Oil on My Raisins...

pack of raisins. I live in the UK and

UK market that is victimised by its

I want to have bought pure raisins!

Jim, what about soaking them to get the oil off? You could just dry them back out.

Joe

Thanks for the idea Joe. What would be a good way to get rid of the oil then, skimming or flooding the container out or something else perhaps? The oil doesnt seem to appear till the must is a couple of days old. I wish they didn't use it!

Cheers, Jim

pack of raisins. I live in the UK and

UK market that is victimised by its

raisins I want to have bought pure raisins!

then, skimming or flooding the container out

couple of days old. I wish they didn't

messagenews: snipped-for-privacy@p77g2000hsh.googlegroups.com...

a pack of raisins. I live in the UK and

the UK market that is victimised by its

raisins I want to have bought pure raisins!

Couldn't you use fruit/vegetable cleaner detergent...this is typically marketed as a very effective means of removing pesticides and other growing additives from bought produce, but it would probably get the oil off your raisins in a jiffy and I do believe this thread inadvertently sounds really dirty. ;)

Sean

Thanks sean for linking me to

I have been researching further and in case there are any other lurking Brits with the same problem, it seems that Sun-Maid Californian raisins are supplied in the UK with no oil or glazing agents added! They are about twice the price I normally pay, but that may be a fair trade-off for having oil free raisins :)

Jim

then, skimming or flooding the container

couple of days old. I wish they

messagenews: snipped-for-privacy@p77g2000hsh.googlegroups.com...

in a pack of raisins. I live in the UK

the UK market that is victimised by its

raisins I want to have bought pure

here. The lack of replies from Brits makes

makers not suffer the same problems

Jim, Sun Maid is all I have ever seen here in the States; I really didn't understand why anyone would oil a raisin other than trying to make it look better (like you can make a shriveled Thompson seedless grape look pretty).

I see some on the website they call moisture enhanced, they look shiny. I wonder if that is what they are doing there. They are naturally protected from just about anything, seems silly. Sorry it's a problem.

If you can't find them easily, I wonder if you could float the oil out by overfilling?

Joe

to

with the same problem, it seems that

agents added! They are about twice the price

messagenews:f1kd94$ll$ snipped-for-privacy@news.freedomsurf.net...

messagenews: snipped-for-privacy@y5g2000hsa.googlegroups.com...

then, skimming or flooding the container

a couple of days old. I wish they

messagenews: snipped-for-privacy@p77g2000hsh.googlegroups.com...

oil in a pack of raisins. I live in the UK

just the UK market that is victimised by its

raisins I want to have bought pure

here. The lack of replies from Brits makes

US makers not suffer the same problems

Thanks Joe,

I figured that the oil was cosmetic and perhaps some how extra preservative. Raisins are pretty well self-preserved though aren't they! The world seems full of products with unnecessary content either to con the consumer they are buying something fresher or to make the product last longer...

I shall stick to the sunmaid for future purposes. I should think the vegetable oil will be lessened somewhat through subsequent rackings in the wines already made, I'm not sure. For the remaining raisins I think I will either soak them and overflow the oil on the top (or maybe even invest in some veggie wash.)

Jim

to

with the same problem, it seems that

agents added! They are about twice the

messagenews:f1kd94$ll$ snipped-for-privacy@news.freedomsurf.net...

messagenews: snipped-for-privacy@y5g2000hsa.googlegroups.com...

then, skimming or flooding the

is a couple of days old. I wish they

oil in a pack of raisins. I live in the

just the UK market that is victimised by

raisins I want to have bought pure

here. The lack of replies from Brits

US makers not suffer the same problems

If you are making a wine where raisins are dominant this may not help but if you are just adding some raisins to add vinuosity, then you might consider using frozen grape concentrates.

Ray

Hi Ray, yes thanks for that. Usually it is as an addition and I could use grape concentrates. I have only been avoiding them because of the cost, but it may well work out as the most efficient in the end!

Jim

you are just adding some raisins to add

a pack of raisins. I live in the UK and

the UK market that is victimised by its

raisins I want to have bought pure raisins!

I probably mislead you. I did not mean that you should use expensive, high quality, wine grape concentrate. For this purpose I use inexpensive frozen cans of grape concentrate from the grocery store (where you buy the raisins). The stuff you would mix up to drink as fruit juice. I don't know about in the UK but here they are very cheap. Without other fruit it only takes 2 cans at between $0.90 and $1.70/can to make a gallon of wine just from the concentrate. You can usually get this stuff as red or white and can choose according to what you are making. If you are using other fruit as the prime ingredient I would use considerably less, maybe 1/2 can per gallon. In fact, the way I usually do it now is to go ahead and make a 5 gal batch of the grape concentrate as it's own wine and keep it in gallon jugs for use when I need to add vinuosity. That way I can blend it in to taste. You may well find that you like the wine from the concentrate by it self. I always bottle some of it that way. This works out to be fairly (or very) cheap.

Ray

Sorry Ray, but that's an American thing. We just don't get frozen grape concentrate here in the UK. I can get Welches Purple Grape Juice fresh for about £2 a litre, and that is just too dominant and obviously not concentrated, I can't get the Niagara version at all - even fresh.

I think I'd have to go for winemaking grape concentrate if I use that at all. Thanks for clarifying though, I had misunderstood your intent.

Jim

grape concentrates. I have only been

efficient in the end!

quality, wine grape concentrate. For this

store (where you buy the raisins). The

but here they are very cheap. Without

gallon of wine just from the concentrate.

what you are making. If you are using

can per gallon. In fact, the way I

concentrate as it's own wine and keep it in

to taste. You may well find that you

that way. This works out to be fairly (or

Sometimes we do not realize what is local produce.

Is there a cultureal reason the UK would not use frozen concentrate? Or has it just never been introduced? I consider it better than bottled juice as it has no preservatives. (Needs none.) Over here frozen vegetables are looked down on in favor of fresh produce, even though it can be readily shown that fresh produce is less nutricious than frozen. Cultural.

Otherwise, it sounds to be like a market ready to be taped.

Ray

I think here we have the hang of gentle cooking/steaming and freshness for flavour - while understanding some frozen goods contain more intact nutrients which have not been allowed to degrade. When it comes to frozen juices I don't know. Perhaps it is because most people in the UK have small fridge freezers and so preserved 'fresh' juices are more easily stored...

We used to have a lot of frozen orange juice in the UK too in the 70s and early 80s, but that too died out, though it is still really common in Europe. Perhaps grape juice has never been that popular in the UK... I don't remember seeing it around as a kid. It may have been in Europe, or perhaps most of hte grape juice was made into wine and never made the supermarkets.

The amount of consumer choice in the US makes me green with envy, particularly the easy availability of large cooking vessels and bulk food packages available to the domestic market. I have to go to trade warehouses for anything which isn't small and completely mass market! Grrr!

At least I can get Sun-Maid California raisins without oil on from two local suppliers now... It could be worse!

Jim