Food Pr0n!

[Wizzard419]

Ok time for a friday saturday recap.

For Friday the lemons are finally starting to turn yellow so there was a party of lemons, a lemon party if you will.

For the beverage a French 75 and to eat lemon roasted chicken. Just like with many things in life, using a brick on them makes it better.





For saturday, since it was hot out I made fresh raspberry rickies(?), roast pork, green beans, and potato pancakes (there was also an applesauce as well but I forgot to get a photo of it), and cheesecake with fresh blueberry compote.

[Amy]

Gosh, your menu just keeps getting better and better. It looks veeeeeeery tasty

[Jacca5660]

How much do weigh?

[Wizzard419]

6'4 (since one half lacks context) 210

[Wizzard419]

I just got handed a large bag of persimmons, any suggestions for them? All I know to do with them is to dry them out Japanese style.

[Amy]

I just got handed a large bag of persimmons, any suggestions for them? All I know to do with them is to dry them out Japanese style.

Here is a link to the top 20 recipes on allrecipe.com ~ the cookies look tasty
http://allrecipes.com/recipes/fruits-an ... s/top.aspx

[Jacca5660]

Baloo makes a wonderful pudding with persimmons. We collect our own, they grow wild here.

[Wizzard419]

I wonder if I can make a drink out of them via puree. I can do syrups but I like the less sweetened stuff.

As for wild produce, the one thing I refuse to touch even though they grow wild here (not sure if they are trying to reverse the work of the planners or if an animal dropped a seed) are prickly pear cactus parts. Even if you get all the thorns off you probably missed the super tiny ones. So I just buy them at the store and avoid a painful trip to the ER.

[Jacca5660]

I brew an award winning prickly pear mead. It takes ten pounds of honey and 5 pounds of prickly pears. Because of the lack of nutrients for the yeast (I prefer to not use any additives), it takes between 6 months and a year for it to ferment. You use American Ale yeast, Wyeast YEAST STRAIN: 1056. It will end with about 12% alcohol and have a sweet finish. It's a still melomel/mead.

[Wizzard419]

I wonder how it would work with the dragonfruit I grow (like a prickly pear but less painful)? They always spit out more than I can eat fresh so I end up turning a lot of it into sorbet.

[Jacca5660]

I've never have had any dealing with them, but if you say they are similar you could use them like pricklies. Unlike brewing beer you only boil honey and honey mixtures for 15 minutes. I must correct myself, this recipe uses 20LBS of honey and 5 or 6 LBS of fruit. You're shooting for an opening gravity of about 1.130 - 1.150 and a finale gravity of about 1.015 - 1.050. When brewing honey there are so many different factors involved the F.G. has a very wide range. If you have any specific question just ask. ;+>

P.S. This a 5 gallon recipe.Since most people don't have a 6 gallon pot you can do this in a 20 quart and add cold water tp the carboy after the boil to help cooling before pinching.

[Wizzard419]

Dragonfruit are very similar in flavor and texture to the Kiwi and the prickly pear (about half way inbetween).

What's the average proof on your results?

Also, with the 6 month fermentation, what months of the year does that take place during? I'm wondering if it would take less time since the normal ambient temp is a bit warmer than in TN.

[Jacca5660]

Dragonfruit are very similar in flavor and texture to the Kiwi and the prickly pear (about half way inbetween).

What's the average proof on your results?

Also, with the 6 month fermentation, what months of the year does that take place during? I'm wondering if it would take less time since the normal ambient temp is a bit warmer than in TN.

About 12 percent. Time of year doesn't mater. You're shooting for a fermentation temp between 60 for the lower range and 68 for the high range. You use an ALE YEAST so you are dealing with high fermentation temps. The long fermentation has to do with the fact that honey doesn't have much in the way of yeast nutrients. You can quicken that time with the addition of artificial yeast nutrient. If you want you can look it up and see there are a wide choice additives.

I just like to brew a Mead that is close to the original drink.

[Wizzard419]

Have you ever tried making it with champagne yeast? That's what my neighbor makes his out of.

I remember the first time he made it though, it was like vinegar. He got better after that batch though.

[Jacca5660]

Have you ever tried making it with champagne yeast? That's what my neighbor makes his out of.

I remember the first time he made it though, it was like vinegar. He got better after that batch though.

Mead like vinegar? That's highly unusual. Yes I have, I've tried a few different strains and have the best results from American Ale yeast.