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Dent-De-Lion Wine

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Ms. Trouble Maker/shutterstock
The Editors
Category
Beverages
Course
Other
Sources
Old Farmer's Almanac
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The Middle English name, “dent-de-lion,” comes from the Old French translation of the Medieval Latin, “dens leonis,” which means “lion’s tooth,” and may allude to the tooth-like leaves of the plant. We promise this wine won’t bite you back though!

Ingredients
2 quarts of dandelions
4 quarts water
2 oranges
2 lemons
1 yeast cake
3 1/2 pounds sugar
cheesecloth
Glass cider jug with a screw-on lid
Instructions

Pick dandelion blossoms and snip off the stem and collar. Rinse in cool water. Place dandelion petals in a large enamelware pan and cover with 4 quarts of water. Boil for 20 minutes. Cut oranges and lemons into small pieces. Pour hot liquid and petals over oranges and lemons. Allow mixture to cool to lukewarm temperature. Add yeast cake and let stand for 48 hours. Strain mixture through cheesecloth, squeezing to remove juice. Add sugar and stir to dissolve. Pour liquid into cider jug and cover with lid but do not screw on tightly yet. (You can also use a water stopper. Use a cork with a tube inserted through it for stopper, placing other end of tube into a glass of water) Let stand for six weeks. Strain and bottle. Age for about six months. Makes about five 4/5 wine bottles.

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The Old Farmer's Almanac Editors

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Comments

Sharon Frohme (not verified)

4 years 7 months ago

I make wine at home and use a "wine yeast". What do you refer to when you say "yeast cake"?

raynohl (not verified)

11 years 8 months ago

Make sure the water is below 120 degrees before adding the yeast. I don't use more than 2 to 2 and a half pounds of sugar per gal. of juice/pummy strainings. A very good use of your old caned fruit (peachs,rasberry's,ect.)that have went soft is to put 4 quarts in a crock with 3gal of good water,bottled !! NOT city water and 2 cups of sugar and yeast. Strain 2 gal off after 2 days.Stir in 4lb of sugar and pour into a 5 gal. bottled water jug. Cover with 4 layers of cloth. Add 2 cups of sugar and 2 gal of water back to the crock. strain after 2 days and stir in 6lb of sugar. Top off 5 gal bottle, recover with cloth and watch for 6 weeks. The solids that did not strain out will settle to the bottom. If the wine is still cloudy ,wait 2 weeks,it will clear. Siphon out into 2 glasses ,DRINK !!!. Siphon the rest into gal jugs and enjoy!

Farmerboy (not verified)

11 years 8 months ago

My grandpa used to make it and he says its very strong

potsonna2 (not verified)

11 years 8 months ago

Interesting! This sounds good!

Steven Ambrosen (not verified)

11 years 8 months ago

Made this as a kid