hist-brewing: pumpkin mead

[A.J.& Steph. Gooch]

Ingredients: 1. large bodied pumpkin - big enough to hold 1 gallon.
                     3 lbs. honey
               1 1/2  unpeeled citrus  fruits
                     1  tbls  strong  black brewed tea
                     2  tbls  bee pollen (alt. - teaspoon  yeast energizer)
                     1  package wine yeast
                      sufficient water to make one gallon


PROCEDURE

prepare yeast  starter
sterilize  honey-water by boiling for ten minutes , skimming the froth as it
rises
[ I usually go for 15 -20 min. skimming the last 10 min or more ]
Remove from heat , stir in fruit ,tea , yeast energizer   and  allow to cool
[ this will help to kill  bacteria on or in anything you are putting in ]
pitch yeast

PREPARE THE PUMPKIN

Cut the top off of t he pumpkin  [MAKE SURE TO MAKE THIS A CLEAN CUT SO IT
WILL SEAT WELL (and tight) AFTER CLEANING]
Gut and clean very well ; rinse
fill a plastic bucket with HOT water . Melt paraffin on the surface of he
water . Dip the pumpkin ,bottom first ,until it is coated up to the rim BE
CAREFUL NOT TO GET WAX INTO THE PUMPKIN
Take the pumpkin out of the water and fill it with the mixture from above .
LEAVE AT LEAST AN INCH AT THE TOP  AWAY FROM THE RIM
Replace the top and seal with paraffin
Place in a quiet dark spot for about two months
Take out after two months and siphon into bottles
[ I would suggest as does the book for "the more cautious types " to  siphon
into a carboy and place a fermentation lock on and check to see if it is
done. This will also let some of the floaties settle ,as I am sure from
experience , there will be floaties.]


-------------------------------------------------------------------------
To unsubscribe from this list, send email to majordomo at pbm.com containing
the words "unsubscribe hist-brewing" (or unsubscribe hist-brewing-digest, if
you get the digest.) To contact a human about problems, send mail to
owner-hist-brewing at pbm.com