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Green Walnuts?
Added a reply May 25
Green Walnuts?
Added a post Apr 29
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Combine one quart of dendelion blossoms and 2 quartsof water in a large pot. Bring to a boil and let simmer gently for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the mixture cool completely. Strain out the blossoms. Put liquid in a large crock. Add one lemon and orange (if not organic, then wash them in warm soapy water and rinse them well to remove the shipping wax), one half box of raisins, one cake yeast, and 2 lbs. light brown or white sugar. Then (and here's where grandpa gets a bit less detailed and you are on your own!) let it ferment in the crock until it "doesn't ferment anymore". Strain and bottle. Enjoy!
Here is another recipe... French this time, and something that I remember from my childhood. It's been a very healthy year for dandelions so far and the greens work well in Italian recipes!
Vin de Noix (French walnut wine digestif)
Makes approximately eight 750-milliliter bottles
Immature walnuts, still in their green husks, are usually harvested in June to make vin de noix in France, or nocello in Italy.
Use an inexpensive yet drinkable red wine such as Cote du Rhone, Cote de Provence, Syrah, or Merlot. Portuguese or Spanish wines could be used in a pinch.
Wear rubber gloves to avoid staining fingers.
Ingredients:
35 green walnuts
Seven 750-milliliter bottles of dry red wine
1 quart of eau de vie, USP grain alcohol, or extremely dry vodka
4-1/2 cups of granulated sugar
Method:
Using the side of a hammer, deliver a strike to each walnut just hard enough to crack open the green outer covering.
Place the walnuts in a sterile glass jar or crock large enough to accommodate them and the wine as well.
Pour the wine over the walnuts, cover the crock, and store it in a cool, dark place for 40 days.
On the 40th day, line a fine-mesh sieve with several layers of cheesecloth and strain the wine into another large sterile crock or nonreactive pot, and discard the walnuts.
Pour the alcohol into a nonreactive pot or bowl, add the sugar, and then stir until it has dissolved completely, about 10 minutes.
Pour the sweetened alcohol into the wine and stir to mix completely.
Using a siphon or a funnel and a ladle, fill sterilized bottles with the now-fortified wine to within 1-1/2 to 2 inches from top of the neck, and then cork as tightly as possible.
Set the vin de noix aside in a cool dark place for at least 2 months before serving.
Nocino (Green walnut liqueur)
Digestivos are meant to soothe the stomach, especially after an enjoyably long period spent at the table. It is probably the tannins in nocino that offer the most benefit to digestion but it is the sweetness, the spices, and the goodness of wine that make this aromatic bittersweet liqueur from Emilia-Romagna delicious.
Dating back to the middle Ages at least, nocino is still made from formed but not yet ripened walnuts harvested in early summer.
The character and flavor of nocino will improve with age so patience is required.
Ingredients:
1.5 quarts of USP grain alcohol (190 proof or 95% pure alcohol)
30 green walnuts still in their husks
1 stick of cassia, preferably, or cinnamon as a substitute
10 whole cloves
20 whole espresso roasted coffee beans
1 teaspoon of crushed nutmeg
3 cups of sugar
One 750-milliliter bottle of dry red wine
Method:
Being sure to wear rubber gloves to avoid staining hands and fingers, wipe the walnuts clean and quarter them, husks and all.
Place the quartered walnuts nuts in a large sterile glass jar and then cover them with the alcohol.
Stir the walnuts once a day for 40 days.
On 40th day, add all of the spices and the coffee beans.
Stir the maceration daily for an additional 20 days.
On the 60th day, strain the mixture through a clean finely woven towel and into large container, and then set it aside.
Combine the sugar and wine in a nonreactive pan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 30 minutes to make a light syrup. Remove the pan from the heat and set the syrup aside to cool.
Mix the cooled syrup with the strained walnut maceration.
Bottle and stopper the nocino and then set it aside in a cool dark place for at least 2 months or preferably 6 or more months before serving.