Folks,
it’s September 2014 or as I like to call it 6 Score Days before we say Happy
New Year 2015! Roselle
(Hibiscus sabdariffa) aka Sorrel is already on
everyone’s mind!
Despite
how it might look, Christmas is only a few weeks away. To that end, Sorrel Farmers are
ramping up production, as there is anticipation of a huge demand for the drink,
being as the price on everything alcoholic has gone up with the implementation
of the Rum Tax as stated in the article “Staggering
Rum Tax”, Published Friday April 18, 2014, The Jamaica Gleaner.
The
humble Farmers of Bethel Town are no exception.
Their
Bethel Town Agricultural Cooperative Society in collaboration with the JSIF
(Jamaica Social Investment Fund) have opened a new Sorrel Drink Processing
Plant in Bethel Town, Westmoreland as stated in “Sorrel-processing
Plant opens in Bethel Town”, Published: Saturday August 30, 2014, The Jamaica Gleaner.
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Sorrel Drink Processing
Plant opening after some 18 months of construction coincides rather ironically
with the passing of one of Agriculture's Son's of the Soil, Minister of
Agriculture Roger Clarke, who died today Thursday August 28th 2014
as stated in the article “UPDATE: Roger
Clarke Dies Of Suspected Heart Attack”, Published Thursday August 28, 2014
11:44 am, The Jamaica Gleaner and “Roger
Clarke is dead”, published Thursday, August 28, 2014 11:47 AM, The Jamaica Observer.
The
JA$27.8 million cost of the Sorrel Drink Processing
Plant was borne by both Bethel Town Agricultural Cooperative Society and the
JSIF:
1.
JA$23.2 million was contributed through
the JSIF
2.
JA$4.6 million was a community
contribution via the Bethel Town Agricultural Cooperative Society
The
benefits of this Sorrel
Drink Processing Plant to the community of Bethel Town are tremendous:
1.
88 persons in total will benefit
directly from the Sorrel
Drink Processing Plant
2.
77 farmers who will provide the Sorrel, Ginger, and
pimento raw materials
3.
11 workers hired directly by the Sorrel Drink Processing
Plant
Sorrel and Slavery –
The Christmas Drink that travelled with Slaves during the Middle Passage
Sorrel is a part of
Jamaica and our Christmas celebrations, with the Plant being a possible import
from Africa via the Middle Passage according to Acting Minister of Agriculture,
Derrick Kellier, quote: “The National Library of Jamaica indicates that Sorrel has been around
since the 1700s, and although said to be native to the Far East, Sorrel is popular in
several areas of Africa as well.
Acting
Minister of Agriculture, Derrick Kellier even alluded to the idea to the fact
that Sorrel may even
be the next Sugar Cane Crop, quote: “Some people believe that it made the
treacherous Middle Passage journey across the Atlantic with the millions of
Africans who were brought here as slaves. So this Plant has grown and
flourished alongside the rich and eventful history of Jamaica in much the same
way that sugar cane has”.
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Instead
of spending my money on imported Wine that’s usually either Old World Wines from
Europe or New world Wines from Vineyards in the West as I’ve pointed out in
my blog
article entitled “Australian
analyst Morgan Stanley Stats say World Faces Global Wine Shortage - The Glass
is either Half Empty of Half full as Chinese and Americans become more like the
French”,
I’d
like to make my own Wine this Christmas
Granted,
it's just 6 Score days away, not 2 years, the typical time taken to make great Wine.
But it's more than enough time to ferment Sorrel into Wine and
save JA$5000 on a fairly low-end bottle of the imported stuff.
How to make Sorrel Wine
– Why Jamaicans should make their own Wine and Christmas Cake
The
reason or making your own Sorrel Wine is that it’s a uniquely Jamaican
experience and is a way of supporting our local Sorrel Farmers! Not to mention
cheaper than buying imported Wine, as you can make it yourself for the same
cost as an Old World Bottle of Wine. Best of all, you can make a business out
of it if you can make a unique enough flavor of Sorrel Wine that possess a distinct
enough body and flavor.
First
you’ll need the following utensils for this DIY (Do It Yourself):
1.
3 Cups Brown Sugar
2.
Blender
3.
Candle Wax
4.
Ceramic Bowl
5.
Corks
6.
Dark Cupboard
7.
Distilled Water
8.
Ginger
9.
Gloves
10.
Grater
11.
Large Red Label Wine Jug
12.
Measuring Cups
13.
Measuring Spoons
14.
Pimento
15.
Rubber Mallet
16.
Salt
17.
Sorrel
18.
Stainless Steel Pot
19.
Stainless Steel Sieve
20.
Stove
21.
Strainer
22.
Wisk or Hand Mixer
23.
Yeast of Fermentation
24.
Cooking Thermometer
The
instructions are very simple but you MUST follow them to a “T”:
1.
Strip the Sorrel from the stalks
and pick them off if not picked
2.
Place the Stainless Steel Pot unto the
stove
3.
Place 2 Liters of Distilled Water in the
Stainless Steel Pot
4.
Set the Distilled Water in the Stainless
Steel Pot to boil
5.
Once boiling add 4 cups Brown Sugar
6.
Add to the Boiling Water 5 pimento seeds
and a tablespoon of salt
7.
While that’s boiling, place a cup of
Distilled Water into the Blender
8.
