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Making Wine Yourself: Useful Information and Tools For Wine Production

Making wine yourself is the dream of many wine lovers. We give you an overview of the basic principles, the accessories and the fermentation methods to make wine yourself.

You can make your own wine from many different fruits. We are particularly familiar with wine made from grapes – in other regions and countries, on the other hand, wine made from apples, berries, cherries or even bananas. However, the basic principle of fermentation is the same: yeasts convert the sugar from the fruit into alcohol.

Make your own wine: mash fermentation or juice fermentation?

Basically, you can distinguish between two methods to make wine yourself: mash fermentation and juice fermentation.

During mash fermentation, you mash or puree the fruit and ferment it whole. Since the color of red grapes is mainly contained in the skin, you get red wine in this way (this does not apply to white grapes, of course). The mash fermentation is considered to be a little easier, and more aromas develop.
For juice fermentation, you squeeze the fruit and only ferment the juice. This is how bright and clear wines are created.
You can also first puree or mash the fruit into the fermentation balloon, squeeze out the juice after a few hours and ferment it. Then you get a rosé.

Make sweet or dry wine yourself

Whether a wine is sweet, semi-dry or dry depends on its sugar content. Since this decreases in the course of fermentation, a sweet wine is less fermented than a dry wine. Accordingly, you can make a sweet wine yourself by interrupting the fermentation process prematurely.

Making wine yourself: important accessories

Without the right accessories, it is relatively difficult to make wine yourself. If you have a few tools, it’s not that complicated.

These are the most important tools for winemaking:
Perhaps the most important tool for fermenting wine is a fermentation balloon, preferably made of glass. The jar should have a matching lid and fermentation attachment. The latter ensures that no air gets inside. To do this, the fermentation attachment allows CO2 to escape, which forms during alcoholic fermentation.
a suction hose or similar to be able to fill the wine out of the fermentation balloon
a scale that is as accurate as possible
a vinometer to measure the alcohol content of the wine (you often get it with the fermentation balloon)
a clean cloth for filtering
large bowls to prepare the fruit or decant the wine. Make sure that these are not made of metal so as not to affect the taste of the wine.
Tip: If you want to make wine yourself, you will not only find fermentation balloons on the Internet, but also complete starter kits.

Making wine yourself: The difficult selection of ingredients

The most important ingredient in wine is the fruit. No matter which fruit you use – they should be fresh, fully ripe and unsprayed. Consequently, freshly harvested organic fruits from the region are ideal for your wine. If you have the right conditions, you can also plant your own grapes.

If you are very puristic, the fruits are almost enough. All you have to do is add a bit of natural yeast and you’re ready to make natural wine yourself. However, even experienced winemakers find this difficult because fermentation with natural yeast is difficult to control. In addition, natural wine has a different taste than conventional wine.

Making wine yourself: these are the steps

Here you will find an initial overview of the stages that await you if you want to make wine yourself. If you actually plan to make wine, you can take a class or use detailed instructions from the internet or books. For the sake of simplicity, these instructions refer to grapes.

Sort the grapes and clean them, washing is not absolutely necessary. Do this very carefully so that no bad grapes spoil the wine afterwards. Important: If possible, do not let the grapes come into contact with metal, as this can change the taste.
Must fermentation or juice fermentation? For a mash fermentation you mash or puree the fruit, for a juice fermentation you squeeze them.
Depending on the recipe, add sugar, yeast and, if necessary, acid or lime to the mash or juice. Note: You can also add the sugar gradually, then there will be a little more alcohol at the end because the yeast can work more efficiently. However, it is easier to add all the sugar at once.
Fill the fermentation balloon with mash or juice, but no more than halfway! As soon as fermentation begins, CO2 is produced. The liquid will begin to bubble and sometimes overflow.
Place the fermentation balloon in a quiet place that has a temperature between 18 and 20 degrees Celsius all the time. After a few days, fermentation begins – the mixture bubbles.
If the fermentation is in full swing, you can also put the fermentation balloon in a cooler place. This slows down the fermentation.
After two to four weeks, there are hardly any bubbles left – the wine is ready. Now all you have to do is filter and bottle the wine. Note: If you have started mash fermentation, you can press out the juice after a few days and continue fermenting it. The longer the juice is in contact with the skin of the grapes, the darker the wine will be.

