312 FLORIDA FRUITS HOW TO USE THEM. 



CHAPTER XXXI. 



HOW TO USE FLORIDA FRUITS ORANGES. 



Orange Wine, No. 1. Take perfectly ripe, sweet oranges, 

 the riper the better, as then the saccharine matter is en- 

 tirely developed ; peel and cut into halves across the cells ; 

 cut over a tub so as not to lose any juice, and squeeze both 

 halves hard before dropping in the tub. When the tub is 

 full put the whole mass through a wine-press, which must 

 be so close that none of the seeds can escape into the mash, 

 as they would give the wine a bitter taste. To each gal- 

 lon of juice add one pound of granulated or loaf-sugar, 

 and to each gallon of this mixed juice add one quart of 

 pure water. Put the whole in a barrel, leaving a space 

 of about five gallons for expansion of the wine during 

 fermentation. 



Orange wine has to undergo the lower fermentation, as 

 by the upper fermentation all the volatile matter and the 

 aroma would escape. The barrel must be closed air-tight, 

 and a fermenting tube adjusted ; the fermentation is very 

 vigorous for the first few days, and the barrel must be 

 closely watched to prevent its bursting. The fermentation 

 subsides gradually after a few days, then the wine has to 

 be racked off and the lees can be filtered ; the fermenting 

 tube must be adjusted again to the new barrel, to remain 

 until the fermentation shall have ceased entirely. Rack 

 the wine off again in about six weeks after the latter pe- 

 riod, and in a month after this second racking it will be 

 fit for market, as there is no second or "spring" fermenta- 

 tion, as with grape wines. 



Orange Wine, No. 2. Ninety sweet oranges, thirty-two 

 pounds of lump sugar ; break sugar in small pieces and 



