Making Great Wine From Frozen Fruit Concentrates

If you have ever wanted to make your own wine but thought that making good wine was difficult, then think again. Making wine is easy, especially if you make it from frozen juice concentrates. You can make grape, apple, cranberry or any other kind of wine you like by just browsing a grocery store's freezer case.

Equipment you will need can be found in the kitchen. To make one gallon of wine you will need a plastic or glass gallon jug, two twelve ounce containers of frozen fruit concentrate, two pounds of sugar and a glass or plastic bowl which will hold at least one and a half gallons. In addition you will need some granulated yeast. Wine yeast, which may be sold in some specialty grocery stores works best, but you may use granulated bakers yeast if you wish.

First, place the frozen concentrate in the refrigerator to thaw out. It can be used frozen, but it is much easier to mix in the sugar syrup if it is thawed out.

Next you will want to get the yeast started. For one gallon, use one level teaspoon of the granulated yeast. Whatever yeast is left in the packet may be sealed in a plastic bag and placed in the refrigerator until needed for the next batch of wine you make. Put two teaspoons of sugar in a glass of warm water and stir until it is dissolved. Then dump the yeast into the warm sugar water and stir well. Place this in a warm location until it starts to froth. This can take anywhere from a couple of hours to several hours, depending upon the temperature of the room and the freshness of the yeast.

After the yeast is started you may make the sugar into syrup for use in the wine. To make the syrup boil the two pounds of sugar in one half gallon of water, stirring often to keep the sugar from scorching. The sugar solution will clear when it is done. Take the syrup off the stove, cover and set aside until it is cool. Usually this will take a couple of hours, so by the time the starter is ready, the sugar syrup will also be cool enough to use.

Now you are ready to make the wine. In a one and a half gallon to two gallon bowl, pour the fruit concentrate. Now add the sugar syrup. Then add the fermenting wine yeast. Cover the bowl with a clean dish towel and leave this in a warm place for a few days. After a few hours the wine will begin to ferment. This ferment may be quite vigorous, so you will need to leave the wine in the bowl a few days so it doesn't overflow.

Once the ferment slows down, thoroughly clean a plastic or glass gallon jug. Using a plastic or glass kitchen funnel, pour the fermenting wine into the jug. Top up with cool tap water until the jar is a couple of inches from the top. Place a small piece of plastic wrap over the mouth of the jar and secure with a rubber band. Place this in a cool, dark room. The ideal temperature is sixty to seventy degrees Fahrenheit. The ferment will take approximately two months.

When the ferment is finished, siphon the finished wine into a second gallon jar using plastic tubing which is suitable for food use, being careful to not disturb the sediment at the bottom of the jug. The wine is now ready to drink, but will benefit from aging for several months to a year.

Good wine may be made in this way from frozen fruit concentrates quite easily and quickly. While not gourmet wine, it will be a delightful vin ordinaire which is quite economical to make. After you master it, you may experiment with different ingredients, yeasts and juices to make a wine more suitable to your tastes.

History of The Kite - Kites At War

The kite was used as a military tool very early in its history. The Chinese were the inventors of the kite and were the first to use the kite for warfare. Han Hsin of the Han Dynasty used a kite to allow him to evade an enemy city's defenses. He needed to build a tunnel under the city's walls, but required a tool to help him determine how far to dig the tunnel. He had a kite flown over the city, marked the line and pulled the kite in. Engineers then began to dig the tunnel. When they reached the length determined by the kite string, they started ascending. The tunnel entered the city in the courtyard. His troops were able to enter the city and captured it. The Chinese also used kites to lift fireworks over enemy troops, terrifying and dispersing them. Kites of different shapes and sizes were also flown to deliver signals to soldiers in the field.

From China, kite technology spread to other Asian nations. Thailand made good use of the kite in many ways, including the art of war. King Petraja used kites to deliver what many feel was the first aerial bombing in history. A subject principality, Nakhon Ratchasima, known also as Korat, rebelled against his rule. King Petraja had kegs of gunpowder tied to kites flying over the rebel fortifications. These were then ignited and the explosions caused enough dismay and confusion among the rebels that they surrendered.

During the Crimean War an interesting concept using kites were tried. Admiral Sir Arthur Cochrane came up with the idea of using kites to tow torpedoes into Russian ships. He set up some practice runs which were successful. But the idea was never implemented due to the fact that enemy ships were not always positioned correctly in relation to the prevailing wind to allow the kites to hit their targets.

