Meads! The magical interaction of yeast and honey make meads a most special drink. When the yeasts go to work, the honey and water mixture becomes alive, and, to quote a very wise woman, "the sacred has entered the mundane". This process should be attended and celebrated with intention and attention. Talk to your mead! The healing properties of many herbs are enhanced by honey and yeasts, and many herbal meads are tonic for the brain, liver, and digestive process. We haven't gotten that far, but juniper and yarrow meads remain on our most wanted list.
We can't really say enough about yeast. We've used Montrachet Dry Wine Yeast and also a liquid sweet yeast. Yeasts synthesize B-complex vitamins (including B-12), which are crucial for brain function. An abundance of B vitams in a diet strengthens the heart, promotes good sleep, and helps to ease stress and lift depression. We're keeping our yeast culture to use in future meads--a gift that keeps on giving!
Honey is also a most amazing ingredient. Full of sugars, enzymes, minerals galore, and variety of vitamins that depend on the bee's diet. Unheated honey is antibiotic, anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal, and antiviral. Since ancient times honey has been regarded as a preserver, promoter, and healer of life. It's sweetness conforts and nourishes.
We brewed this batch in a 5 gallon carboy with an alcohol air-lock. We stored in a cool place, out of direct sunlight, for a little over a month (when the rate of bubbling in the air-lock diminished). The necklace you see in the picture is a wreath of dried mugwort (we couldn't find fresh!) to protect the mead from unwanted yeasts in the air. Our bottling celebration lasted into the wee hours of the night--we were too excited to let this batch age!
Mmmm, minestrone. We were so pleased with the amount of pure veggie goodness in this stew that we had to do a mini photoshoot of it. Well, okay, i think Colin still finds it a bit odd, but he's a good sport.
