You know, about twenty years ago I was experimenting with fermenting various substances. Almost anything with sugar can be fermented, which is interesting. Though some things better than others, as I soon found. Anyways, this got me to thinking about how they make home brews in prisons, or at least the subject came up once with a worker in a health food store. I certainly know of no one who's ever been in prison. But it's still an interesting subject. You know, they don't provide the prisoners with yeast under any circumstances, not even for bread. So they have to introduce it into their home brews by other means, often with disasterous results (i.e., food poisoning). Anyways, I certainly recommend against anyone in prison using this information. But you know, as I will show, this may be of value to the prison guards, to see what they are up to. Because some substances, are more useful than others. Plus it is cautionary too. Because some substances are just plain dangerous, as I already alluded to above. Anyways, from my experiences, 20 years ago, some things ferment better than others. Grape juice always comes out well, at least I thought. It does have naturally yeast, that's actually what the powder on the grape skins is. But I always added my own yeast, usually just bread yeast (which some would say is cheating—bread, yeast). So I don't know how well it would ferment by itself. I tried other stuff. Pear juice (I was trying to make my own pear cider—you know that was quite popular in the Middle Ages, believe it or not). I wasn't too pleased with the results. But as I said, I only used bread yeast. I was told, you had to add something to kill off the natural yeast. Gypsum? Or something. I thought my Mead was a little better. You start with honey and water, hydromel, it's called. Then you can be simple, or get rather fancy, with herbs and spices and botanical items. (You can also just add honey to white wine, which really is quite good. But this wouldn't be true mead then.) And as I told the guy in the health food store, just honey and water, perhaps warm. You could even do that easily in prison, I would image. Prison guards, if your inmates are suddenly trying acquire honey, get suspicious. As I said, I thought the mead was good. But not my aunt. She said it tasted—like rotting garbage? My father and I thought it tasted good. Anyways, I didn't get food poisoning. But that brings up a good point too. Be careful if you do this. Prune juice (prison guards, take notice), ferments immediately and violently. I am glad I loosened the cap, as I fermented it in the warm attic. It overflows repeatedly, it's frightening, really. And it tastes horrible, I have to tell you. I was using bread yeast, as I said. But I imagine even if you didn't have that, it would be a simple matter. Prisoners should not be allowed to have prune juice under any circumstances. There are other substances, BTW. Also that they might used in prison (or so I've heard). They have this famous spice mix. But you know, it's the Nutmeg that's psychoactive. Strangely, I first learned of Nutmeg, in a book my mother got me at c. 13, warning against drug use. They even told you how to use it, still warning against it. I won't tell you how to use it. But even they pointed out, it really makes you more sick and nauseous, than high. And Nutmeg is actually toxic, did you know that? The amount you get in pumpkin pie is of no concern, because the pie somehow affects how it's absorbed. Anyways, perhaps I've told you too much about that. One more thing though, briefly. I think I heard the amount use in their prison spice mix probably wouldn't be enough to get anyone high anyways. Because, you know, sometimes people get high purely from the placebo effect. Also interesting note, in the Merck Manual. They related this story of one man—just one, mind you—that got addicted—to sugar pills! Placebos, in other words. He got high. He even went thru withdrawal, I guess when they took it away from him. And there was nothing in the pills. I wonder what they finally told that poor man then. I hope this was at least informative.