World War I saw several uses for kites, mostly as observational devices. The French deployed a kite corps which consisted of a car, trailer and a motor driven winch. Most of the combatant armies used kites for observation early in the war. The arrival of the airplane caused these divisions to become obsolete and they were disbanded. The Germans used a specially designed box kite system on their submarines. The fact that an observer lifted to an altitude of 400 feet could see almost 250 miles over open ocean gave the submarines a bit of an advantage because they could see their enemies before being themselves detected.

A man named Harry Sauls designed a kite he called the barrage kite to fly advertising banners over tourist areas. The kite was found useful in protecting merchant ships during World War II. A strong wire was used as the kite line and flown from strategic places on the ships. The wire was invisible to airplanes and strong enough to cut off a wing or destroy a propeller. The kites played a deterrent role in holding off enemy dive bomber attacks against the ships.

During World War II gunners on aircraft carriers used clouds for target practice. This practice did not provide a very realistic simulation of an attacking aircraft. Lieutenant Commander Paul E. Garber served on the aircraft carrier USS Block Island. Observing the limitations of the system, he decided to come up with a better target. He designed a kite for this purpose and challenged the gunnery crews to hit it with gunfire. To their chagrin, the kite proved a difficult target. His commanding officer observed this and ordered Garber to build more kites. He managed to come up with kites which mimicked the movements of an attacking aircraft, and the gunnery crew’s accuracy increased immensely. This helped the crews to destroy attacking aircraft at a much higher rate.

A box kite was also a key component of a device called the Gibson Girl during this war also. The apparatus consisted of a kite, antennae and hand crank radio. The Gibson Girl was standard issue on United States and British bombers. An airman shot down and adrift on the sea could deploy the kite with the antennae attached, and use the hand crank radio to signal his position. The Gibson Girl saw action as late as the Vietnam War.

Kites were used extensively during the course of history for many different military uses. From their inception by the Chinese to World War II and as late as the Vietnam War, kites have had their use as weapons, observational tools and signal devices.

History Of Kites In Aviation

Kites have been very instrumental in the history of aviation. Most of the early aviators used kites to develop their theories before actually taking flight. The first humans to gain the distinction of flying among the birds did so with the aid of kites.

During the kite’s very early history in China, and later Japan, man carrying kites were built. There are many stories in the lore of both these countries of kites bearing men aloft. These kites were used primarily for military purposes as observational tools. Marco Polo (1254 - 1324), after his wanderings in China, documented the many uses for kites there.

The first scientist to use kites to study aviation was a Franciscan friar named Roger Bacon (1214?-1294). History remembers Roger Bacon for his scientific studies in many different fields including mathematics, optics, and astronomy. Bacon was the Western World's first true scientist, preceeding the emergence of widespread scientific study in Europe by about 500 years. During his experiments with kites, he came to the conclusion that if a craft were properly constructed, it could be supported by air in the same fashion that water supports a boat.

It wasn't until Sir George Cayley (1773-1857), almost 500 years later, that serious work was again done with kites in the field of aviation. Cayley, because of his work, is often called the "Father of Aviation." A native of Scarbourgh, England, this English baronet was an inventor who created the basic design of the airplanes flown today. Many of Cayley's designs for aircraft were developed during the ten year period from 1799 through 1809. He designed and built an aircraft which flew like a kite which had a movable tail and could be maneuvered.

Otto Lilienthal, a German engineer, dominated aviation history in the late 1800's. He is known mostly for his work with gliders, but his early experiments in the 1870's were primarily with kites. The lessons he learned from the kites he built and flew led directly to the many gliders he designed and flew. Over 2000 times he took to the air in flight. One fatal day his glider stalled at an altitude of around fifty feet. The glider crashed and he severed his spine. He died the next day.

Orville and Wilbur Wright represent the culmination of this long, historic process. They studied Lilienthal's designs and decided to base their initial designs on his. Using a biplane box kite they designed in 1899, they tested their theories on aircraft control. The kite framework of this kite was hinged, allowing it to twist. It was controlled from the ground, using four lines, one tied to each corner of the frame. They learned to control the kite using this system, and could make it bank, dive and climb.

The following year they constructed a glider, using the kite as a guide. This glider had enough lifting capacity to lift a man, but they decided fly it like a kite at first, using the same ground control system they had devised for the kite. Their experiments with this craft led to the design, construction, and eventual success with the flight of the Wright Flyer at Kitty Hawk in 1903.

