Bay Leaf Wine

[Tau]

Was about to cut back a bay tree in the garden when I thought I wonder if I can make wine out of this, found this recipe.

Bay Leaf Wine
36 Laurus nobilis bay leaves, whole
1 lb. 12 oz. dark brown sugar water to one gallon
zest and juice of 2 bitter oranges or clementines
1 11.5-oz. can of Welch's 100% White Grape Juice frozen concentrate 1 tsp yeast nutrient
White wine yeast

Place the leaves in a 1-quart pot with 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer under a lid for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, use a grater to remove the zest of the oranges and then juice them. Add the juice to a primary and the zest to the simmering bay leaves. Add the brown sugar, grape concentrate, 5 pints of cold water, and yeast nutrient to the primary. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. When time, strain off the bay leaves and orange zest and add only the infused water to the primary. Stir and allow to cool until under 90 degrees F. Add activated yeast and cover primary. After 3 days, transfer to secondary, top up and attach airlock. After 30 days, rack, stir in one finely crushed and dissolved Campden tablet, top up and reattach airlock. Repeat every 30 days (only add Campden tablet every other racking) until clear and no new sediments form. If you want to sweeten, stabilize with potassium sorbate and finely crushed and dissolved Campden tablet, sweeten to taste with simple syrup, reattach airlock, and set aside 30 days. Bottle and allow at least 3 months before tasting. Will probably improve with additional aging. [Author's own recipe] Jack Keller

http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/wineblog13.asp

 

[deebee1901]

Did you end up making this Tau?

 

[Tau]

Did you end up making this Tau?

No I haven't, mainly because I have so much still to work through and on the go and the bay leaves are always available. I'd use half of what he recommends though.

 

[Clint]

Not sure but may have read somewhere that bay in quantity is poisonous ..

 

[Nicks90]

So is alcohol, but it doesn't seem to stop us 😀

 

[Tau]

Laurel Nobilis is safe, but you need to be sure that it is such, I bought mine so n=know what species it was. ON wiki see below:


Safety

Some members of the laurel family, as well as the unrelated but visually similar mountain laurel and cherry laurel, have leaves that are poisonous to humans and livestock.[11] While these plants are not sold anywhere for culinary use, their visual similarity to bay leaves has led to the oft-repeated belief that bay leaves should be removed from food after cooking because they are poisonous. This is not true — bay leaves may be eaten without toxic effect. However, they remain unpleasantly stiff even after thorough cooking, and if swallowed whole or in large pieces, they may pose a risk of harming the digestive tract or causing choking. There have been cases of intestinal perforations caused by swallowing bay leaves, so unless the leaves in the recipe have been ground they should be removed from the food before serving; otherwise, the risk of a surgical emergency remains.[13][14] Thus, most recipes that use bay leaves will recommend their removal after the cooking process has finished.[1

 

[Anglezarke]

Laurel Nobilis is safe, but you need to be sure that it is such, I bought mine so n=know what species it was. ON wiki see below:


Safety

Some members of the laurel family, as well as the unrelated but visually similar mountain laurel and cherry laurel, have leaves that are poisonous to humans and livestock.[11] While these plants are not sold anywhere for culinary use, their visual similarity to bay leaves has led to the oft-repeated belief that bay leaves should be removed from food after cooking because they are poisonous. This is not true ââ¬â bay leaves may be eaten without toxic effect. However, they remain unpleasantly stiff even after thorough cooking, and if swallowed whole or in large pieces, they may pose a risk of harming the digestive tract or causing choking. There have been cases of intestinal perforations caused by swallowing bay leaves, so unless the leaves in the recipe have been ground they should be removed from the food before serving; otherwise, the risk of a surgical emergency remains.[13][14] Thus, most recipes that use bay leaves will recommend their removal after the cooking process has finished.[1

Have a bay tree in my garden. Will give this a go.

 

[Larse]

Have a bay tree in my garden. Will give this a go.

Give what a go? Eating them to see if you get a perforated bowel?