With my latest working of must, I came up with these two timesavers. To keep the mixed in pulp from drying out and crowning the open fermentation bucket I fill a plastic freezer bag with water and lay it on top of the pulp to hold it beneath the surface of the must. As the bag is fluid filled, it adds weight while at the same time allowing free escape of gases.

To keep gnats out of the open ferment bucket. I use a clean t shirt draped over the bucket top tightly, then take a length of slip loop string and attach it to a clothespin. I use a lasso loop to go around the outside of the t shirt and bucket. Draw it tight and clip it to the t shirt and rim of the bucket to keep the gnats at bay.

-- Jay Blair in N. AL (jayblair678@yahoo.com), January 21, 2002

Answers

Thanks for the tips, Jay--I remember my mother making elderberry wine when I was a teenager, (it was her first attempt) and those pesky gnats or fruit flies, or whatever they were, just filled the house. That was her one and only venture into winemaking! Jan

-- Jan in Co (Janice12@aol.com), January 21, 2002.

Hmmmm! I just put a top on the primary fermenter to keep varmints out. I also do the brewing in the cellar. (This is a 1790's house. Houses didn't have basements until much more recently). No fruit flies here. I have also never had a problem keeping the fruit submerged, save for my recent use of "outdated" blackberry jam as the flavor source. Some "fruit" rose to the top, but the yeast did it's job anyway. Incidentally, this is not yet finished, but my taste as it went into the carboy tells me this is a "sit down wine!" Anybody want to trade recipes "from scratch"? I've got a pretty good one I developed for Strawberry-Rhubarb. GL!

-- Brad (homefixer@SacoRiver.net), January 21, 2002.

Brad ,

If you want a real "sit down wine", try pouring some off when the bulk aging carboy freezes in winter. I forgot about a jug that was working in an out building once and found it in 22 degree weather and poured it off and thawed the ice to keep the jug from busting. Sit down nuthin' , that juice would lay you out :>)

-- Jay Blair in N. AL (jayblair678@yahoo.com), January 22, 2002.