Saturday, November 14, 2009

taste test

We have, from left to right:


-turnip
-lilac
-cabbage
-carrot
-knotweed
-mixed fruit

I expect two to be vile, three to be tasty, and one to be ok.

As a pre-Thanksgiving taste test I'm opening several half bottles to see which, if any, I might contribute to the Thanksgiving table. Well, one of the Thanksgiving tables. We have two Thanksgivings: one for each family. No alcohol permitted at one house...don't ask. Suffice it to say in my ancestral home the libations are liberally poured and enjoyed. Although I'm not sure how many people would respond in the affirmative to an offer of turnip wine. Which, btw, turns out not to be vile at all!

I poured myself a glass as I started this post and am pleasantly surprised. When I tasted it a year ago it was WAY too turnip-y. Now, after 2 years in the bottle (and 3 years since inception) it's quite nice. The miracle of fermentation. Maybe I just won't tell anyone what it's made from.

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8 Comments:

At November 14, 2009 at 10:42 PM , Blogger Marie said...

Jeepers!

Turnip !!! :-( ???

Lilac??! :-) ???

CABBAGE? . ? . ?

:-(

?

Wow.

 
At November 15, 2009 at 10:46 AM , Blogger SaraGardens said...

Mmmmm... I love how carrot-y the carrot wine tastes, but how cool that the tastes mellow and change over time. Yum. And so very, very beautiful to look at.

 
At November 15, 2009 at 10:47 AM , Anonymous Leda Meredith said...

Congrats on the patience with the turnip wine! Have to admit I'm curious about that since it's one I never tried making myself.

 
At November 15, 2009 at 5:41 PM , Anonymous Mark said...

I'm with Marie ... CABBAGE? I await brussels sprout wine next. But I know how good those oddballs can be.

Really ... cabbage. Who'd have thunk it. Kind of goes witht he secutiry word of the moment: "scrosin". Yikes

Mark

 
At November 15, 2009 at 6:43 PM , Blogger Ellen Zachos said...

Ok, there will NEVER be a brussels sprout wine...if only because I will never bring a brussels sprout into my home!!!

The reason I made both the turnip and cabbage wines was because in a single year I got a ton of both vegetables in my CSA share and I don't think either one is particularly good eats. Couldn't stand to throw them away, though, so I tried wine.

Both benefit from decanting, because the initial bouquet is pretty vegetal. But after breathing for 15 minutes, both are quite tasty.

Still, lilac, carrot, and knotweed are tastier!

 
At November 16, 2009 at 12:07 AM , Blogger Marie said...

They are very beautiful, though.

Next year perhaps you can make elderflower with the East Houston elderflowers?

IF the poor, underfunded Parks Dept. ever excavates so that we can plant...

Skunk cabbage wine?

 
At November 16, 2009 at 7:31 AM , Blogger Ellen Zachos said...

Skunk cabbage wine...I think not! But I make elderflower champagne every year: http://www.downanddirtygardening.com/2007/07/elderflower-champagne-may-not-be-real.html
It wouldn't be summer without it!

 
At November 16, 2009 at 9:07 AM , Blogger SaraGardens said...

If you're letting turnip & cabbage in the door... can-B-spouts be far behind? In some ways they're a less brassicaceously advanced veg. My dad had a deep horror of Brussels sprouts, from traumatic over-exposure during his army days. (But just once, he ate and liked our Brussels sprouts hash.)

 

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