They will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them. They will plant vineyards and drink their wine; they will make gardens and eat their fruit.
Well, folks. It came, it went. It was a whirlwind of pressing, canning, laughing, talking, joking, eating, drinking, and all the other things that go along with CiderFest. We outdid last year's count, with a grand total of 129 gallons (6 fermenting for hard cider, the rest canned) divvied out between almost 20 households. Started… Continue reading CiderFest 2026
This is our first batch of home-brewed blackberry wine and mead. Bottled, labeled, ready to go down into the "wine cellar" for aging. By wine cellar, we mean the space under the air conditioning duct in the garage, at least until we get a space set up in the basement in the farm. Some of… Continue reading First Batch!
Today we Took the second batch of blackberry wine and mead from primary to secondary fermentation. Both had a richer and more mellow flavor than our first batch. And took the first batch from secondary fermentation to bottling. It was drier, and the mead was a bit bland. And we had a homeschool science class.… Continue reading Blackberry Wine and Mead: A.k.a. homeschool science.
Oh, and also some buckwheat. This buckwheat was planted back at the beginning of July. It has been watered regularly and is now 3-4 feet tall. A decision has to be made at this point. Once the flowers are formed, the protein content in the stalks and leaves is at its maximum level. If cut… Continue reading Blackberry Wine, Mead, and Liqueur
When life hands you blackberries... Make booze. Or at least try. With the puree from last week, Mommy made a couple of pints of blackberry vinegar, but there was still a ton leftover. So we made a batch of mead with blackberry (known as melomel). And a batch of blackberry wine. I didn't have quite… Continue reading Blackberry Mead and Blackberry Wine
