Mead or Honey Wine

Kelly Wambach

Memories are forever, but what creates a memory can disappear. For the last several years, honey bees have been in the news. Our little pollinators are disappearing at an alarming rate. We need to do all we can now to keep them from becoming a memory.
For many of us, a bee is any flying insect that might leave us with a nasty sting. Not all flying insects will sting, and not all flying insects are bees. Most are, however, important pollinators that are disappearing partly due to the irresponsible spraying of chemicals and disease. Let’s all do our homework before grabbing that can or bottle of insecticide and herbicide and randomly drenching our gardens and yards with toxins that are depleting beneficial pollinators. If we are not destroying the insects themselves we are killing their food source. All are in danger of disappearing. When nature’s pollinators disappear, so will our food source. Think before you spray!
Last summer, my bee keeper friend Lori placed one of her hives on a corner of my property. What an interesting and educational summer it was visiting with her as she tended and added six supers (extensions) to the hive as the colony grew. I definitely gained a better appreciation and understanding of how important these little creatures are to us and our environment. The experience also caused me to do more research and learn a bit more about all it takes to produce that golden jar of honey on our grocery store shelves.
By the end if the summer, the hive had grown to include six supers and produced a whopping 14 gallons of the best tasting honey I’ve ever had. The taste of honey is largely determined by the flowers the bees feed on. The bees she placed on my farm feasted on the flowers of 35 to 40 assorted fruit trees, berry bushes, numerous wild flowers, basswood trees, and nearby alfalfa fields. In addition, the farm next door planted an experimental field of canola. The bees loved the flowers, and we loved the honey!
At the end of the season, Lori was more than generous and shared more honey than I knew what to do with. Normally, a jar of honey will last me for months. What to do with all this wonderful honey? The cookbooks came out, Google got a workout, and my imagination went wild.
One of the first things that came to mind was mead or honey wine. Mead is one of the first alcoholic beverages consumed by man dating back thousands of years. My first experience with mead was during my time at the Historical and Cultural Society of Clay County. Once a year during the Scandinavian Festival held at the Hjemkomst Center, the Viking reenactors would demonstrate to visitors some authentic Viking activities and traditions. Mead I learned was consumed by the Vikings as a celebratory drink. Mead was not, however, served to the public during the festival, but if you knew the right Viking, you just might find a sampling or two. I knew the right Viking and had my first taste of this ancient brew!
After perusing dozens of recipes and tips on the internet and a few cookbooks, I came up with my own simplified recipe. No special equipment or special ingredients. Just a few readily available ingredients and a little time to allow them to ferment. The method is much the same as my homemade country wine, but I started with water instead of fruit juice and substituted honey for the sugar. I had a few frozen tart cherries in the freezer from last year, so I added those for flavor along with a few slices of lemon and orange. I used packaged yeast for my first attempt at mead, but for my next batch, I’m going to let Mother Nature do her thing and allow local natural yeasts to settle in and do the job. It may take a bit longer to get to the finished product, but it will be interesting to see the difference it might make in taste as well as time.
This is my simplified recipe. It makes less than a quart, but I start small when experimenting with new concoctions. The resulting mead was palatable but a little dryer than I prefer. The alcohol content, however, was definitely there! I added a bit more honey after fermentation was completed, and the problem was solved. Be sure to add additional honey for a sweeter beverage after fermentation stops or the yeast will just continue to convert the extra sugars to alcohol.
Mead or Honey Wine
1/2 cup raw honey
2 cups distilled or fresh untreated well water plus 1/4 cup to proof yeast
1/2 packet yeast
1 cup of fresh fruit such as cherries, blueberries, strawberries, etc. – optional
1/2 orange sliced
1/2 lemon sliced

You can be creative and experiment with flavor by adding different fruits and herbs. Rhubarb, rosemary, cloves, etc. Be creative!
Dissolve honey in 2 cups of very warm water. Cool to room temperature. Proof yeast separately in 1/4 cup of warm water. 80 degrees is about right. Too hot, and you will kill the yeast. When the yeast is foamy (about 10 minutes), combine with honey and water. Add 1/2 sliced orange, 1/2 sliced lemon, and 1 cup slightly chopped fresh fruit of your choice. Place in a two quart glass or plastic container and cover loosely with a clean towel or lid to allow gasses to escape as it ferments. Stir daily until all bubbling stops. Mine took about 10 days, but time will vary. Carefully strain out the fruit. Do not press or crush. Allow a day for any solids that remain to settle to the bottom and carefully pour off clarified liquid. Check for desired sweetness and serve at room temperature or chilled if desired.
SKOL!
Let’s not allow our pollinators to become a memory. Respect and appreciate our honey bees, and educate yourself when it comes to using chemicals.
Use honey when you can, and cook up a memory.
The most important ingredient in a recipe is the memory it conjures.