Kites have had an instrumental role in the rise of the science of aviation. From the Chinese in the fifth century BC to the Wright Brothers in 1903, the kite has made its mark in the history of flight.

Who Invented Kites and Where Were They Invented?

Who invented the kite? And when were they invented? For the answer to those questions we have to dig far back in history, because people have been flying kites for thousands of years. A kite floating far above the earth seems to be such a simple thing. But if you stop to ponder its ancient lineage, the kite appears much more majestic.

Both China and Malaysia can legitimately claim honors as the kite's birthplace. There is evidence of kite flying as far back as the sixth century BC. China has written records of kite flying dating from 559 BC. Kites have been a part of Malaysian culture for millennia. It is an entirely credible possibility that kites were invented independently in both countries.

In China two philosophers, Mozi and Lu Pan, are generally given credit for having invented the kite. These two brilliant men were contemporaries, and they had access to all the materials necessary for successful kite building. The silk making process by this time had been perfected. Silk fabric and thread have the properties of being strong, light in weight and impervious to moisture. These qualities make silk an ideal material for both the sail and the kite line. Bamboo grows abundantly in China, and is a superlative framework component. Mozi was a trained engineer who had wide experience constructing bird models and weapons of war. Lu Pan was a skilled carpenter who designed and built many things from wood, including model birds. One of his bird models was reputed to have been held aloft by compliant winds for three consecutive days.

Documentation of kite flying in Malaysia is scanty, but there is a very long tradition of it there. Materials available to the Malaysians were large tree leaves and bamboo. It is easy to imagine that leaves blowing in the wind created the inspiration for the invention of the first kite. Leaf kites are still flown in Malaysia, some of them are very elaborately designed.

So when were kite invented and who invented them? The answer to that question may never be definitely known, but China and Malaysia are the two best candidates for where, and Mozi and Lu Pan seem to have the best resumes to qualify for who invented them. But we do know that kite flying originated in one of these two countries and from there spread to the rest of the world.

HO Scale Electric Model Toy Trains

HO scale is the most popular size of electric model train available to hobbyists. And for good reason. At 1/87 scale it is small enough to pack a lot of detail into a small amount of space. A four by eight foot sheet of plywood can contain a lot of different scenes for the train to roll through.

This popularity has produced an amazing amount of track, figures, buildings and other accessories to be produced for the HO scale train. Indeed, there are more accessories for HO electric model trains than there is for all the other scales combined.

HO scale is the most popular size of electric model train available to hobbyists. And for good reason. At 1/87 scale it is small enough to pack a lot of detail into a small amount of space. A four by eight foot sheet of plywood can contain a lot of different scenes for the train to roll through.

Guillow Easy Build-By-Number rubber band powered balsa wood airplane model kits are fun to build and fly! Building and flying balsa wood model airplanes is a fascinating and fun hobby. The wood model airplanes may be flown or simply hung for display. Many enjoy leaving the paper covering off and displaying the wood framework of the plane hung from a ceiling. The wood frame is beautiful with just a coating of sealer to protect it.

The plane may be flown with the rubber band supplied, or powered with a gas or electric motor. The balsa model airplane kit is designed as a free flight model. This means that the plane is powered up and released and the plane goes where it will. There is not enough room inside most of these airplanes to m mount the servos and other things needed for radio controlled flight.

Beer Making Supplies

Most of the supplies for making beer can be found in the average kitchen, though the beer making process is easier if you collect some of the more specialized accessories you will need. A good beer making kit will have most of the supplies needed for making beer. You will need a boiler which will hold at least one gallon of water. A fermenting container is needed which is large enough to hold the quantity of beer being made. Most malt extracts will produce two gallons of beer, so the fermenter is needed. Some of the kits have fementers which have a spigot. This feature definitely makes bottling easier as it eliminates the need for the finicky, messy siphon hose.

You will need bottles to put the beer in when the primary fermentation is complete. Plastic soda bottles which have been thouroughly cleaned and sanitized are ideal for this purpose. They will handle the pressure which builds up during the secondary fermentation, are commonly available and reusable. Thats it, for basic beer making that is all the supplies you will need. As you go along, you may want to add more stuff, like a bottling hydrometer, nicer bottles, etc. But these supplies will get you started making beer.

Step by Step Beer Making Process

Beer Making Step 1 - Start the yeast in a glass of warm water which has had two teaspoons of sugar dissolved in it.

Beer Making Step 2 - Sterilize your equipment with a good sterilizing agent.

Beer Making Step 3 - After the yeast is fermenting, place the can of malt extract in a bowl of warm water to soften it.

