Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Eating and Drinking => Homebrew => Topic started by: Beetie on September 15, 2013, 16:44
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Hello. I have cucumbers coming out of my ears... My first year of growing them has been very successful and I can't keep up eating or giving them away. Someone mentioned to me that it is possible to make wine with them. Has anyone ever done this successfully or able to recommend a recipe (I'm a beginner so the simpler the better). Thank you in advance for any advice.
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I did find this one recipe on a USA site...
Cucumber wine recipe
* 4 pounds cucumbers
* 3 campden tablets
* 2 oranges
* 2 lemons
* 7 cups sugar
* pectic enzyme
* nutrients
* 1 package Lalvin EC1118
* water
Wash cucumbers. Leave skin on. Chop cucumbers and place in primary fermentor.
Wash oranges and lemons. Slice thinly and add to cucumbers. Stir in sugar and nutrients.
Pour 16 cups boiling water over mixture. Stir to dissolve sugar. Let cool. Add pectic enzyme.
The next day, check specific gravity -- it should be between 1.090 and 1.100. Add yeast. Stir daily for five days, until frothing stops.
Strain. Siphon into secondary fermentor and attach airlock.
For a dry wine, rack in three weeks, and every three months for one year. Bottle.
For a sweet wine, rack at three weeks. Add 1/2 cup corn syrup dissolved in 1 cup wine. Stir gently, and place back into secondary fermentor. Repeat process every six weeks until fermentation does not restart with the addition of syrup. Rack every three months until one year old. Bottle.
Variations
1. Instead of granulated sugar, try honey or brown sugar.
2. For a spiced wine, add 1 ounce fresh ginger root, sliced thin, to the water before boiling it. Let it simmer for about 15 minutes before pouring it over the cucumbers.
Use Lalvin EC1118 yeast, or "wing it" if you dare...
This is a very good white wine - NO bananas required (who thought THAT one up?) - and would benefit from 1/2 pint cold tea (2 tea bags + half pint boiling water) to provide tannin content
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Who thought this one up I don't know, what it'll turn out like I don't know..but hee give it a go.. :lol:
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When ready does it count as one of your 5 a day veg ? ::)
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;) :lol:
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Must do. Ordinary wine is always counted in my house with all those grapes!
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Have you tried cucumber gin?
Very easy and refreshing taste!
1 bottle cheap gin
3 small cucumbers
Peel, de-seed and chop cuckes into 1" sq dice. Put in kilner jar and top up with gin. Seal and put in cool, dark place for a week. Shake occasionally. (The jars, not you!! ;))
After a week or so, strain and bottle. Drink with tonic and ice.... :)
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How is the cucumber wine coming along .? I'm curious lol. I've done an experiment with a certain tree in our back garden ,if it turns out a,cracker I will divulge the tree. :D