Birthday Wine

Today's my birthday!

After years of having my birthday fall at the beginning of the week or midweek, it's great to have it fall not only on a Friday, but on a Friday I have off.

I tried spending the morning enjoying my garden (I'll post some pics of it later on in the summer). It was nice until I noticed the invasion of violets. Last year these misconstrued shrinkers almost choked out my roses. They devoured my dusty miller and engaged in total warfare with an advancing squadron of lily of the valley. I usually adopt a laissez-faire attitude towards any plant with useful properties. This includes violets, day lilies, dandelions, and so on. If I can eat them, turn them into a poultice, or dry them for potpourri, then they can stay. However, killing my roses is tantamount to garden treason.

I couldn’t see just throwing them out. There were so many of them – there are still a helluva lot of the little flowers. I went through my reference shelves and pantry and discovered a recipe for flower wine (pansies specifically, a cousin of the violet) and I combined that with a recipe for rose hip wine and a packet of dried rose hips I’ve have kicking around.

Everything is now boiled and soaking waiting for some pectin enzyme and yeast. I’ve made a gallon. It should be ready (although a bit young) by the end of the summer.