Ingredients:
16 c dandelion flowers petals, loosely packed
5 3/4 c granulated white sugar
1 c honey
5 quarts water
1 lemon, juiced and rind removed
1/4 c yellow raisins, chopped finely
1 pkg dry champagne yeast
Instructions:
Trim flower petals from the dandelion heads, avoiding as much green leafy material as possible (it makes the wine bitter.)
In a sauce pan, bring 2 quarts of water to a boil. Add the dandelions and simmer on low for 10 minutes. Leave the petals in the pot and steep the flowers overnight at room temp.
The next day, bring the remaining 3 quarts of water to a boil. Add the sugar and stir to dissolve. Remove from heat and add the lemon juice, zest and raisins. Cool to room temperature.
Strain the dandelion petal mixture through a fine dish towel or jelly bag, squeezing out all the liquid. Combine petal liquid with the sugar mixture and pour into a primary fermentation vessel, something you can cover and add an airlock to (like a gallon jug with a balloon or a cork/airlock combo.)
Add the package of yeast and swirl the contents for several minutes to aerate, which will give the yeast a boost. Add the airlock and place in a dark space at room temp. Fermentation should begin in 24 hours.
Ferment for up to two weeks, then “rack” (pour off the clear liquid from the yeast solids at the bottom) the wine into another clean container and top with an airlock. Re-rack the wine a couple more times when you see sediment at the bottom, then bottle.
Bottle the wine in a clean wine bottle with a bail-top lid (or fancy wine corker.) Age the wine at least a year. If it doesn’t taste good, age it longer! Dandelion wine often takes several years to taste good.