Cashew Apple Wine

Cashew Apples, the fruit of the cashew is hardly used in Sri Lanka. A few of them will be eaten with salt and pepper.

There is a lot of information on how to make cashew apple wine.  I think this is a really great idea, especially if it is a local (small towns and villages) small scale operation.  It would provide employment/small business and a truly value added product from a produce that goes to waste.   The downside is that the facility will only be operation for a short period of time. Thats because Cashew is a seasonal bearing fruit (around april/may).  The solution to seasonality would be to use the wine producing facility to use other fruits and produce wine.  April to October is fruit bearing season in the dry zone, with plenty of fruits going to waste. e.g. Dham which is eaten and at time made into a local syrup much like blueberry syrup.

India is also looking into making Cashew Apple Wine
China too has a growing fruit wine industry

Below is recipe to make Cashew Apple wine at home from DrinksPlanet

• Top and tail a kilo of ripe cashew apples, 
• Roughly chop them (quartering them will do) and put them into a large pot.
  Optionally can keep in salt water for 3 days to remove tannin.
• Add 100 grams sugar and leave to soak for 15 mins or so.
• Then strain off the juice.
  Optionally Can add 100mg/L sodium metabisulfite to inhibit the growth ofacetic acid bacteria, wild yeasts and molds.
• Put the juice into a 2 liter glass bottle (maybe even earthen ware pot)
  (it should be about 3/4 full)
• Add a small packet of wine yeast (1/2 a teaspoon?) and shake well.
• Fit an Fermentation Lock.
  Here is how to make Fermentation Lock at home
• Leave it in a dark place for a week or two until it stops bubbling, 
• Then carefully rack it off into another clean jar (leaving all the muck behind).
• Refit the airlock and leave it to clear.
• You could help the clearing along by adding some Bentonite (optional).
  Bentonite is Aluminium phyllosilicate, impure clay consisting mostly of montmorillonite.
  Might be better to use powdered sago ()You need 2 grams powdered sago boiled in 10 ml water.
  Add it to the wine and stir like crazy. Then leave it overnight to clear.
• Decant it off into bottles.

Store it until you are ready to drink it.


A more industrial recipie
http://foodrecap.net/manufacture/wine/make-cashew-wine/

Research Paper
http://www.researchgate.net/publication/227760139_Fermentation_of_cashew_%28Anacardium_occidentale_L.%29_apple_into_wine

Visitors: Jacob and Johanna De Vlas

Dr. Jacob De Vlas and Johanna De Vlas-De Jong were visitors here a few months ago.  Jacob and Johanna are avid nature lovers.  

They have written two books on Sri Lankan wild flowers (I have a link only to the older)

http://www.amazon.com/Illustrated-Field-Guide-Flowers-Lanka/dp/9551917006
The book contains mention of 1,060 species of flowers photographed throughout Sri Lanka, including very rare plants, some that are new to
Sri Lanka.

 Dr. de Vlas is a colleague/friend of Dr. Michael van der Poorten a leading butterfly expert (lepidopterist) in Sri Lanka.  He too made a lightning visit to Wilpattu House.

Palmyra (තල්) as an Elephant Deterrent

Palmyra (තල්) as an Elephant Deterrent Mr. S. M. A. Azeez is former Deputy Director of Agriculture. He has been promoting the use of Palmyra trees as an Elephant deterrent for many years.

You can contact Mr. Azeez at 077-348-7114 for further details on how the trees should be planted etc.
Photos are of the model plantation with Palmyra as an Elephant Deterrent.