Jun 24 2009
Crabapple Plus Recipe
This wine won’t make you crabby, we promise. If anything, it will do just the opposite. Try it out!
Ingredients:
3 ½ lb Crabapples
1 qt Apple juice
6 pts Water
1 ½ lb Sugar
½ tsp Pectic Enzyme
1 tsp Nutrient
1 Campden, crush
1 pkg Champ. Yeast
Starting S.G. 1.090-95
FYI: All the above ingredients can be purchased in one convenient package at letsmakefoodandwine.com!
Method:
- Select only sound and ripe fruit. Wash lightly and chop up apples, but avoid cutting the bitter seeds. If a press is not available, place cut-up fruit in nylon straining bag. Crush, press and strain out juice into primary fermentor. Immediately add Campden (crushed) into juice.
- Keep all pulp in bag, tie top and place in primary.
- Stir in all other ingredients except yeast. Cover primary.
- After 24 hrs., strain juice from pulp. Discard pulp. Add yeast. Cover primary.
- Stir daily and check Specific Gravity.
- When ferment reaches S.G. of 1.040 (3-5 days) syphon wine off sediment into glass jug secondary. Attach airlock.
- When ferment is complete (S.G. has dropped to 1.000—about 3 weeks) syphon off sediment into clean secondary. Reattach lock. Syphon again in 2 months and again if necessary until clear before bottling.
Varieties:
Crabapples (Malus L.) are hardy trees, easy to care for, excellent flowering landscape additions. For jelly and winemaking the smaller apple-like fruit are very welcome. Good varieties to plant: “Dolgo”, white blossoms, good flavor; “Hopa”, rose-red blossoms; “Royalty”, purple foliage, maroon flowers.