Important note on making wine yourself

Finally, the most important things to keep in mind when making wine:
Keep all your utensils very clean. This is how you prevent unwanted substances from getting into the wine.
Do not use metal accessories.
Follow the quantities exactly.
The first home-made wine may still taste a bit unusual. However, if you keep trying and adjusting your recipe, you’ll soon get satisfying results. It is best to start with a smaller amount of fruit.

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Food

Eat Pumpkin Raw? Information And What You Should Pay Attention To

Many pumpkin dishes are part of the autumn season. But did you know that you can also eat pumpkin raw?
Pumpkin soup or pumpkin puree are classics, but if you’re looking for more variety, you can also eat pumpkin raw. You can eat many types of pumpkin uncooked without worry, but to be on the safe side, you should still follow a few tips before doing so.

Eating pumpkin raw: when is it safe?

There is a rule of thumb when eating raw pumpkins: edible pumpkins are good raw vegetables, but you should stay away from ornamental pumpkins! Because ornamental gourds contain the bitter substance curcurbitacin, which is toxic even in small amounts and can cause nausea and tachycardia, according to the Federal Center for Nutrition (BZfE). The best way to recognize a decorative pumpkin is that it is much smaller than its grocery store relatives and often a much more striking color and shape. It is also marked as such in the store.

On the other hand, you can eat almost all types of pumpkin available in the supermarket raw without hesitation. According to the BZfE, the toxic curcurbitacin was mostly bred from them by the producers. The following pumpkins taste best in raw recipes:

nutmeg squash
Butternut Squash
Hokkaido pumpkin

Already knew? You can not only eat pumpkin from the shops raw, but sometimes also with the skin! For example, you can save yourself the trouble of peeling the Hokkaido pumpkin before processing it.

Better not to eat pumpkin from the garden raw

While growing your own pumpkins in the garden is a good idea, it’s best not to eat your harvest raw. Because even if you use seeds from which a pumpkin should actually grow, so-called reverse mutations can cause poisonous cucurbitacins to form again in the pumpkin. This crossbreeding is particularly dangerous because you often cannot tell with the naked eye whether the bred pumpkin is poisonous or not.

Incidentally, such a mutation can also occur if you use your own seeds from the previous year. Even with tested organic seeds, there is a risk that your pumpkin will crossbreed with a poisonous ornamental pumpkin that may be growing in your neighbor’s garden. That’s why it’s best to play it safe and only eat pumpkin raw if you bought it from a store.

Eating raw pumpkin: This is how you do the taste test!

A certain residual risk also remains with purchased pumpkins. Before you can safely eat pumpkin raw, you should always do a taste test. In general, only use pumpkins that you bought in a grocery store.

This is how the taste test works with raw pumpkin:

First cut off a small piece of the raw pumpkin. Refrain from seasoning the pumpkin, otherwise you will no longer be able to perceive the pure taste.
Now put the piece of pumpkin in your mouth and see if you notice a bitter taste.
Don’t swallow the gourd, instead spit it out after the test.
If the pumpkin tastes bitter, it may contain harmful bitter substances.
In this case, do not eat the pumpkin raw and do not cook it either! It is better if you dispose of the pumpkin on the compost to be on the safe side.

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Food

Are Eggs Healthy? Nutritional Values and Important Information

Whether or not eggs can be considered healthy seems to be a controversial topic in research as well. Learn more about the nutrients, cholesterol levels and sustainability of eggs here.

