You could also go to any fabric store and ask for a metre of natural cotton muslin. It will make you a bunch of bags for a very small fraction of the cost for a ready made bag. Of course there's a little cutting and sewing involved but it shouldn't be a problem unless you don't know anyone with a sewing machine. Louise:o)
"Matt Shepherd"
> > Long story short: I live in Sherbrooke, Quebec, where apparently
> > nobody does any home canning. At the very least, I can't find any
> > stores that sell jelly-making equipment, the local wine equipment
> > store doesn't stock anything but kit stuff, and I don't feel like
> > making the 45-minute trek out to Wal-Mart.
>
> You could always order stuff for delivery, by telephone or over the
> internet. Try Presque Isleformatting linkorformatting link
>
> > So I tried making a "jelly bag" out of cotton cheesecloth to make a
> > pear wine with, and it has completely disintegrated. I now have a soup
> > consisting of pear chunks, chopped golden raisins, small bolts of
> > soggy cheesecloth and fermenting yeast.
>
> Nothing to worry about, assuming the cheesecloth was clean, but I would
> recommend you try to pull the pieces out anyway (just on aesthetic grounds).
> If I were to make a perry, I would "ferment on the skins", just as you are
> now doing involuntarily. It makes for better extraction of colour and
> flavour. You will need to "press the cap", i.e. push or stir the solids back
> into the wine, so the cap doesn't dry out. This will also aid extraction,
> but stir gently. Vigorous stirring will result in evaporation of precious > alcohol.
>
> > Question A: if I wait the requisite week to get the flavour out, then
> > transfer to a second primary, would straining through my last
> > remaining piece of cheesecloth harm anything in any way?
>
> Not that I can envision. But, if the cheesecloth "disintegrates", it won't
> do a very good job of straining, will it? Surely they sell nylon stockings
> in Sherbrooke? Use a new (wash it first anyway) or freshly-laundered
> stocking as a press bag. Or use a nylon paint-straining bag, which hardware
> and paint stores sell for 1, 2, and 5-gallon buckets. Wash the bag and rinse
> thoroughly. Wrap the ends of the stocking or bag around the edges of the
> receiving bucket (or funnel, if you are going into a carboy), and pour your
> mash through it. Then wrap the ends about a small stick or perhaps a large
> spoon or even a rolled-up magazine, and twist (the bag or the stick) to
> squeeze out the rest of the juice from the solids. If you don't have a
> suitable funnel, cut the top off a large plastic soda or bleach or
> distilled-water bottle, and wash and rinse it thoroughly before using. >
> > Question B: Is there any great danger in just letting everything float
> > in the mix for the week until then?
>
> No more so than if it were soaking in the "jelly bag" --- IF you punch the
> cap down 2-3 times daily. If you let the cap dry out, it encourages
> bacterial growth and acetification.
>
> > Question C: Any good online resources for ordering &?%$ vinyl jelly
> > bags? I'm sick of trying to explain the process to 18-year-old
> > Francophone store clerks who think that jelly is magically born when
> > two jars of jelly love each other very, very much...
>
> Jelly bags can be purchased online atformatting linkor
>formatting linkYou should try to find a source in Quebec, though.
> I don't know what "duty" HMCS would assess on such things. They might even
> consider them dangerous contraband.
>
> Where can I get me one of them 18-year old clerkettes?
>
>