James grows turnips even though we don't eat many of them. It's not that we hate them but there are so many other vegetables we'd rather eat so we neglect them. We give some away but it doesn't put a dent in what he grows. I decided I didn't want to see them go to waste. I Googled turnip wine and found several recipes, many very different, so I decided to use what I read and make up my own. We had enough turnips to make 2 or 3 gallons but I figured I might as well make 5 since I have no 2 or 3 gallon carboys so I added beets.
Here's the recipe I'm using.
15 lbs of turnips and beets, washed and sliced very thin.
15 lbs of sugar
1 can of orange juice concentrate
5 tsp. yeast nutrient
5 campden tablets, crushed
5 tsp acid blend
1 pkg wine yeast
enough water to make 5 gallons
Put the turnip and beet slices in a large jelly bag. Cover with water and boil till tender.
Place sugar in the fermenting bucket and pour the hot liquid over the sugar. Put the jelly bag in the bucket too. Add enough water to fill the bucket. Add all other ingredients except yeast. A day later stir everything up and add the yeast. Follow instructions like you would for any other wine. In my case it means let it sit for 4 days, remove the turnips and beets (I rarely measure the specific gravity). Syphon liquid into carboy and attach airlock. Now wait.
Most of my strawberry and blackberry wines are gone but I still have lots of wineberry, pawpaw and beet wines left so it's cool that I have something else to follow. It would be fun to find something else to make so I never buy a bottle of wine. I'm thinking pumpkin is next. I need more carboys or I at least better start bottling some of the more aged wines.
It's raining today with snow predicted for tonight. It was a perfect day to stay indoors and make wine. I'm not ready for snow.
15 lbs of turnips and beets, washed and sliced very thin.
15 lbs of sugar
1 can of orange juice concentrate
5 tsp. yeast nutrient
5 campden tablets, crushed
5 tsp acid blend
1 pkg wine yeast
enough water to make 5 gallons
Put the turnip and beet slices in a large jelly bag. Cover with water and boil till tender.
Place sugar in the fermenting bucket and pour the hot liquid over the sugar. Put the jelly bag in the bucket too. Add enough water to fill the bucket. Add all other ingredients except yeast. A day later stir everything up and add the yeast. Follow instructions like you would for any other wine. In my case it means let it sit for 4 days, remove the turnips and beets (I rarely measure the specific gravity). Syphon liquid into carboy and attach airlock. Now wait.
Most of my strawberry and blackberry wines are gone but I still have lots of wineberry, pawpaw and beet wines left so it's cool that I have something else to follow. It would be fun to find something else to make so I never buy a bottle of wine. I'm thinking pumpkin is next. I need more carboys or I at least better start bottling some of the more aged wines.
It's raining today with snow predicted for tonight. It was a perfect day to stay indoors and make wine. I'm not ready for snow.
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