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Pumpkin vegetable wine is an original drink and not familiar to everyone. Growing pumpkin, vegetable growers plan to use it in casseroles, cereals, soups, baked goods. But they may not even remember about an alcoholic drink. Not every housewife knows the recipe for making pumpkin wine at home.
What is the memory of pumpkin spirits for home wine lovers? Of course, the aroma of the fruit and a little bit tart taste. There is nothing to compare it with, so pumpkin wine can be called unique. The most important quality of the drink is that it retains all the properties of the juice of a healthy vegetable. It contains the vitamins and nutrients of ripe pumpkin.
Consider the options for making homemade wine from a healthy vegetable at home, because such a drink cannot be found in stores.
We start preparing
Any type of pumpkin is useful for winemakers.
The main thing is that the fruits are ripe and without spoilage. The shade of the wine depends on the color of the pumpkin pulp, but otherwise the difference is insignificant. Choosing pure fruits. If the area of rotting or spoilage is small, you can simply cut it out.
All instruments and containers for making wine must be sterilized. This will protect the wine from mold and spoilage. My hands are also thoroughly washed.
To prepare a delicious strong vegetable drink, we need to take:
- 3 kg pumpkin;
- 3 liters of clean water;
- 300 g of granulated sugar, and 5 g of citric acid per 1 liter of liquid;
- 50 g of raisins (unwashed) or wine yeast per 5 liters of wort.
The citric acid in pumpkin wine acts as a preservative and acidity stabilizer. Its presence reduces the risk of contamination of the wine with pathogenic microflora and improves the fermentation process.
The sugar content of pumpkin wine should not be higher than 20%, so we add sugar to it in parts, preferably equal.
If wine yeast was not at hand, then prepare the sourdough in advance from unwashed raisins. It will take 3-4 days to prepare it, so we will prepare the drink later.
Pour the raisins into a jar, add sugar (20 g) and water (150 ml). We mix everything, cover with gauze and transfer to a dark room with room temperature. The readiness of the starter is determined by the appearance of foam on the surface, the hissing of the composition and the smell of fermentation. If this does not happen, then you have come across processed raisins, and you will have to replace them. Some housewives immediately prepare a starter for pumpkin wine from currant, plum or cherry berries.
Homemade pumpkin wine can be made in many different ways. Let's consider the most popular ones.
Vegetable Strong Drink Options
For an introduction to pumpkin wine making techniques, try making each recipe using a small amount of vegetables. Then choose the best one.
Basic recipe
Preparing the leaven.
My pumpkin, peel and seeds, chop the pulp. A kitchen grater, meat grinder or food processor will do. We need to get pumpkin puree.
In a bucket or saucepan, dilute the resulting pumpkin puree with water in a 1: 1 ratio and add the sourdough.
Add citric acid and granulated sugar (half).
Stir until smooth.
We cover the container with gauze, transfer to a dark place, leave for 4 days.
Stir the floating pulp regularly.
We filter the pumpkin mixture through cheesecloth folded in 3 layers and squeeze the cake.
Add sugar, 100 g per 1 liter of water, with which we diluted the pumpkin puree.
Pour into a container prepared for fermentation of pumpkin wine. We fill no more than ¾ of the volume.
We install a water seal from a glove or a plastic tube.
We put it in a dark room, if it is not possible, cover it and keep it at a temperature of 18 ° C -26 ° C.
After a week, add the rest of granulated sugar to the wine, 100 g per 1 liter of water. To do this, you need to drain a little juice (350 ml), dilute the sugar in it and pour it back into the bottle.
We put on a water seal and wait for the end of fermentation.
Then we taste the young wine for sweetness, add sugar and a little alcohol, if necessary (up to 15% by volume). Alcohol optional. When adding sugar, keep the water seal for a few days, so that possible re-fermentation does not harm the bottles.
We put the wine in the cellar for six months. If a sediment appears, filter the pumpkin wine. When there is no sediment, the drink is ready.
Fast way
We accelerate the fermentation process of the pumpkin drink by heating the wine base.
My pumpkin, peeled from seeds and peels.
Cut into slices and place in a saucepan.
Add water so that the level of water and pumpkin is equal.
Simmer over low heat until pumpkin is soft.
We transfer the finished mass into a container for wine - a bottle, a barrel.
Add barley malt. The norm is 2 tbsp. spoons per 5 liters of mass. Put sugar to taste and fill with hot water.
Let the mixture cool, close the lid, put a water seal.
We leave the wine for a month to ferment in a warm place, but without sunlight.
As soon as the fermentation process is over, we bottle the wine and put it in a cool place. After a couple of weeks, you can try.
Suspended method
For this version of pumpkin wine, you must choose a round vegetable with a large weight - 10 kg or more.
Cut off only the upper part of the fruit.
We take out the seeds and a little pulp.
Pour granulated sugar into the hole at the rate of 5 kg per 10 kg of pumpkin weight, then 2 tbsp. tablespoons of yeast (dry) and pour water to the top.
We cover with a natural lid - a cut off the top of the head.
We isolate all the cracks, you can use tape.
We place the pumpkin in a plastic bag, completely isolating the air access. To do this, we bandage the bag as tightly as possible.
We hang it in a warm place, having prepared a reliable hook.
The package should be at a height of 50-70 cm from the floor, we substitute the pelvis at the bottom.
We leave it for fermentation for 2 weeks, as a result of the process, the pumpkin should become soft.
After the right time has passed, pierce the pumpkin through the bag and allow the wine to drain into the basin.
After draining, pour the strong drink into a bottle and set to ripen.
After the fermentation has stopped completely, we filter the pumpkin wine with high quality and carefully pour it into small bottles. Wine can be tasted.
Conclusion
You will definitely like the original drink. Try different ways of making wine to find your own brand.
