Dandelion Wine - cooking recipe

Ingredients

8 cups whole dandelion flowers, stems removed
16 cups water
1 orange, juice of
1 lemon, juice of
1 large orange peel, of orange coarsely chopped
1 lemon peel, of lemon coarsely chopped
2 1/4 teaspoons brewer's yeast
1/4 cup warm water
6 cups sugar
8 whole cloves
1 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and diced

Preparation

Wash the dandelion blossoms well in a colander. Place in a large pot with the orange and lemon juice and peels. Bring to a boil and allow to boil for 2-3 minutes. Turn off the heat and let cool and sit for 24-48 hours.
Once ready to continue, dissolve the yeast in the warm water and let sit for 10 minutes.
Add the sugar to the dandelion liquid and stir. Next, add the yeast mixture and stir to combine.
Fit a large jug with a funnel and place a small fine mesh strainer in the funnel. Ladle in the liquid one spoonful at a time, pressing down onto the dandelions to ensure all of the liquid is extracted. Dump the dandelions and peels into an empty bowl to allow each new batch of liquid to strain easily.
Add the cloves and ginger to the jug.
Place an airlock on the jug. This can be done with a deflated balloon - poke holes into the latex, then fasten the balloon around the neck of the jug. Alternatively, you could use plastic. Shake well and let it rest for one week in a cool dark place as the fermentation begins.
Once rested for a week, using a funnel strain the liquid into bottles. Allow the uncorked bottles to sit in a dark cool place for 3 to 6 weeks. Then cork the bottles, or use bottles with screw on tops, and store them in a cool place for at least 2 months and up to a year. This kind of wine is best consumed while it is young.
Note #1: Some recipes call for just petals not whole buds. My friend Ron, the mastermind behind Herb Farm informed me that fermentation can sometimes stop before it is complete, meaning it's \"stuck.\" This can happen when there aren't enough micronutrients for the yeast. You increase the chance of success by using whole buds because it adds more micronutrients, but you will have a slightly more bitter wine. I'm okay with that, I like a little bitter. But if you're not, try the petals only. This will require more picking and separating.
Note #2: Pick dandelions from an open field far from any insecticide spraying, and if you can, pick early in the season when the leaves of the plant are still tender. Newly opened flowers are also ideal.