On the one hand, eggs have the reputation of being healthy: they are supposed to promote our health due to their nutrient density and above all their protein content and support growth in children. In the form of scrambled eggs, omelettes or simply as a breakfast egg, they are also a traditional food for many. However, due to their high cholesterol content, eggs are often discredited. In this article we explain what this criticism is all about and to what extent it is based on scientific knowledge.

Eggs – Healthy Nutrient Bombs?

Eggs are primarily considered a low-carbohydrate source of protein. A medium-sized egg provides you with about 5.5 grams of protein at 62 kilocalories. It also contains about 4.2 grams of fat. Of that, 1.4 grams are saturated fat.

In addition, eggs are rich in healthy minerals such as calcium, iron and selenium as well as vitamins A, D and E and some B vitamins (especially vitamin B12). This makes them an important source of B12, especially for vegetarians.

But eggs are not only considered healthy: their comparatively high cholesterol content is responsible for their reputation as a health threat. An egg yolk already contains 185 milligrams of cholesterol. According to the 2015 US dietary guidelines, this is already more than half the recommended daily dose. This recommendation no longer applies, but you should continue to eat as little cholesterol as possible.

Eggs – Unhealthy due to cholesterol?

Cholesterol belongs to the group of fats. As such, it is an essential part of our body. It is part of cell walls, involved in hormone production and helps the body to produce vitamin D and cortisone. We absorb a third of all cholesterol from food. Cholesterol is not bad per se. It is important that there is a balance between the two types of cholesterol, LDL and HDL. There is only a need for action when this balance is upset.

The fact that eggs are generally unhealthy because their high cholesterol content promotes arteriosclerosis and thus cardiovascular diseases is now also considered outdated in research. No study can prove a clear connection between the consumption of eggs and an increased risk of heart disease.

According to Harvard Medical School, it’s probably more about how much total cholesterol you’re eating. Meat products in particular make up a large proportion of cholesterol sources.

According to the BBC, the connection between dietary cholesterol and cardiovascular disease must be questioned in general, as no study has been able to adequately prove it. Rather, there is evidence that the body simply produces less cholesterol itself when we consume more through food. In addition, trans fats in particular are responsible for an increased LDL cholesterol level and thus an imbalance. Trans fats are mostly found in products like margarine and fried and baked convenience foods.

How many eggs a day?

What do these studies and nutritional discussions mean specifically for our diet? First of all, as is so often the case: the dose makes the poison. Eggs are healthy if we eat them occasionally as part of a balanced diet. There is no uniform recommendation as to how many eggs are recommended per day or week. For example, according to Harvard Medical School, up to seven eggs a week are considered safe.

To protect yourself from arteriosclerosis and cardiovascular diseases, you can make sure you eat a diet rich in plants. Also, avoid processed foods and mostly cook yourself with fresh and wholesome ingredients.

You should only keep a closer eye on your egg consumption if you are already suffering from other health problems (e.g. high blood pressure) or if you have already been diagnosed with high cholesterol. In these cases, it is essential to seek medical advice for a possible change in diet.

Tips for sustainable eggs

While eggs are healthy, not all eggs are created equal. Conventional products from cage or barn systems usually come from huge fattening facilities. Laying hens are crammed together in the smallest of spaces and their basic needs are restricted. Diseases caused by bacteria, viruses and fungi are also transmitted particularly easily in this way.

A key problem in egg production is chick shredding: Many farms kill male chicks after hatching by gassing or shredding as there is no economic return from them. This is also partly the case with organic farms.

However, there are now initiatives against chick shredding (e.g. Spitz & Bube or Bruderhahn). These initiatives are committed to rearing the male chicks. Products with their logo, you can be sure that they are eggs without chick shredding.

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Cooking Tips

Cleaning the Coffee Machine: the Most Important Information

Cleaning the coffee machine is one of the routine tasks for baristas in Italy. Because in the cafés, hundreds of cups of espresso go over the counter every day – and it only tastes good from clean machines. Of course, what is standard for cafés also applies at home.

