April 2007

I finished a Drupal installation yesterday: Global Campaign for Education, U.S. Chapter.

I worked with Heather Gardner-Madras and Justin W. Van Fleet of The Advance Associates.

I didn't know it was possible for kids this young to rock like this. Worth watching just for the little girl.

They also have a blog, en español.
via Digg

Today I did these steps:

Poured mixture back into pot, brought to a boil.

Added the peelings (I used a zester) of three tangelos (the recipe calls for 4 oranges).

Boiled mixture for 10 minutes, then strained through a cloth back into the bucket (I rinsed it out good first).

Let mixture cool.

Activated the yeast by following instructions on packet (I used Lalvin K1-V1116), then poured the yeast and the juice of the tangelos into the mixture, then poured the whole thing into a carboy and fit the widget in the top and put the carboy more or less out of the way. I need a better place for it.

So is it OK to substitute tangelos for oranges? Is it ok to have the citrus pulp in the mixture? Was the mixture the right color? Am I using the right yeast? Did I make a fatal error because I didn't follow the instructions exactly because I have a "problem with authority?" These questions and more will be answered in six months to a year.

Since the dandelions have passed their prime, food-wise, I'm going to try making dandelion wine.

Up to now, coffee is the only thing I've ever brewed, so this is a completely new experience, which features lots of work and a high chance of producing an undrinkable drink that will make Cristy make "the face." So let's begin.

Ok, I've picked the "Midday Dandelion Wine" recipe on this page , mostly because it seems the simplest.

Step one: gather the dandelions.

I have lots of dandelions in my back yard. As it turns out, as of today they have produced just enough flowers for this recipe. Picking dandelions can make your lower back sore. It did mine, at any rate If you have brats, send them to do it, but be prepared for them to get stung by bees.

Here's what I ended up with:

Step two: prepare the petals.

This recipe says to "remove as much of the green material from the flower heads as possible." I'm in kind of a newbie quandry here. What does "as much as possible" mean? I've got a bowlful of flowerheads... do I remove every piece of green? Is just pinching off the bottom part and making sure there aren't any stems and leaves good enough? I spent about 45 minutes pinch the heads off of each friggin flowerhead before I lost patience and dumped the remaining unpinched flowers into the finished bowl, which looked like this:

Step three: pour boiling water over the petals and let steep for two days.

I was thinking about using one of the old crocks we have for this step, but instead I'm going to use the bucket that came with the winemaker's starter kit I bought from Victor's Grape Arbor in Albuquerque.