Loss m\Memory

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HalfSmoked

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Jun 11, 2015
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just can't seem o remember not sure I will get any help here but I'm asking any way.Seems I see a lot of this on here where a group of us have senior moments.
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My dad use to have what I called a simple recipe for making wine I have done it many times myself in days gone by but not sure I remember it correctly.

He would put 2 quarts of fruit (grapes wild cherries or peaches) in a gallon glass jar 1 quart of sugar (this what I'm not sure of I think it was 1 quart of sugar) pour boiling hot water over it sit it on a shelf on the side of the storage shed and let it bubble (ferment) slack the lid so it wouldn't explode. After it quite fermenting he would tighten the lid sit it in a cool dark place and let the fruit settle to the bottom then strain it off and let the good times begin.

Warren
 
I've never made wine like you've described, but I found a website online that kind of describes what you said above.  Your father's method was much simpler than the website.  The boiling water he used probably went in the sugar without the fruit, to make a simple syrup.  If you poured boiling water over the fruit, it would kill the natural yeast and nothing would ferment. 

2 quarts of fruit and 1 quart of sugar would make a very sweet wine.  I wonder if it was 1 pound of sugar.  Worth a try! 
 
HalfSmoked,

From the description of what you and your dad once made, It sounds to me like the two of you were a basic, though classic, version of "Pruno". If you're not familiar with the term, Pruno is the jailhouse alcoholic beverage of choice made illicitly by inmates within the prison system with ingredients commonly available from the cafeteria.

Pruno's very simple to make - Pulverize some fruit in a large zip lock, or even garbage, bag, add sugar (a lot of it), then add water. Run the bag under hot water for an extended period of time then wrap in heavy towels and let cool slowly. Once cool, add torn up bits of leftover bread for the yeast. After a few days, once fermentation has commenced, the bag will start to expand. Open the bag, "burp" it, the reseal it. Keep the wrapped bag in a nice warm place and burp daily. After a couple weeks, break out the wine glasses and enjoy.

Google the term Pruno and you may just find a recipe similar to what you and dad made.

As a side note, you really kind of need to be cautious when making Pruno as it's a leading cause of botulism. Click the link below and check out an annual report published by the CDC and note Table 3/Page 3.

https://www.cdc.gov/nationalsurveillance/pdfs/botulism_cste_2012.pdf

Cheers!
 
Last edited:
 
I've never made wine like you've described, but I found a website online that kind of describes what you said above.  Your father's method was much simpler than the website.  The boiling water he used probably went in the sugar without the fruit, to make a simple syrup.  If you poured boiling water over the fruit, it would kill the natural yeast and nothing would ferment. 

2 quarts of fruit and 1 quart of sugar would make a very sweet wine.  I wonder if it was 1 pound of sugar.  Worth a try! 
Nope I do remember that we put the fruit and the sugar in the jar then added the water. Thanks for your reply. Yes I do remember it being sweet been a while now since I made any.  The last that I made I had sitting on top of the frig and one of our little dogs just seemed to be happy. Well I checked on the wine jug and it seemed low it had developed a leak and dog was keeping the floor cleaned up so we never saw any on the floor.

Warren
 
Last edited:
 
HalfSmoked,

From the description of what you and your dad once made, It sounds to me like the two of you were a basic, though classic, version of "Pruno". If you're not familiar with the term, Pruno is the jailhouse alcoholic beverage of choice made illicitly by inmates within the prison system with ingredients commonly available from the cafeteria.

Pruno's very simple to make - Pulverize some fruit in a large zip lock, or even garbage, bag, add sugar (a lot of it), then add water. Run the bag under hot water for an extended period of time then wrap in heavy towels and let cool slowly. Once cool, add torn up bits of leftover bread for the yeast. After a few days, once fermentation has commenced, the bag will start to expand. Open the bag, "burp" it, the reseal it. Keep the wrapped bag in a nice warm place and burp daily. After a couple weeks, break out the wine glasses and enjoy.

Google the term Pruno and you may just find a recipe similar to what you and dad made.

As a side note, you really kind of need to be cautious when making Pruno as it's a leading cause of botulism. Click the link below and check out an annual report published by the CDC and note Table 3/Page 3.

https://www.cdc.gov/nationalsurveillance/pdfs/botulism_cste_2012.pdf

Cheers!
Had a English teacher who was a prisoner of war and he told the story of making wine from raisins and sugar from his food tray said that was how he managed to keep his sanity.

Warren
 
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