Turn canned fruit into wine

[Brent S]

I went thru the expiration dates on my canned goods and found a tray of peaches right at their use by date. As I'm not a big fan of them, just got em for the high sugar content, I blended them and started three batches of wine. Believe it or not, I've probably got more praise for the peach flavor than the really good wine I've made. It's really easy to make this stuff. I have some 5gal plastic water jugs that I use, glass is better but harder to find. Blend 5 cans fruit, melt 10lbs of sugar in hot water, fill each jug with filtered water. You need a bubbler and bung to cover the opening and a pack of yeast. If you go to any winemaking store these are a couple bucks each, or amazon will ship them to your door even cheaper. Now comes the hard part, add the yeast and then you need to wait, and wait. It takes weeks, or months, but be patient, good things are happening in there. You also need a piece of clear tubing to siphon with, although a store bought siphon is a lot easier. I usually siphon off the wine after two weeks, leaving all the fruit pulp in the bottom inch or so of the jug, into another 5gal jug. Then just wait, after it stops bubbling you siphon it again (called racking), leaving the bottom inch of sediment in the jug. This jug can sit a while longer until it's clear and sediment free, then siphon into bottles and enjoy. Beware, this stuff is more potent than store bought wine. One important thing, everything needs to be really clean! There are chemicals made for winemakers that leave no aftertaste, and I recommend them, but you can clean with bleach if you rinse really well in hot water.

 

[ChancesR]

interesting idea but be careful with those containers toxins leach out and all... you can not always taste them. but very cool idea.

 

[Brent S]

interesting idea but be careful with those containers toxins leach out and all... you can not always taste them. but very cool idea.

Supposedly these water bottles are safe, but no doubt, glass is better. I have 4 plastic bottles and 2glass ones. I usually ferment in plastic and then transfer to the glass ones to clarify, which takes longer. My grapevines are getting bigger and I'm going to need a larger container before too long. I'm kind of thinking about a water heater maybey. I'd love to find a stainless tank of some kind. I can weld stainless, so could even modify something. Five gallon jugs are fine for personal use, but I'm seriously considering trying to get a license to start a micro winery, and would like something like a 100 gal tank.

 

[ChancesR]

if you are going to weld be careful what you chose to weld with ... silver is best but alot of stuff has lead in it and zinc is not good either... a large copper container is best but expensive and hard to get. lol I have dont a little reading on stills lol... I would say smaller and more often is the way to go... large vats of liquor attracts unwanted attention but you could build a gradual stock pile of wines. I have always wondered if you could can wine some how in mason jars with the new tattler lids so the metal would not ruin the product. it would be useful if you could.

 

[Brent S]

if you are going to weld be careful what you chose to weld with ... silver is best but alot of stuff has lead in it and zinc is not good either... a large copper container is best but expensive and hard to get. lol I have dont a little reading on stills lol... I would say smaller and more often is the way to go... large vats of liquor attracts unwanted attention but you could build a gradual stock pile of wines. I have always wondered if you could can wine some how in mason jars with the new tattler lids so the metal would not ruin the product. it would be useful if you could.

I'm sure the mason jars would do fine, as long as they are air tight. Would be a cute way to market a small country winery, a way to stand out from the hundreds of similar looking bottles in the store. Yeah, lots of people think you can distill small amounts of liquor for personal use, but it's flat out illegal in any amount. Some of the old prohibition laws are still on the books and you can get more jail time for making whiskey than raping a child. You can legally make 100 gal. of beer or wine, per adult, in your household for personal use, no selling it though. I do gift a fair amount of it to generate good will! Welding stainless is pretty standard, and safe, as long as you use the right materials. Most of the big winery's use all stainless equipment as it's easy to clean and imparts no taste into the wine. I think copper would work too, but as you said expensive, and it tarnishes, so I don't know if that would affect the taste of wine.

 

[Dani]

I went thru the expiration dates on my canned goods and found a tray of peaches right at their use by date. As I'm not a big fan of them, just got em for the high sugar content, I blended them and started three batches of wine. Believe it or not, I've probably got more praise for the peach flavor than the really good wine I've made. It's really easy to make this stuff. I have some 5gal plastic water jugs that I use, glass is better but harder to find. Blend 5 cans fruit, melt 10lbs of sugar in hot water, fill each jug with filtered water. You need a bubbler and bung to cover the opening and a pack of yeast. If you go to any winemaking store these are a couple bucks each, or amazon will ship them to your door even cheaper. Now comes the hard part, add the yeast and then you need to wait, and wait. It takes weeks, or months, but be patient, good things are happening in there. You also need a piece of clear tubing to siphon with, although a store bought siphon is a lot easier. I usually siphon off the wine after two weeks, leaving all the fruit pulp in the bottom inch or so of the jug, into another 5gal jug. Then just wait, after it stops bubbling you siphon it again (called racking), leaving the bottom inch of sediment in the jug. This jug can sit a while longer until it's clear and sediment free, then siphon into bottles and enjoy. Beware, this stuff is more potent than store bought wine. One important thing, everything needs to be really clean! There are chemicals made for winemakers that leave no aftertaste, and I recommend them, but you can clean with bleach if you rinse really well in hot water.

