With the beginning of May and a full moon comes the time to harvest sweet woodruff and make May wine. This concoction originated in Germany (Maiwein) and has been used for hundreds of years to treat a variety of ailments. Juana and I make it every year because it is so delish.
The recipe is simple: dried sweet woodruff, strawberries and a good white wine. The woodruff has been a plentiful grind cover in our yard for decades so we always have a large supply. We use either a nice Riesling or Chardonnay depending upon what bottles I have in the basement wine rack.
To start, the woodruff is baked at 200 degrees for 10 minutes or so to bring out the coumarin. The scent is powerful and intoxicating. Then I cut up a couple of strawberries and remove a bit of wine from the bottle to make room for them and the dried woodruff.
If you like things sweet, a bit of sugar can be added but we usually forgo that step. And then our concoction sits for about a week in the fridge before it is ready to drink. The wine is transformed into a different beverage with a unique flavor. By the way, it can be a bit of an aphrodisiac so be careful with who you share it with. 😉
