Himalayan Balsam Champagne

[WelshJohn]

Himalayan Balsam is taking over! Its everywhere... Saw this recipe on TV

http://www.itv.com/lifestyle/thealantitchmarshshow/recipes/champagne/

I wont quote it due to copyright but you can find it at the above link! I bought the book and its pretty good! My question is going to seem stupid but I am very new to all this. Is this recipe alcholic? My experience is with wines and I understand yeast turns sugar to alcohol. Do the flowers have natural yeast? The recipe originates from a Booze for Free book! I have started the concoction and its looking pretty good, but no "fizz" yet and its been sitting for over 2 days.

Either way, it looked a fantastic recipe and this plant is seriously everywhere at the moment. Hopefully someone might find this recipe alone useful. Thanks :)

 

[screamlead]

Equipment
Kettle
Fermentation bin/food grade bucket
Mulin/cheesecloth
Saucepan

Ingredients
3 litres/6 pints of water
1kg/2lbs sugar
1 litre/2 pints of Himalayan Balsam flowers
500ml/ 1 pint of clover flowers
3tbsp cider vinegar (WTF! :sick: :sick: :sick: )
2 tsp citric acid (lemon juice)
2 tsp lemon juice

Method
1. Wash the flowers to ensure they're bug free.

2. Place in the fermentation bin with other ingredients except sugar and water.

3. Cover with half the water and stir.

4. Bring the rest of the water to boil and stir in the sugar. Add to the rest of the mix.

5. Leave the lid loosely on or place a tea towel over the top and give it a stir every now and then.

6. After 2-4 days it should start to fizz - when it does, strain into bottles.
Put the bottles straight into the fridge, or release the gas from them daily as they are prone to exploding!

Cider vinegar - that'll make something for fish and chips!

 

[Moley]

This is the second reference I've seen to recipes from that book, the first being some bent-ended venture into rosehip wine, and this also makes me wonder what sort of idiot the author must be.

6 pints of water + 2 lbs sugar = 7 pints @ 1.082, so it's got the potential to produce around 12.5% alcohol.

If you add half the water cold and the other half as boiled sugar syrup it's not going to do the wild yeasties too many favours but it might not kill them all. so natural fermentation would still be possible.

Flower recipes often include white wine or cider vinegar, it doesn't mean that your wine is going to turn to vinegar too. Are they pasteurised to kill off the acetobacter?

However, bottling it when it starts fizzing sounds to me like a VERY BAD IDEA INDEED! :shock: :nono:

 

[screamlead]

I agree Moley - i was going to get that book too but having second thoughts about it now.

 

[WelshJohn]

It smells nice but I think I killed the wild yeast off with the hot water? :shock:

Im so tempted to add some yeast, this isn't going to taste nice is it? Does anyone know any other himalayan balsam recipes!

 

[graysalchemy]

Can't the young stems in spring be used like rhubarb? I'm sure I read that on a wild food website. If so then could the shoots be used?

We have loads near us it has invaded the brook behind our house along with the willow which was planted by National Trust T*ats in the watercourse significantly increasing our flood risk.

 

[godfrey]

having sucsessfully made elderflower champagne
and rose petal sparkling wine back in the summer,
I was looking for an autumn flower to brew

I think this is going to be a good candidate if I can find any :hmm:

any one got any feedback from using this flower ?

 

[godfrey]

found a nice page of pics of this plant

http://www.flowers.goodpages.co.uk/inde ... yan-balsam


should not be to hard to find some seen as it is classed as an invasive weed

I am really curious as to the flavour of this drink