It's about Road Turkey. Road Turkey and being observant and a sharp turn. I wanted a turkey for Christmas, but decided against it. Turkey isn't my favorite, but Christmas and turkey seem to go together... The road I live on has a sharp turn from the major road to this one. As I was driving home one day, I SWEAR I saw a commercially plastic-wrapped turkey in the field at the beginning of my road. I convinced myself to go back to check it out. Yep. A ~20# turkey. Plastic-wrapped and starting to thaw. I took it home, insta-temped it. Still plenty cold and icy. So, I spatchcocked it (split it down it's back and flattened it to cook quicker) and then stuffed cracked black pepper and bacon grease on the left side under the skin and stuffed herbs and butter under the skin on the right side. It was wonderful. And I was very thankful for the gift from The Road (but sad someone else didn't have Christmas turkey).
I think I saw the turkey and no one else did because it had snowed. A very pretty snow. The turkey looked like a lump of dirt. Ok. A really BIG lump of dirt. With lettering on it...
There's always a gorgeous sunset, seems like...
Having access to a Bobcat sure makes a difference when it comes to cleaning up huge rounds of wood and stacks of limbs. So much better! I'll have to smooth the yard and replant, but still. So much better.
Since it's cold and snowy outside, it seemed like a good time to decant and bottle the mead I set in July. I have orange mead, lime mead with jalapeno, lemon mead, ginger lime mead and a grapefruit mead.... I didn't have an actual correct carboy top for the bubbler, so I used the handyman's friend, duct tape over plastic wrap, for the top and then stuck the bubbler in the top. This is what it looks like when mead is truly ready to decant. The fruit will drop to the bottom as seen in the above. Each gallon of mead yielded 9 bottles of mead.
Mead is honey 'wine.' Having your own honey and lots of herbs and spices makes it fun to experiment. I now have cocoa mead setting. It'll be ready to decant in 3-4 months and ready to drink at the end of 2014 or so. Yes. 2014. Cocoa purportedly has some bitter qualities in it that doesn't mellow for at least a year.
Mead is fun and the recipe I enjoy playing with is made with bread yeast (look of horror on brewer's faces, I know. Google Joe's Ancient Orange Mead for the recipe). Then, I've been taking artist's license with it.
If you want to try it? Have fun! It doesn't have to set as long as I've let mine set before decanting, but it adds to it's mellowness...
I don't really drink, but do enjoy a sip now and then...
Mead is honey 'wine.' Having your own honey and lots of herbs and spices makes it fun to experiment. I now have cocoa mead setting. It'll be ready to decant in 3-4 months and ready to drink at the end of 2014 or so. Yes. 2014. Cocoa purportedly has some bitter qualities in it that doesn't mellow for at least a year.
Mead is fun and the recipe I enjoy playing with is made with bread yeast (look of horror on brewer's faces, I know. Google Joe's Ancient Orange Mead for the recipe). Then, I've been taking artist's license with it.
If you want to try it? Have fun! It doesn't have to set as long as I've let mine set before decanting, but it adds to it's mellowness...
I don't really drink, but do enjoy a sip now and then...
Bottling. I used a quick siphon and 5/16" hose Worked very well with the bottles I sorted from the recycling bin. You have to use the recapping kind - not the screw kind. Then clean them (or run through the dishwasher), reclean and then use cleaner designed for brewing equipment. I have my own bottle capper and also have friends with cappers. You can get the caps via the internet or check around! Someone in your area probably brews beer or wine and has access.
What's left over. The dregs. Both the fruit and the dregs (in the bottle at the left - thanks, Susan and Andi for the bottle!). The fruit, it seems to me after tasting, is very similar to that used in fruitcakes. I've MADE the glazed cherries and pineapple for fruitcake from scratch and this differs greatly in its preparation, but it seems to me that the 'ancients' wouldn't have wasted anything. I put the fruit (minus the spices as they've been used to their fullest) in the dehydrator and will tinker with making fruitcake with them after chopping and glazing. I think they'll work out fine as long as not too much is used. The fruit is very wine-like and rich due to the fermentation. Interesting.
Here's hoping you all had a great Christmas and wonderful holiday season! I've gotten a nutcracker, or two, for each year for my son. The Rat King is the one from 2012. Stacking nutcrackers, sitting nutcrackers, a soccer guy, Pez ones, metal, wood, plastic... They make me smile. (and yes, there's candy in there too)...
It'll be warm soon!! Welcome 2013!!
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