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fermentation

Wine from Parsnips? Parsley? Questions about yeast

Kara Ann

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posted 3 weeks ago

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Hey Brewies -
I am hoping for some help with understanding these recipes from 'Farmhouse Fare' published in 1935 in the UK (with later edition updates), a compilation of many farmers' best recipes published in 'The Farmers Weekly' (Great cookbook, recommended by Brandon and Lauren Sheard at FarmsteadMeatsmith.com )

Practicalities: UK uses Imperial Gallons: 1 imperial gallon = 4.55 liters. 1 US gallon = 3.79 liters.

Help please with brewing (newbie) recipe / translation questions:

Parsley Wine - I'd love to try this recipe... and I can follow along until... golly - put the yeast on to a slice of toast and let stand for 4 days. What is happening here??? This toast is a 'raft' floated in the liquid?

Parsnip Wine - this also looks great to try! Can anyone help with the 'German Yeast'? In a modern kitchen, this would be wine yeast? and 'about the size of a marble' would be?

Thanks!

Parsley_Wine.jpg

Parsnip_MockBubbly.jpg

Farm_Cookbook1.jpeg

“Not everyone can be a truffle. Most of us are potatoes. And a potato is a very good thing to be.” Massimo Bottura, Never Trust A Skinny Italian Chef

Christopher Weeks

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posted 3 weeks ago

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I think they're calling for compressed baker's yeast because that's what was available. If I were adapting those to modern times (and I am interested!) I'd either use wild yeast from raisins, raspberries, nettles, etc or just pitch a packet of wine yeast and give it some yeast nutrients. I'd expect the former approach to be the most "interesting" and the latter to produce the best wine.

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Kara Ann

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Location: Mason County, WA USA:Ha; Harstine gravel ashy sandy loam

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posted 3 weeks ago

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Thanks! Yes, the 'wild yeast' can be so unpredictable, and maybe great and maybe icky!

What do you think about champagne yeast like Lalvin EC-1118 for the Parsnip recipe (as opposed to a packet of more generic wine yeast?)

“Not everyone can be a truffle. Most of us are potatoes. And a potato is a very good thing to be.” Massimo Bottura, Never Trust A Skinny Italian Chef

Judson Carroll

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posted 3 weeks ago

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Kara Ann wrote:Hey Brewies -
I am hoping for some help with understanding these recipes from 'Farmhouse Fare' published in 1935 in the UK (with later edition updates), a compilation of many farmers' best recipes published in 'The Farmers Weekly' (Great cookbook, recommended by Brandon and Lauren Sheard at FarmsteadMeatsmith.com )

Practicalities: UK uses Imperial Gallons: 1 imperial gallon = 4.55 liters. 1 US gallon = 3.79 liters.

Help please with brewing (newbie) recipe / translation questions:

Parsley Wine - I'd love to try this recipe... and I can follow along until... golly - put the yeast on to a slice of toast and let stand for 4 days. What is happening here??? This toast is a 'raft' floated in the liquid?

Parsnip Wine - this also looks great to try! Can anyone help with the 'German Yeast'? In a modern kitchen, this would be wine yeast? and 'about the size of a marble' would be?

Thanks!

Sure, the old British books, especially, use country wine recipes since grapes don't grow well there. It was tradition to float yeast on a piece of toast, or to just use a slice of bread hoping it had live yeast on it. They still do that with kvass in some regions, and it does actually work. But, wine needs a stronger, more active yeast, so adding dry yeast is a good idea and the bread is not really necessary. German yeast would have been beer brewing yeast, which was also used as bread yeast. Dedicated wine yeast would be better, but you can use dry, active bread yeast. One packet of yeast would be the equivalent.

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Ac Baker

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posted 3 weeks ago

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My grandparents and parents made such wines: parsnip, potato, elderflower, elderberry, bramble etc. I think my parents used to get wine yeast in the 1970s.

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Anne Miller

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posted 3 weeks ago

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The parsley wine sound so good when you read the ingredients ...

I hope Kara will let us know how all the wines and beer turn out and thanks for sharing.

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Kara Ann

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Location: Mason County, WA USA:Ha; Harstine gravel ashy sandy loam

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posted 2 weeks ago

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Hey all -
thanks so much for chiming in with your wisdom and experiences! After my recent move out to the farm full time, I am afraid there are a lot of things still in boxes, some in the hoop house, some in the barn, some in the RV trailer where I am glamping. As soon as I can locate some of my boxes of kitchen equipment, I am going to try this, and I will post pics here. Do you suppose the parsley wine is going to be green???

For the parsley wine, the recipe calls for the liquid to stand for 4 days - anybody have opinions about the container for this? stainless steel pot? or avoid metal and use a ceramic crock? or a carboy?
And once it gets to the bottling stage - use plastic bottles that can flex and expand a little (and not blow up)? or flip cap glass bottles?

In the past I have made a sparkling elderflower cordial with champagne yeast... but both of these recipes are new to me, and I am not sure about how much pressure these ferments will produce.

All opinions welcome!

“Not everyone can be a truffle. Most of us are potatoes. And a potato is a very good thing to be.” Massimo Bottura, Never Trust A Skinny Italian Chef

David Nightingale

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Location: Pierce County WA, Northwest and Sound

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posted 2 weeks ago

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Hello, parsnips and parsley fare. Does look like fun. As a safety point might not want to bottle champagne straight off in bottles, especially if using real champagne yeast. Primary fermentation in open glass or plastic containers or oak for traditional use is safe, more interesting to smell, and measurable. Check the residual sugar after a day or two with a hydrometer or Brix meter to see how much undigested sugar is left. Too much residual sugar continuing to ferment in a week or so inside a bottle is explosive even in champagne bottles. Quite a brilliant recipe Kara Ann, biochemistry of parsley fermentation looks wonderful. Cheers.

Joseph Lofthouse

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posted 2 weeks ago

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My family's traditional way to make carbonated wines involved fermenting to dryness, then adding a known/measured amount of sugar to the final bottle.

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Kara Ann

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Location: Mason County, WA USA:Ha; Harstine gravel ashy sandy loam

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posted 2 weeks ago

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Thanks David and Joseph! I am looking forward to making these (with a few of the updates that have been suggested). My parsley plants are going to have to get with it for about 7-8 cups of parsley to make the pound required for the recipe...

Parsley_Cartoon.jpg

“Not everyone can be a truffle. Most of us are potatoes. And a potato is a very good thing to be.” Massimo Bottura, Never Trust A Skinny Italian Chef

Jill Dyer

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posted 2 weeks ago

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My folks made parsnip wine using the 'float the yeast on toast' method. I think the idea was to lessen the presence of yeast particles in the final straining before bottling. Fermentation vessel was one of those large bowls from Victorian personal washing sets that came with a large jug for the hot water. Covered with a tea towel during fermentation
Marble sized portion of yeast is about a cubic centimetre. Baker's yeast was used, end product slightly less alcoholic than if wine yeast used.

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