How often should you descale coffee machines?

How often you should descale your coffee maker to ensure it works perfectly depends on the following factors:

Hardness of the water in your region: The harder the water, the faster limescale deposits. If you are unsure, you can ask the local water company for the value. Water hardness test strips are also commercially available.

Intensity of use of the machine: The more often you make coffee, the faster the device gets dirty.

With very hard water and medium usage, for example, the recommendation is to clean the device every three to four weeks. If the water is soft, it is sufficient to descale the machine about every six to eight weeks.

Remember: Regular cleaning extends the life of your machine! Because every time you prepare coffee in it, powder residue, fat and limescale are deposited and, in the worst case, can eventually clog the device. So it is better to clean too early than too late.

Cleaning the coffee machine with home remedies: yes or no?

The instructions for use usually state which cleaning agents you can use to descale your coffee machine. In order to clean portafilters or fully automatic coffee machines, you should avoid using home remedies or other additives. These could damage the sensitive hoses, pump or sealing elements.

On the other hand, you can easily descale your filter coffee machine with household products. Vinegar essence has proven particularly effective.

Descale the filter coffee machine with vinegar essence

Mix water and vinegar essence in a ratio of 1:4.

Pour the mixture into the water tank of the filter coffee machine.

Insert a coffee filter. It catches the dissolved lime.

Start the machine and allow the mixture to flow halfway through.

Turn off the coffee maker for about 30 minutes. During this time, the vinegar can take effect and dissolve further limescale inside the machine.

Start the machine again and let the rest of the vinegar and water mixture run through.

Remove the coffee filter. Run at least two more pitchers of water through to completely flush out the vinegar.

Cleaning the portafilter machine: how it works!

Does the espresso from your portafilter machine taste sour or is it only lukewarm? The device makes loud pumping noises? High time for a decalcification! Of course, it’s better if you don’t let it get that far in the first place.

To descale your portafilter machine, follow the manufacturer’s instructions in the instructions for use. It usually works according to this principle:

Dose the descaler according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Mix with water in the tank of the machine.

Then remove the water alternately via the steam nozzle and brewing group. This ensures that all water circuits come into contact with the descaler and the limescale dissolves everywhere.

If the water tank is empty, rinse the machine thoroughly with fresh water.

While the descaler runs through the machine, you can devote yourself to the shower sieve and the portafilter.

Pour descaler into a bowl of warm water according to package instructions.

Leave the filter and portafilter to soak for about 30 minutes.

Rinse thoroughly with clear water.

Put back in the machine.

Clean the shower sieve and portafilter

Apart from regular descaling, the shower sieve of the portafilter machine needs your attention a little more often. You don’t necessarily need to clean it after every use, but you do after several espressos. Because coffee oils can get stuck in the sieve, which would otherwise clog the fine pores.

Cleaning the portafilter is simple: first remove the brewing sieve from the carrier and wipe it with a clean cloth. You’ve already removed the oils. Occasionally you can also clean it particularly thoroughly by letting the coffee fat remover take effect and then rinsing it off with clear water.

Simply rinse out any coffee residue left in the portafilter with lukewarm water. For a particularly simple and thorough cleaning, the trade also offers special brushes with which you can easily remove coffee residues from the portafilter and brewing group.

Tip: Before each new espresso, run a little hot water through the device without inserting the portafilter. This removes residue and the water for the espresso is kept at the optimum temperature.

Clean the milk nozzle on portafilters and fully automatic machines

Does your device have a milk nozzle or a steam lance? It is best to clean them after each use. It is easiest to remove the milk residues when they are still fresh. To loosen dried residue, let the nozzle emit steam several times, it then simply blows out the milk residue. Then wipe with a clean, slightly damp cloth – done!

Descale the coffee machine: Thanks, cleaning program!

