I remembered that last year, what I did, after cutting off all the petals with a pair of scissors, was to pour hot water over half of them, with the sugar, and add the other half when the water cooled. Then I stirred as directed for a number of days, tasting every day, ready to skim off and press the flowers if I’d decided they’d leached enough. On recollection, this is probably more or less the same thing I’ll do this year, and what I should have recommended in the body of the text. I still can’t help you with volume, except that maybe 1/4 will be a better measurement with petals than heads.

A friend of mine commented that all this is a lot of work. And this is true. But, considering the work consists of picking flowers, and the result is genuinely decent wine for something like $0.25 a bottle, I consider that it beats the alternative.

I suspect that someone following the advice in the post will still get something decent to drink, and frankly I’d be curious to drink it. Still, sorry, I’m a little more enthusiastic sometimes, perhaps, than I ought to be.

Maybe some chrysanthemum flowers to help with summer heat too….