eoN's Garden ~

Mead- Mixed Berry

2010-02-20T12:47:00.000-08:00

Figured I should get this written down already!

Jan 12/10
Added 1 .5 oz Wisers Whiskey to carboy

Jan 19/10
Re-racked batch

Jan 24/10
Bottled batch
(swing top bottles, about $3 ea from Ikea)
It yielded 11 bottles, plus one extra from the bottom for my personal "testing" (hangover in a bottle...)

Nice flavour! It's quite interesting to taste the difference time makes. I can't wait until it's fully aged.
It's a lovely pinkish colour (see pic)

...I realized after the fact I took the shot in front of a pink background, but it didn't effect the look of the colour of the mead, for truly!

more mead

2009-11-07T13:44:00.000-08:00

Nov 2/09

Reading on the hydrometer is 1.05 (10%)= must is currently at 8% alcohol content.
Continued skimming the gunk off the top. Then figured it too much of a pain in the ass with all that fruit floating on top and just took to giving it a quick swirl to allow some air access to the surface.

Nov 4/09

First racking
Used sulfite to sterilize carboy, siphon, hose, air stop and plug.
Hydrometer reading 1.062 (8%)= must with 10% alcohol content

Tasting- fizzy! the yeast is still active
a lovely fruit sweet taste
still very cloudy, a dark pinkish colour

Nov 5/09

Added 4 additional litres of bottled spring water

ok, the mead, here we go!

2009-11-07T12:56:00.000-08:00

Oct 29/09
*sorry for the mixed use of degree designations, it's just now i had it written down...

started with 6kg (=2gal) of honey, with 2gal of water, heated until honey dissolved then brought to a boil for 20mins to sterilize.

removed from heat, let cool to 70-75F before adding yeast (temp approx 175F or 77C when removed) and added:
15tbsp of air dried bee pollen (yeast energizer, recommended 1-5tbsp/gal);
1/2 each blood orange and lemon, sliced (one whole citric fruit);
7tbsp very strong tea (steeped 6 Earl Grey teabags in average sized teapot)- recommended 2tbsp/gal.

at 50C, added 1 additional gallon of cold water

added 900g frozen mixed berries raspberry, strawberry, blackberry, blueberry (75.5C).
Oct. 30 added additional 500g frozen blue berries

started yeast ( lalvin 1118) in 1 cup warm water, let stand for time indicated on package
added to must at 110F

initial hydrometer readings,
1.135 (18%)
1.1 (15%) after yeast added

*notes
fill sink with cold water and place pot of boiled must into this cold water to speed cooling ;)
3kg honey =4L= 1gal
1kg= 2 2/3 cups/ 650ml

2009-10-31T22:53:00.000-07:00

it's Hallowe'en. and I am at home. this is the first time since I can remember that I have stayed home for this night. We went for a ride around stanley park, enjoying the fantabulous weather on this last day of fall. then i carved some pumpkins and set them out with a small ofering for the dead. then i worked on tieing one on. all in all, not a bad day/night! really, I just didn't have the feeling to go out and dress up and do what ever it is I usually do on Hallowe'en. c'est la vie.

Four Things

2008-10-16T00:01:00.000-07:00

Four Things i did today:

1. Beat down temptation with a baseball bat and did not crawl back into the warm bed with my sexy warm boyfriend... then dragged my ass to work.
2. Worked all day in the miserable drizzling weather... and somewhere along the way gave my shin muscles a good work out cuz they's aching now!
3. Had a couple great bitch sessions with two of the guys I work with... I swear, they're like old hens!
4. Came home to a super yummy home cooked dinner in a warm apartment with cozy pj's and a still sexy warm boyfriend waiting for me (and the vacuuming was done, the garbage taken out and the dishes put away!)

four things on my to do list

1. read all those books I haven't finished yet
2. Finish the landscape design for my mums friend
3. do my papers for TPOC... I will get them done!! (no, blogging is not time I could be using to write these papers... pashah!)
4. Get my Halloween costume together

four of my guilt pleasures

1. foot, leg and back pets
2. chocolate/ pad tai (both are equally yummy in different flavour categories and both are just as fattening!)
3. whiskey
4. zoning out with the tv

four random things about me

1. I have a (no, not unhealthy obsession!! shush!) thing for zombies... they exist!! and stuff and I will not ramble!
2. I have a real problem with rambling and/ or tangents
3. i like sour things
4. I regularly let my huge pothos plant wilt...
(5. I really like nice fabrics... one could say it is an addiction)

Saturday Night

2008-10-11T00:03:00.000-07:00

Well, Dave's just picked up a new movies to watch for the evening, The Happening by m.night shamalamdingdong, I've heard mixed reviews, but i'm still looking forward to seeing it. We watched You Don't Mess With the Zohan last night. I thought it was pretty funny!
Today we were going to go for a bike ride, but left it a bit too late. instead we went to a shop called Bodacious on main st, and I bought a pair of jeans (flippin' expensive, but they actually FIT me! this is a very rare occurrence indeed..) and I picked up a new jacket for the colder months. Quite nice actually. We also stopped by the Party Bazzar on 6th (?) so I could check out their Halloween stuff. the place was packed! I didn't bother getting anything. After we got home, Heather and Aaron stopped by with the kids and her sister in law. We went for a walk down to Denman to go to the cupcake shop, then to English bay to eat our cupcakes. I've heard so many raves about that place, but really, I could make a better cupcake...But the beach was nice. Quite chilly though, but that's ok, means less people!

Tomorrow we're going to watch Quaratine at the theater in Langley, I'm looking forward to it! Then turkey dinner at my bros place. And in the time in between, trying to get my papers done for TPOC... one day! I've got about two weeks left I think, but I'd prefer to get then done sooner rather than later...