By now even the lastest crops are finished. Pumpkins are the last and ended around Halloween. The frost has killed off the remainder of the annual crops, and the last of the apples are finished. However if you happen to have a tree or two at home or in a garden, that still has apples on it; you may want to leave them. Many people will take what is left over in the garden after the year and green bag it. Well I have a few tips for you that may help put some 'spirit' into your holiday season.
Yes now is the time of year where our neighboring wineries begin to produce their world renowned ice wines and fancy liquors. Many of the things you have left in your garden can now be used to produce some home-made wines and tonics for the coming Winter seasons. One of the first is ice wine. Traditionally ice wine is made with grapes, however it can be made with other fruits as well. One of the better is apple icewine. For those of you who hate to see those apples left on the trees after it freezes, this might be a solution. Now you do not want any rotten apples of course(these will ruin the wine, or syrup), but you can use apples that have just frozen.
You must wait until the overnight temperature drops below -8' celcius. Pick off the frozen apples, but do not allow them to thaw. While they are still hard, press the fruit; to extract the juice and get rid of the ice. What you will have left is a high sugar concentration, not yet alcoholic. This can be used as an apple syrup, which is delicious on pancakes and desserts. Not only that but apple syrup can be used as a more natural substitute for refined sugar. The same is true for any fruit you have stored in your freezer, strawberries work exceptionally well in this case. They are easier to press and the syrup is delicious. If you wish to make a true icewine, you need to let the concentrated juice ferment. This process may take up to a couple months, and you must look up a recipe for the proper way to do it.
My only issue is that the techniques for pressing your own fruit can be difficult to master and will be messy, so there is another easier way to do it. It will not be identical to the pressed fruit version but will be very similar. Take the juice of any of these fruits and add it to a pale. Let the pale sit outside in weather below freezing(or in a freezer). When the juice freezes the water will crystalize, eventually separating itself from the high sugar syrup that flavours the fruit. Simply scoop out this syrup and you are done. Again you can ferment this to make ice wine, or keep it as a sweet side to your dessert. Either way I recommend trying it, it is worth it!
I have found the recipe for yet another spectacular drink. This one is from the article on black currants found in the previous post. This is a recipe for cassis, a flavourful and powerful liquor made from the berries(also noted for its strong medicinal qualities):
"Soak a kilo of very ripe black currants(or frozen ones) in three litres of brandy for a month. At the beginning you add two grams cinnamon and 12 grams cloves. Traditionally sugar (750 g) is added, but you can substitute maple syrup at the time of drinking, in which case it is not necessary to add any sugar at all. You should shake the airtight glass container holding your cassis each day."- http://www.vitalitymagazine.com/black_currant
There are many other recipes for fantastic drinks and products for the holiday season, many of which will be ready by Christmas if you start soon. I know a few people make their own vodka out of potatoes, unfortunately I have no idea how to do this! Give some of these things a try because often the tastes are incredible, and many of them can be beneficial to your health. If you intend to try them; ensure you have a reliable recipe and follow it! This can make sure you actually unlock the tastes and health qualities of the drinks. Of course if this is not for you there is an array of local icewines and liquors that are some of the finest in the world, and are worth trying this season!(for some info on Canada's icewine visit http://www.winesofcanada.com/icewine.html)
I hope this helps in your preparation for this holiday season. Our family is currently making a batch of cassis, that will be ready around the middle of December and already it is starting to gain in flavour(cassis is a fantastic drink when you are feeling run down, and helps fight off sore throats and infections). Also I recieved a comment a few weeks ago about the use of garlic, unfortunately there were some problems with the commenting but I have put it below!
Until next time everyone,
Good Health and Good Eating!
From Marina:
"We eat chopped garlic raw and it is excellent for your health. My children enjoy it - one clove everyday. The trick is to chop it and leave it for 10 minutes so that all the essential oils activate. If you don't like the taste, just put the chopped garlic in your mouth and wash it down with a glass of water. No chewing required! that way you will not have an after-taste, my 4 year old enjoys chewing it but my 6 year old prefers it without chewing with a glass of water. Enjoy!"
No comments:
Post a Comment