Confession...I'm a...

[MootWorm]

I looove foxes. I collect all things fox....i have a cookie jar, tons of plushies, comforter, ceramic statues, jewelry, costumes, etc....and i also have a wierd "animal tail" fetish. Which is strange, because i would never own/wear a fur coat....but i have quite the collection of tanned animal tails: 3 different fox, coyote,skunk,raccoon,mink, etc.. I also love killer whales as much, but had to shrink my collection of them...the plushies were getting out of hand.(i had one GIANT killer whale that was the size of my bed lol)oh, and i like to paint n draw when i have the time...my bedroom as a teen:





sent from my incubator

Did you paint those whales as a teen!?!? Or am I misreading?

[bcr229]

Apple wine sounds delicious. My dad started making wine with a friend of his back in 2010, so now we have about 40 bottles accumulated (that I may or may not be chipping away at solo ) and mead is something that I desperately want to taste.

I used a champagne yeast with the apple wine so it ended up very dry. This year I'm going to add a bit more sugar as well as a touch of apple pie spice. If your dad can make wine he can make mead, do a google search on "Joe's ancient orange mead" for the recipe.

[sho220]

out of idle curiosity, do you still own that particular spider or did you happen to sell it locally? either way, you wife has a nice hand for painting.

edit: assuming it's your wife based only on the previous post. certainly wouldn't presume to impugn your artistic talent.

I still have that guy and have sold several of his offspring over the years locally. I'm the artist...my wife struggles drawing stick people.

[sho220]

Confession, I'm a bass fishing addict.


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Me too brother...been a bass addict since I was a kid...

[Mike41793]

Here's the recipe for that mead. I remember reading it before:

Joe Mattioli's Ancient Orange and Spice Mead

It is so simple to make and you can make it without much equipment and with a multitude of variations. This could be a first Mead for the novice as it is almost fool proof. It is a bit unorthodox but it has never failed me or the friends I have shared it with. (snip)...it will be sweet, complex and tasty.

1 gallon batch


3 1/2 lbs Clover or your choice honey or blend (will finish sweet)
1 Large orange (later cut in eights or smaller rind and all)
1 small handful of raisins (25 if you count but more or less ok)
1 stick of cinnamon
1 whole clove ( or 2 if you like - these are potent critters)
optional (a pinch of nutmeg and allspice.....very small )
1 teaspoon of Fleishmann’s bread yeast ( now don't get holy on me--- after all this is an ancient mead and that's all we had back then)
Balance water to one gallon

Process:

Use a clean 1 gallon carboy

Dissolve honey in some warm water and put in carboy

Wash orange well to remove any pesticides and slice in eights --add orange (you can push em through opening big boy -- rinds included -- its ok for this mead -- take my word for it -- ignore the experts)

Put in raisins, clove, cinnamon stick, any optional ingredients and fill to 3 inches from the top with cold water. ( need room for some foam -- you can top off with more water after the first few day frenzy)

Shake the heck out of the jug with top on, of course. This is your sophisticated aeration process.

When at room temperature in your kitchen, put in 1 teaspoon of bread yeast. ( No you don't have to rehydrate it first-- the ancients didn't even have that word in their vocabulary-- just put it in and give it a gentle swirl or not)(The yeast can fight for their own territory)

Install water airlock. Put in dark place. It will start working immediately or in an hour. (Don't use grandma's bread yeast she bought years before she passed away in the 90's)( Wait 3 hours before you panic or call me) After major foaming stops in a few days add some water and then keep your hands off of it. (Don't shake it! Don't mess with them yeastees! Let them alone except its okay to open your cabinet to smell every once in a while.

Racking --- Don't you dare
additional feeding --- NO NO
More stirring or shaking -- Your not listening, don't touch

After 2 months and maybe a few days it will slow down to a stop and clear all by itself. (How about that) (You are not so important after all) Then you can put a hose in with a small cloth filter on the end into the clear part and siphon off the golden nectar. If you wait long enough even the oranges will sink to the bottom but I never waited that long. If it is clear it is ready. You don't need a cold basement. It does better in a kitchen in the dark. (Like in a cabinet) likes a little heat (70-80). If it didn't work out... you screwed up and didn't read my instructions (or used grandma's bread yeast she bought years before she passed away) . If it didn't work out then take up another hobby. Mead is not for you. It is too complicated.
If you were successful, which I am 99% certain you will be, then enjoy your mead. When you get ready to make different mead you will probably have to unlearn some of these practices I have taught you, but hey--- This recipe and procedure works with these ingredients so don't knock it. It was your first mead. It was my tenth. Sometimes, even the experts can forget all they know and make good ancient mead.

[SlitherinSisters]

Did you paint those whales as a teen!?!? Or am I misreading?

I'm wondering the same! That room was AWESOME!!!!

[4theSNAKElady]

Yes, i did paint them...in high school, summer before senior year i think....my mom has kept it the same since....18 years and thank you

sent from my incubator

[SlitherinSisters]

Yes, i did paint them...in high school, summer before senior year i think....my mom has kept it the same since....18 years and thank you

sent from my incubator

Wow! You did an amazing job!

[dalfigius]

Other than the herps I'm not much of a collector... So I guess I'm a collector of nothing with a little bit of everything. I do, however, enjoy collecting knowledge. Which is why I enjoy this forum! There is such a wealth of knowledge on here from all of the members and posts. So..No real confession. Just figured since I've been lurking behind the scenes I should finally post something.

[cory9oh4]

Me too brother...been a bass addict since I was a kid...

It truly is serenity when you're on the water. I go about 3 times a week on average.