Beer Making Step 4 - Boil one gallon of water.

Beer Making Step 5 - Pour in the booster and up to two pounds of sugar and stir until dissolved.

Beer Making Step 6 - Pour in the malt extract, stir until dissolved.

Beer Making Step 7 - If the malt extract is unhopped, or you want more hops, now is the time to add them. Boil the mix with the hops for at least one half hour.

Beer Making Step 8 - Allow the wort to cool, then pour it into the fermenting container. Top up with water and add the yeast starter mix.

Beer Making Step 9 - Put the fementator in a cool area, between sixty and seventy degress. Fermentation should take between seven and ten days.

Beer Making Step 10 - After the beer has cleared somewhat and there are no more floating colonies of yeast on top, it is time to bottle the beer. Place one teaspoon of sugar in a twelve ounce PET bottle (plastic soft drink) after sterilizing it. Siphon the beer in until the beer is one inch from the top. Screw on the top and place the bottle in a cool, dark area. Secondary fermentation should take about seven to ten days. Squeeze the sides of the bottle. It will be very hard to press in the bottles sides when fermentation is complete.

Beer Making Step 11 - When the secondary fermentation is complete, refrigerate the beer, then uncap it and pour slowly into a glass. Don't pour the last half inch or so of the beer or you will spoil the effect of the clear, bubbling beer. The sediment at the bottom will also impart a yeasty taste to the beer. There is nothing wrong with the sediment, indeed it is quite nutritious, so you may drink it. Some places serve the sediment with lemon.

This step by step outline is for a beer making kit made by Mr. Beer. Other kits or recipes may use a slightly different step progression, but this is the main sequence used.

Beer Making Process

Modern brewing involves many steps in the transformation of grain, hops, yeast, and water into the sparkling, invigorating beverage we call beer. The following is a greatly simplified outline of the process a commercial brewing company uses to make beer.

Malting is the first step in the process of making beer. This involves soaking the harvested grain in water and allowing germination to begin. This, by a complicated chemical process, creates sugar, a necessary component to fermentation.

The partly germinated grain is now kilned, or heat dried, and it is called malt at this stage. Different kilning methods will produce different types of beer.


Milling is next - the malt is re-mixed with water to complete the conversion of starches in the grain to sugar, then the grain is milled to create the proper consistency to the malt, now termed grist.

The grist is subsequently mashed. This involves re-mixing with water and boiling it in a series of steps. Finally the wort is separated from the grain residue by a series of spinning and filtering steps

Next the wort is transferred to a copper vat, hops are added, and the mixture is boiled for a period of time. After boiling, the wort is subjected to a process by which the spent hops and other residues are removed.

The wort is transferred to a fermenting vessel and yeast is added. The wort should be about ten percent sugars in solution at this point. The fermentation process begins now, and the wort will be transformed into beer by the yeast cells.

Once fermentation has completed, a secondary fermentation is induced to rid the beer of impurities and improve the flavor. This step, in the ‘homebrew’ process, is completed in the bottle to add carbonation to the beer. The carbonation gives the beer a fresh flavor, and helps the beer keep longer. The home beer making process is almost complete.

Maturation of the completed beer follows. The beer is stored cold for a period of time, allowing the flavor to mellow and certain chemical processes to complete. Once this is complete, commercial breweries filter the beer and package it for sale. Draft beer is placed in metal casks and sent out to market in refrigerated trucks. Bottled and canned beer are pasteurized after bottling and sold.

Beer Making Kits

The easiest way to start making is to purchase a beer making kit. The kit will contain all the necessary items needed to
brew your first batch of beer, except, of course, the water.



The first batch is ready in 14 days; the second batch can start just seven days after the
first batch, allowing continuos production of beer. Alcohol content is equivalent to
commercial brews, and it is produced by the natural fermentation of the yeast. Since the
beer naturally ferments in the bottle, no CO2 cartridges are needed to carbonate the beer.



You can save up to 75% off the cost of commercial beers, and the equipment is all reusable.
You need only buy refill packs of beer mix, and this is available in a large variety of
different types of beer.

Home Beer Making

Making beer at home was illegal in the United States before 1978. In November of that year, President Jimmy Carter signed the bill which allowed the brewing of up to 200 gallons of beer at home. Since that time interest in the craft of home brewing has been increasing steadily and many home owners have taken up the craft. High quality ingredients are available to the home brewer, and excellent craft beers can be made in the home with the investment of just a little time.

