Country Meads

Although I always use honey, I do make "Country Meads" based on my Basic Mead. Thus far this season, I have Dandelion, Red Clover & Honeysuckle started. The Dandelion shows to be through fermentation, the Red Clover and Honeysuckle are slowing.

My usual procedure is to use my basic recipe and then add the renderings of whatever blooms I choose. It adds variety and puts a little more nature into the natural.

I have little doubt Dandelion showed up in Meads, many, many years ago. I suspect the adding of rendered yellow pedals to the must is nearly as ancient as fermented honey-water.

Derf,

I'll take the petals of choice, be it Dandelion, Marigold, Honeysuckle, whatever and pour boilng water over them, then simmer a while to extract the juices. This is what I refer to as rendering. Sometimes I'll place this in the freezer until a later date and sometimes I go ahead and add it to a must.

Derf,

I'm afraid I haven't done a Lilac. What I usually do, when trying a petal for the first time, is do my standard Mead recipe, with the addition of one quart of petals per gallon of Mead. The quart of petals is measured before rendering. Naturally, some blooms will add more flavor per quart than others. I always figure the Mead will be good, with or without the petals, so I go easy on the petals the first time around. The next batch can be adjusted accordingly.

Another thing, you'll want to insure the blooms you use ARE eatable! We wouldn't want to see Derf in the Obittuaries.

Keep us posted on the outcome. And good luck!