Dandelion Wine

Yes.  They're back. Dandelions.
The weed that takes over our beautiful lawns and are next to impossible to remove...but are also almost completely edible.  
Young, tender greens can be used in salads or in place of chives or herbs for flavor.  Dandelions greens can also be cooked like spinach-sautéed or stir-fried.  One cup of chopped dandelion leaves contains a good source of potassium, Vitamin A and Vitamin C. 
The bright yellow blossoms are also a good source of antioxidants, Vitamin A and B12 and can be used as an addition to pancake or fritter batter, steeped for tea or fermented to make a delicious wine.
Dandelion Wine is what we're going to talk about today.

Dandelion Wine: 1 gallon recipe
Ingredients:
8 cups dandelion petals, rinsed thoroughly 
3/4 pound golden raisins, chopped
Zest and juice from 3 lemons
Zest and juice from 3 oranges
1 gallon water
2 pounds sugar
1/2 t. yeast energizer
1 crushed Campden tablet
1 5gr pack wine yeast-Lalvin D-47 or Red Star Cote des Blanc

1. Gather your ingredients.  Be careful to use only the petals, cutting off all or most of the green.
2. Put petals, raisins and zest from citrus in a straining bag and place in primary fermenter. 
3. Heat water and pour over petals.  Add sugar and other ingredients EXCEPT YEAST.
4. Cover primary fermenter.
5. After 24-48 hours check S.G (specific gravity) It should read 1.090-1.095.  Add yeast and re-cover fermenter.
6. Stir daily.  When S.G. reaches 1.040 or after 3-5 days strain pulp lightly from bag and siphon wine off into secondary fermenter (1 gallon jug.)  Attach airlock with sanitized water.
7. When fermentation is complete after about 3 weeks or so (S.G. 1.000 or below) siphon wine off sediment into a clean secondary and reattach airlock.
8. Siphon again in 2-3 months until clear before bottling.

Tips:

• Letting this wine sit for several months after bottling will improve the flavor and quality of your wine. 
• A one gallon Wine Making Equipment Kit is a good investment.
• If you prefer a sweeter wine: Prior to bottling add 1/2 teaspoon of stabilizer (potassium sorbate) and 1/4-1/2 pound dissolved sugar to wine.