Making a batch of beer in the home can take as little as two to three weeks from the time the brew is made until the bottles are carbonized and ready to drink. Modern equipment and beer making kits have greatly simplified the home brewing process, creating a fun hobby for many people. Home brewed beer can be cheaper than commercially brewed beer, but the real reward in brewing beer at home is the ability to customize your brew to your own taste. Fruits, herbs and other ingredients may be added to the wort, imparting different tastes to the finished brew.

Thomas the Tank Engine Music

Reverand Awdry's timeless stories have spawned many songs and music videos about Thomas the Tank Engine and his friends. CD's and MP3 downloads can be played in the car on long trips, at the beach or wherever young Thomas fans want to listen.

Sheet music is also available so young musicians can learn to play their favorite songs, as well as the lyrics to all their favorites so they can sing along.

Live videos can also be played online for entertainment and a much more intensive Thomas the Tank Engine Experience.

Thomas theTank Games

The Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends stories have inspired more than toys. There are also many different games to play featuring Thomas on the Isle of Sodor. Educational and fun games allow children to learn while playing offer a double benefit.

Games include Thomas the Tank Engine board games, card games, dominos, and many more. Great fun for the entire family with these great Thomas Games.

Thomas the Tank engine games can also be plated online. These interactive games include railway games, puzzles and matching games.

Thomas the Tank Engine Sets

Thomas the Tank Engine sets are popular toys for pre-schoolers, offering a great way to get into the Thomas the Tank stories first hand. There are several different types of sets on the market, and choosing one can be difficult.

The most popular and extensive line is the Wooden Railway series. This series has been around for a number of years. The wooden track is two sided, so it can't be put together wrong. The wooden rolling stock has durable plastic wheels and magnetic couplers. The play value on this series is extremely high.

A newcomer to the Thomas the Tank Engine scene is Lego. In true Lego style, the large pieces of plastic track snap together easily and the train cars roll effortlessly around the track.

Tomy manufactures a pretty large line of plastic Thomas the Tank Engine train sets. The plastic blue track is double sided, hooks together easily. The battery powered engines roll easily along the track. The track is not compatable with the Wooden Railway, but the cars will roll on the track. There are sets, track packs and vehicles availble for expansion.

Electric Thomas the Tank Engine sets are led by Bachman's Thomas and Friends series. These HO scale electric train sets includes Bachman's EZ Track which can be set up virtually anywhere because the track bed is bonded to the track. The locomotives roll along, eyes rolling from side to side as they scan the countryside around them. This fairly extensive line runs on standard HO track, so it can be incorporated into any HO layour, and there is a lot of different components to the EZ Track system, so any set can be easily expanded.

Lionel also manufactures an O Gauge Thomas the Tank Engine set which will run on its three rail system. The sets include Lionel's Fast Track, which snaps together easily and can be run on carpets, floors or tables. The sets are easily expandable.

Day Out With Thomas On The Strasburg Railroad

Strasburg, Pennslyvania is located in Amish country in Lancaster County. The rail line is an old one, established in 1832. The East Strasburg Station is located near the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania which features the rich railroad history of the area.

The rail line has a full size, operating Thomas the Tank Engine which the whole family can ride. Click the link for full operating schedule and special events of the Day out with Thomas.

Thomas The Tank Engine Toy Train

Thomas the Tank Engine is the creation of the Reverend Wilbert Awdry who carved a wooden train engine for his son when he was small, then wove a myriad of stories about the engine to entertain the young boy. Reverend Awdry wrote the stories down, and eventually they were published. The stories have become quite popular and have led to all sorts of Thomas the Tank Engine toys, videos, games, clothing and much more.

Thomas The Tank Engine was the subject of a very popular television show which has entertained millions of children over the years, and he was even the star of a full length movie. Thomas has many friends, characters like Toby, Henrietta, Gordon and Duncan. Thomas and his friends have brought a lot of joy to many children since his inception and is now remembered fondly by many adults as the think back on the television show and the toys they played with as children.

But toys and television shows are only a part of the picture. A full size Thomas the Tank Engine makes its rounds, providing rides and opportunities for children to have their photos taken with Thomas. The destinations for Thomas changes constantly, as the Thomas chugs around the countryside looking for new places to hang out.

The Thomas the Tank Engine experience is one of the joys of childhood, the games, toys, videos creating a lifetime of memories. The Reverend Awdry probably never guessed the extent of his contribution to childhood when he composed the first story for his son many years ago.