That is an awesome idea for using a lot of fruit fast. Maybe one day I will have to try that trick out. Thanks for sharing Brent!

 

[Potter County Man]

I went thru the expiration dates on my canned goods and found a tray of peaches right at their use by date. As I'm not a big fan of them, just got em for the high sugar content, I blended them and started three batches of wine. Believe it or not, I've probably got more praise for the peach flavor than the really good wine I've made. It's really easy to make this stuff. I have some 5gal plastic water jugs that I use, glass is better but harder to find. Blend 5 cans fruit, melt 10lbs of sugar in hot water, fill each jug with filtered water. You need a bubbler and bung to cover the opening and a pack of yeast. If you go to any wine-making store these are a couple bucks each, or amazon will ship them to your door even cheaper. Now comes the hard part, add the yeast and then you need to wait, and wait. It takes weeks, or months, but be patient, good things are happening in there. You also need a piece of clear tubing to siphon with, although a store bought siphon is a lot easier. I usually siphon off the wine after two weeks, leaving all the fruit pulp in the bottom inch or so of the jug, into another 5gal jug. Then just wait, after it stops bubbling you siphon it again (called racking), leaving the bottom inch of sediment in the jug. This jug can sit a while longer until it's clear and sediment free, then siphon into bottles and enjoy. Beware, this stuff is more potent than store bought wine. One important thing, everything needs to be really clean! There are chemicals made for winemakers that leave no aftertaste, and I recommend them, but you can clean with bleach if you rinse really well in hot water.

You didn't say what size the cans are..

10 lbs of sugar, at that price, you might as well just go buy the wine!

 

[Brent S]

That is an awesome idea for using a lot of fruit fast. Maybe one day I will have to try that trick out. Thanks for sharing Brent!

If you're ever interested just let me know and I'll help with the details. It's pretty simple and has value both as a trade item and a guilty pleasure for yourself.

 

[Brent S]

You didn't say what size the cans are..

10 lbs of sugar, at that price, you might as well just go buy the wine!

The cans were 15 oz, and yes it's cheaper than store bought as you get 25 bottles of wine for each 5gal. jug. Although it's not a lot cheaper than what you can buy at Walmart for three bucks. Another plus is homemade is about twice as potent as what is legal to sell. I'm not into getting drunk since my teenage years, so I cut it with juice or clear diet soda (my favorite), to make it a little softer. The point is not economy though, I just enjoy making things and learning new things. I'm thinking about a goat for homemade cheese as a project in the near future.

 

[Dani]

I can get 4 lbs of sugar for 99 cent on sale and at that time I stock up as much as I can. If not I coupon and get it for about 50 cents for a 4 lb bag. If that doesn't work, as in jelly making time, I get a 25 lb bag of sugar for about $19. Homemade is so much better than store bought hands down. . . I tried a few months ago some homemade raisin wine which was good. I have goats and have made cheese and butter from them so if you have questions let me know. Goats are my favorite farm critter.

 

[Brent S]

I can get 4 lbs of sugar for 99 cent on sale and at that time I stock up as much as I can. If not I coupon and get it for about 50 cents for a 4 lb bag. If that doesn't work, as in jelly making time, I get a 25 lb bag of sugar for about $19. Homemade is so much better than store bought hands down. . . I tried a few months ago some homemade raisin wine which was good. I have goats and have made cheese and butter from them so if you have questions let me know. Goats are my favorite farm critter.

Ive really got to start couponing! Ive got a guy that i bought my rabbits from and he is raising goats, Im pretty sure Ill try to get a milking female from him this year. do you need pairs of them for companionship? I would rather start with just one but want my critters to be happy. A cow would be my favorite but i dont think I could use that much milk, but im sure i could find a use for all the beef! (my main weakness in life, steak).

 

[Dani]

I would definitely have two since they are social animals. What kind does your friend have? I have both Nubian and Alpine and get roughly about 2 1/2 quarts per milking. I do have a Jersey cow and she gives about 4-6 gallons a day depending. I make my butter and cheese and if I have leftovers I sell it. Around here, I sell my goat milk for $2 a quart and I have heard that some sell their cow milk at $10 a gallon. I never have though. . . I sell it for $4 a gallon since normally you can get milk at the store right under that. I was amazed at the response I posted at a local free classified. Cows are more work though and depending on the cow can be right down hard to handle. I have a yearling right now, but in that time I have been conditioning her so that she will hopefully not be that hard to handle at first milking. I will have to see on that one.