The coffee machine is many people’s best friend in the morning. At the push of a button, it grinds beans and brews espresso with a fine crema or delicious cappuccino. Especially when it is used frequently, the hard-working coffee maker with its different areas and hoses needs regular care and cleaning.

The good news: Luckily most modern vending machines have an automatic cleaning program – and all you have to do is make sure there is enough detergent in the tank provided.

Make it a routine to run the automatic cleaning program regularly. Most machines are very well positioned here. For example, the degree of hardness of the water can often be stored in the system. In combination with the frequency of use, the device itself then determines the optimal time for cleaning and informs you by flashing or a corresponding message on the display.

Apart from that, there are components in all fully automatic coffee machines that you should regularly remove and clean yourself. Otherwise, bacteria can collect there, and in the worst case, harmful mold forms. Warm water, dish soap and a cleaning brush are usually sufficient to clean the parts. You can also simply put many components in the dishwasher.

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Eswatini (fmr. "Swaziland")

Can you provide information on the hygiene and cleanliness standards of street food in Eswatini?

Introduction to Eswatini’s Street Food Scene

Street food is an integral part of Eswatini’s culinary scene, with a wide variety of local delicacies available at affordable prices. From savory stews and curries to grilled meats and vegetables, street food vendors offer a convenient and flavorful option for locals and tourists alike. However, as with any food service industry, the hygiene and cleanliness standards of street food in Eswatini are a concern for many consumers.

Overview of Food Hygiene and Cleanliness Standards

Food hygiene and cleanliness standards are essential for preventing the spread of foodborne illnesses and ensuring public health. In Eswatini, the Ministry of Health and the Municipal Councils are responsible for enforcing these standards. Street food vendors are required to obtain a license from the Municipal Councils and comply with regulations related to food handling, storage, and preparation. These regulations include maintaining a clean workspace, using clean water for cooking and cleaning, and ensuring that food is stored at safe temperatures.

The Importance of Proper Food Handling Practices

Proper food handling practices are critical in preventing contamination and the spread of foodborne illnesses. Street food vendors should wash their hands frequently with soap and clean water, wear gloves and hairnets, and use separate utensils for raw and cooked foods. They should also ensure that their cooking equipment and storage containers are cleaned and sanitized regularly.

Government Regulations and Enforcement of Standards

The Ministry of Health and the Municipal Councils are responsible for enforcing food hygiene and cleanliness standards in Eswatini. They carry out regular inspections of street food vendors to ensure that they comply with regulations. In some cases, vendors who fail to meet the standards may face fines or have their licenses revoked.

Common Hygiene and Cleanliness Issues in Street Food

Some common hygiene and cleanliness issues in street food include the use of contaminated water for cooking or cleaning, improper storage of food, and the lack of handwashing facilities. Vendors may also handle money and food with the same gloves or not wear gloves at all. Cross-contamination between raw and cooked foods is also a concern.

Tips for Ensuring Safe Street Food Consumption

Consumers can take steps to ensure that they consume safe street food. They should look for vendors who have a clean and organized workspace, use gloves and hairnets, and display their license. They should also avoid vendors who handle money and food with the same gloves or who do not wear gloves at all. It is also advisable to choose cooked food over raw food and to ensure that the food is served hot.

The Role of Consumers in Maintaining Hygiene Standards

Consumers play a crucial role in maintaining hygiene standards in the street food industry. They should report any hygiene and cleanliness issues to the authorities, such as vendors who do not comply with regulations or sell expired food. Consumers should also practice proper hand hygiene and dispose of any waste properly.

Conclusion: Balancing Convenience and Safety in Street Food

Street food in Eswatini offers a convenient and affordable option for locals and tourists. However, it is essential to ensure that the hygiene and cleanliness standards are upheld to prevent the spread of foodborne illnesses. Consumers can play a role in maintaining these standards by choosing safe vendors and reporting any issues to the authorities. By balancing convenience and safety, street food can continue to be a beloved part of Eswatini’s culinary scene.

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