In 1983 the late Mollie Harris, whose delightful books about the countryside made such an impact on Eynsham, wrote ‘A Drop O’Wine’. My copy is now brown with age and the pages are dropping out, but I still count it as a kitchen Bible. Those lucky enough to own a copy too will know that these simple recipes, which call for basic ingredients, work every time. What’s more they are a great way of using up fruits and vegetables from the allotment that are suddenly so abundant you can’t even give them away.
You will need:
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4lb rhubarb
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3 ½ lb sugar
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1 gallon boiling water
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½oz yeast (fresh or dried)
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A piece of root ginger as big as a walnut.
Method:
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Wipe the rhubarb with a cloth and cut it into small pieces – you don’t need to peel it.
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Place rhubarb in a clean bucket and pour a gallon of boiling water over it.
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Add the ginger (chopped), cover with a cloth and leave in a warm place for four days, stirring each day.
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Strain into a clean bucket, add the sugar, stir until dissolved, then sprinkle on the yeast. Cover again and leave for two or three days.
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Strain through a muslin cloth into a sterilised demijohn using a funnel, topping it up with a little water if the demijohn is not quite full.
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Fix a bung and an airlock which has a little water in it, make sure it’s secure and then wait for the wine to begin working. When little bubbles begin escaping though the airlock, making a comforting plopping noise as they go, you know the wine is ready to be placed in a dark place for a few months to allow the yeast to do its work.
NOTE: Most of Mollie’s wines are ready to be bottled off in about three to four months, though I prefer to give them longer. Demijohns and all the equipment you need for home-made wine making, including labels, corks and funnels, can usually be found at car boot sales or you can search for it on the internet.
Try Amazon for a copy of ‘A Drop 0’Wine’ – when I last checked there were several copies available at a very reasonable price