 

[Brent S]

I would definitely have two since they are social animals. What kind does your friend have? I have both Nubian and Alpine and get roughly about 2 1/2 quarts per milking. I do have a Jersey cow and she gives about 4-6 gallons a day depending. I make my butter and cheese and if I have leftovers I sell it. Around here, I sell my goat milk for $2 a quart and I have heard that some sell their cow milk at $10 a gallon. I never have though. . . I sell it for $4 a gallon since normally you can get milk at the store right under that. I was amazed at the response I posted at a local free classified. Cows are more work though and depending on the cow can be right down hard to handle. I have a yearling right now, but in that time I have been conditioning her so that she will hopefully not be that hard to handle at first milking. I will have to see on that one.

I'll talk to my friend soon and let you know what kind they are, there kind of cute, that's the best I can tell you for now! We were walking in his yard and several of them came right up to me, he said he's never seen them come near anyone but him before. Maybey I'll become the goat whisperer and have my own tv show! Do you have meat goats too or just for dairy?
Someone was telling me he got 11bucks for a gallon of his milk, but had to tell everyone it was for farm use only as not pasteurized, and not legally for human consumption. We have some stupid laws in this country.

 

[Dani]

I do have 'meat' goats that are Boer, but I have never let any of mine go for that purpose. I have 1 female and 1 male. I also have a Spanish/Nubian male for my dairy side. If you have a mix like that, they are consider duel purpose. I also had to say that my goat milk was for farm use only and not legally for human consumption. That is the only way you can sell it in my state too. Yesterday, I had one of my dairy goat go in labor at around 8 am. I set with her out in the goat barn on one of the coldest days we have around here, but I kept my coffee in hand. After all was said and done at 2, she gave birth to twins, both stillborn.. . I knew that they would be because of the smell. I helped deliver the first baby and had called my guys and by the time he was delivered, the guys were there. CO had to actually reach in and grab the second baby, because with his position there was no way he was coming out on his own. She didn't pass the afterbirth like normal (last checked at 8 pm). I waited until this morning and checked again with no 'real' signs, but they do eat it. This afternoon she looked like she was in pain, but hunny had a doctor appointment that I HAD to go to. Anyway, I was prepared to flush her out thinking that she didn't pass all of her afterbirth out, but by the time I got home she was acting normal. . . eating/grazing, drinking, etc. You will run into health problems with your goats so just make sure you have a good source to get advise/medical care from. Like I said before, I love my goats and they are my favorite, but they do have upkeep. . . especially their hooves and deworming.

 

[Brent S]

I do have 'meat' goats that are Boer, but I have never let any of mine go for that purpose. I have 1 female and 1 male. I also have a Spanish/Nubian male for my dairy side. If you have a mix like that, they are consider duel purpose. I also had to say that my goat milk was for farm use only and not legally for human consumption. That is the only way you can sell it in my state too. Yesterday, I had one of my dairy goat go in labor at around 8 am. I set with her out in the goat barn on one of the coldest days we have around here, but I kept my coffee in hand. After all was said and done at 2, she gave birth to twins, both stillborn.. . I knew that they would be because of the smell. I helped deliver the first baby and had called my guys and by the time he was delivered, the guys were there. CO had to actually reach in and grab the second baby, because with his position there was no way he was coming out on his own. She didn't pass the afterbirth like normal (last checked at 8 pm). I waited until this morning and checked again with no 'real' signs, but they do eat it. This afternoon she looked like she was in pain, but hunny had a doctor appointment that I HAD to go to. Anyway, I was prepared to flush her out thinking that she didn't pass all of her afterbirth out, but by the time I got home she was acting normal. . . eating/grazing, drinking, etc. You will run into health problems with your goats so just make sure you have a good source to get advise/medical care from. Like I said before, I love my goats and they are my favorite, but they do have upkeep. . . especially their hooves and deworming.

Yeah, im learning that ALL animals are more work than you estimate, nonetheless, very rewarding. I saw one of the new bunnys peek out of the nesting box this morning, completely covered in fur and eyes wide open, looked up at me and ran like no tomorrow! what do you do with their hooves, grind or cut them? my vet for our dog does farm animals too, and i really like her so im good there. I like the idea of the dual purpose breed, and will check with my guy soon to let you know what he has and see what you think. thanks.

 

[Dani]

We trim them up with hoof trimmers. This needs to be done about once a month and I time deworming at the same time. I would suggest getting them when they are young or if you find an older goat that is used to being handled. I have dealt with all types now, but the ones that I raised were my first that I got. It took awhile for them to get used to me, but after sometime they turned out to be the best and friendliest.