"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 Isle (www.piwine.com) or www.walmart.com.

> 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 at http://www.kitchenkrafts.com or
http://www.lehmans.com/. You 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?