons of raspberry wine. We have a couple blueberry bushes too but there don't seem to be enough berries on there to really do anything with. Last year we got no blueberries so hopefully next year it'll be better.

 

[Scooter68]

You can get a decent wine with 4-5 lbs of blueberries. IF you backsweeten a little.

 

[cozmogeek]

You can get a decent wine with 4-5 lbs of blueberries. IF you backsweeten a little.

They're just starting to get ripe so I'll see what I can get from them. I have a feeling my wife and kids are going to eat them all
I could always supplement them with some berries from the store.

 

[Scooter68]

Avoid 'store bought' blueberries and go to a farmers market or a local seller. Store bought are picked earlier that what you or I would pick and haven't reached their peak in flavor or sugar content. They will work but you are probably going to need at least 6 lbs to get a good flavor. BUT - Hey I have 31 plants and with just 9 really producing this year (Others too young) I have been enjoying the eating part more than the thoughts of making wine.
Either way it's a win-win or is that win-wine?

 

[Arne]

Think I am done picking cherries. Have about enough for 10 gal. of wine or so. Picked some for pies and deserst last night. Plenty of cherries left, think the robins are going to get them. Got half the currants picked yesterday, will get a 5 gal. batch out of them when I get the other half picked. About time to go to the lake and drink some of last years wine, will worry about this years when I get back. Arne.

 

[hounddawg]

I got 10 gallons cherry fermenting , but no cherry pie, so if your better half wants to send a begging man a slice of homemade cherry pie then HERE I IS,,,
Dawg::

Think I am done picking cherries. Have about enough for 10 gal. of wine or so. Picked some for pies and deserst last night. Plenty of cherries left, think the robins are going to get them. Got half the currants picked yesterday, will get a 5 gal. batch out of them when I get the other half picked. About time to go to the lake and drink some of last years wine, will worry about this years when I get back. Arne.

 

[Arne]

I got 10 gallons cherry fermenting , but no cherry pie, so if your better half wants to send a begging man a slice of homemade cherry pie then HERE I IS,,,
Dawg::

They are in the freezer. Probably come out about Thanksgiving or Christmas. You are more than welcome to come on over and have some. Kind of a long drive for a piece of pie and as much wine as you can hold. Got a spare bedroom so you can drink as much as you like and not have to drive someplace to spend the night. Later, Arne.

 

[Stressbaby]

Yesterday we picked another 10# blueberries and 35# blackberries. Up to 20# blueberries and 45# blackberries...

 

[cozmogeek]

I got a good price on "day old" blackberries today at the farmer's market. After removing all the bad berries I ended up with 16lbs. I think I'll turn that into 3 gallons of really tasty blackberry wine. The wild berries near me are starting to ripen now too so I'll be out picking those any day now I'm sure. We probably got 20lbs of raspberries from the small patch in our yard this year. The weather has been perfect.

 

[Scooter68]

Sounds about right 5 lbs per gallon makes a good and strong wine, using much more is a waste of blackberries that could be used for more wine or cobbler.

If those are red raspberries all you need next is some peaches - then next year you can have red white and blue (Ok purple) wine for the 4th. Or get some blueberry wine started.

 

[cozmogeek]

The wild blackberries around here are finally becoming ripe. I picked 1.5lbs yesterday.. now I just need to do that a few more times so I can make a small batch of wild blackberry wine to compare to the farm berries. I was only picking the REALLY ripe ones that were falling apart when i pulled them off the plant.

 

[Arne]

The wild blackberries around here are finally becoming ripe. I picked 1.5lbs yesterday.. now I just need to do that a few more times so I can make a small batch of wild blackberry wine to compare to the farm berries. I was only picking the REALLY ripe ones that were falling apart when i pulled them off the plant.

LOL, get em before the birds do. Good luck with it, fresh fruit wines are usually the best. Arne.

 

[cozmogeek]

LOL, get em before the birds do. Good luck with it, fresh fruit wines are usually the best. Arne.

I plan to! I grabbed another 2.5lbs yesterday. I figure a week from now it'll be a lot easier since I won't have to walk 2 miles to find that many ripe berries. I was aiming for enough to do 1 gallon but now that sounds like not enough so I might try for 3 instead.

 

[cozmogeek]

I've been picking berries like crazy the last week. They're super ripe right now so it's easy to pick 3lbs at a time. A couple more times out there and I should have enough for my 3 gallon batch of blackberry.
EDIT: So I got another nearly 3lbs today... came home and weighed all the berries and I'm up to 16.5lbs. I think I'll shoot for 24 or so and try to do 2 3 gallon batches. woohoo!

 

[wyogal]

Raspberries just ripening in the mountains

We just started picking our raspberries 2 days ago (Jackson WY Z3.5-4). They are delicious and if prior years are any indication we will not be able to eat them all.
Last year I made some rhubarb/raspberry, but I don't really like the result--not enough flavor.
So I'm wondering are raspberries better with peach? plum? by themselves?

 

[cozmogeek]

Here's the 3 gallon batch of raspberry I started last night with 14lbs of berries I grew at home. The crop this year was crazy.

 

[cozmogeek]

I think I'm up to about 26lbs of wild blackberries now. People are asking me when I'm going to stop picking them. I'm not sure what to say. There's going to be an intervention soon if I don't stop.