Wash and Strip off a whole clutch of Ginger
9.
Grater the Ginger with the finest
setting and collect it in a Ceramic Bowl
10.
Place the Ginger along with the Sorrel into the blender
11.
Blend at high speed until it’s pureed to
the point it can pass through a Stainless Steel Sieve
12.
Pour the mixture into the Distilled
Water in the Stainless Steel Pot
13.
Use the Wisk or Hand Mixer and
continuously mix for an additional 45 minutes
14.
Set the stove to a low flame and
continue mixing with the Wisk or Hand Mixer
15.
Add Distilled Water periodically making
sure you don’t lose volume
16.
Turn off the stove and allow the
mixture, called Mother Liquor, to cool
17.
Wash out the Large Red Label Wine Jug
18.
Take the Corks and throw them into the
Stainless Steel pot with Mother Liquor and leave them to soak
19.
While wearing gloves, Pour out the
sachet of Yeast of Fermentation into the empty Large Red Label Wine Jug
20.
Once cool, pour the Mother Liquor
through a Stainless Steel Sieve straight into the Large Red Label Wine Jugs
21.
Take the Corks out and using your Rubber
Mallet, gently tap the Corks until they’re ¾ of the way in
22.
When Large Red Label Wine Jugs are
filled and Corked, Label them so you know which is which
23.
Place them into Dark Cupboard, tilted so
that the Mother Liquor is touching the Cork and kept wet at all times
24.
Seal the Cork with Candle Wax melted
until it completely coats the Cork for a perfect seal
25.
When Christmas Eve is nigh, pop the Corks
and pour out the wine through a Stainless Steel Sieve. This is to remove any
suspended solids and Yeast of Fermentation
26.
Pour out the Sorrel wine into a pot
with a Cooking Thermometer
27.
Pasteurize the Sorrel Wine under a
slow flame for 15 minutes, taking care to watch the temperature and make sure
it doesn’t start boiling.
28.
Pour out the Wine through a Stainless
Steel Sieve, this time into serving Bottles for Christmas Dinner.
29.
Let it stand and cool before Corking
with fresh Corks
30.
Place into the refridgerator, making
sure that the temperature doesn’t fall below -20ºC (-4ºF) to avoid ice crystals
forming in the Wine
31.
Server the Wine Chilled and in Chilled
Wine Glasses for better flavor
32.
When done Cork with the original Corks
that were used with the serving bottles. Keep chilled to avoid the wine losing
its savour and body
Warning:
This Dark Cupboard MUST NOT BE OPENED UNTIL CHRISTMAS DAY, otherwise the
sunlight or any ambient light will cause chemical reactions between the Mother
Liquor and the Silica Glass that may result in increased production of Vinegar.
How to make Sorrel Wine
– Tips and Tricks to improve the Body and Flavour of your Brew
The
aim of the continuous boiling and mixing with the Wisk or the Hand Blender is
to not only pasteurize the Mixture, killing all bacteria but also force as much
of the dissolved Oxygen in the Mother Liquor out to prevent aerobic respiration
by bacteria that may have survived pasteurization. It is for this reason that
Distilled Water is used and not Tap Water, as the Chlorine will kill the Yeast
Reaction.
You
also want to make sure that you use chlorine bleach to wash out the bottles and
that all your cooking utensils have been sterilized with bleach to reduce the
risk of any bacteria ending up inside of the Mother Liquor.
For
that reason, it’s good to soak the Cork in the Mother Liquor using the inverted
glass cup technique i.e. a small glass tumbler is filled with some of the
Mother Liquor and is covered to as to force it into the Liquor and thus absorb
the Mother Liquor into its porous structure.
The
only thing that should be in the
Large Red Label Wine Jug with the Mother Liquor is the Yeast, which works
mainly via anaerobic Respiration to produce alcohol. Spices are often blended
while the Sorrel is
being blended such as Paprika, Cinnamon, Banana, Cherry, Guava, Soursoup or any
other fruit and even Mint to add body and flavor to the Sorrel Wine.
Finally,
makes sure that when you place the Large Red Label Wine Jug inside of the Dark
cupboard that you tilt it so that the Cork is always WET and never allowed to
go Dry. If it starts to leak, use the Rubber Mallet to hammer the Cork in until
it stops dripping, as you need an airtight seal. If it’s still leaking, you may
need to either change the Cork for a bigger one or you can plug the exiting Cork
by lighting a candle and melting all the Candle Wax unto the Cork.
That’s
it folks! By Thursday December 25th 2014, you’ll have several
bottles of VERY strong Sorrel
Wine that’s guaranteed to make your festive season very lively and bright. As its
Sorrel Wine, it’ll go great with Red Meat and vegetables, albeit it’ll be a bit
too strong for children!
Best
of all, to make five 1 liter bottles of wine, it only costs you about JA$2500
to get all the above ingredients from Downtown Coronation Market or Hi-Lo
Supermarket. This is what I currently do now that I’m back in Swallowfield near
to the National Stadium as stated in my blog article
entitled “How
Singles Cook on a Budget - Vegetable Ring Fried Eggs, Bacon in a Pancake
Blanket and Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Sandwich”.
Not
to mention the sacrifice of a space in a Dark Cupboard you’ll have to leave
closed permanently!
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