Wine from Parsnips? Parsley? Questions about yeast

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!

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.

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?)

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.