Apple wine recipe & apple picking day

Apples are to country living what taxi's are to new york living. A staple. To me it symbolizes the end of Summer & the begining of Fall. A perfect ending with a beautiful begining. The days slipped by so quickly, then suddenly I realized Fall was here. I forgot to post my last entry for the Summer of Wild foods & Wine recipes.
I love my Country Wine making! I like to keep recipes simple and if you are a winemaker connoiseur' ,then I would just skip down to the apple picking part. The rest of you who like to keep it simple read on. No gadgets to measure anything except the ingredients going in. No mad scientist tools or goggles needed. Just your kitchen's supply of utensils and ingredients you most likely already have. Well, except if using the yeast which you can obtain from a local brew supply store for less then $1. So hop aboard the country wine making addiction and get your fix... muahahaha.....
If the abundance of apples from your local orchard is making you run out of ideas, then try this easy wine recipe that was recently discussed on Homesteading Today. I like it because not only is it simple and I have made some already and it was great! I realy liked it. A great drink by the bonfire watching the fireflys blink, the stars twinkle, the bats fly by, and kids playing in their magic tree. Here is the basic recipe they discussed:
**********************Apple wine**************
6 cups diced up apples 6 cups (no less!) sugar place in a one gallon glass jar and fill to the top with filtered water. I would use hot -not boiling-myself but they did not mention the temperature. Put the lid on and let sit for a month (30 days) on the counter being sure to stir everyday. Strain, then pour into bottles/jars. Enjoy it now or let it improve with age.
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Another I like is using champagne yeast. It cost me .69 cents from the brew shop. if you go to the link of the discussion, scroll down to #21. It is a recipe listing the use of yeast. This is where I would use the champagne yeast. I have had lots of fun making the wines
Country wine is so simple to make and would make a great housewarming gift -maybe an apple theme basket which could include some homemade apple sauce and apple cinnamon rolls for the winter solstice?. This recipe from V-Wales and is called Gwin Afalau or "apple wine". Another method of making the wonderful drink to indulge.
Today was apple picking day for my crew. The sun would peek out every once in awhile, but for the most part it was a comfortably cool day. Frog sat on her blanket while watching her big brother and sister pick some of the Empire variety from the trees. The Captain had to be lashed for his small apple picking which meant more work for me in the kitchen. He thought the smaller the sweeter... umm not in apples sweetie....

Lil' man spotted some big juicy looking ones out of his reach and asked if I would help him. This is where my apple picker would have come in handy but of course it was left sitting in the mud room amidst our scramble to get out the door in time. So a shoulder lift was offered for my baby. I did not realize how heavy he has gotten! Despite my tiptoe standing, he still could not reach the apple of his desire. Of course I tried to do different angles but each time I would move, he would place his hands over my eyes. I managed to wack my head just twice into a branch thick with fruit.
It was an enjoyable time. While picking apples, you are invited to sample the goods. And sample we did. The taste of an apple fresh picked from the tree is so juicy and delicious. I rarely ever eat more then 1 apple in a sitting but I could not stop myself with these. Neither could the kids and the Captain. We picked 2 bags full which equal a bushel which is about 50 pounds of apples. There are Spartans, Empires, Idared, and a few golden delicious. I will be making a return trip in mid October for more apples to fullfill my other apple plans. They enjoyed themselves so much, they asked to go again next weekend. I best be off to bed. Long day of apple peeling and preserving tommorow.
Sweet Dreams...
~Tammie