Hello friends!
So far you only know me for my #needleworkmonday posts, but it's time for me to branch out and share a bit more with you. Specifically, some of the fun stuff I like to do in my kitchen.
Like a lot of us these days, I've hopped onto the Live Foods bandwagon. The thing is, I'm all about low-maintenance. That means that keeping a sourdough starter is about as hard as I want to work. Kefir/tibicos, kombucha, miso . . . no thanks. I mean, I'd love to enjoy some of YOUR delicious homemade kombucha, but if my culture's going to die from a few days of neglect and (more importantly) have to be replaced through buying or trading, then no thanks. It's not making it into my kitchen.
This is where the wonder of wild fermentation comes in! This style of fermentation relies on naturally occurring microorganisms such as yeasts or bacteria to do the fermenting for you. No fancy-schmancy starter culture needed. So many of the well-known fermented foods are made by wild fermentation, such as sour dough bread, sauerkraut, and honey mead. Today, I bring you Honey Pop!
I didn't exactly invent Honey Pop. I'm basically going through the same process humans have used for millenia to make honey mead, which is probably the first way we ever got tipsy. I've just tweaked the process so that what is produced is actually a non-alcoholic version of the drink, more like a soda than a wine. Here's my process for one gallon:
ONE: Get a whole bunch of fruit and chop it up. The fruit not only gives a nice subtle flavor, but also provides super important sugars and enzymes for the fermentation process to take off. I use whatever's in season (being in Guatemala, there's always something in season). Lately it's been citrus; orange makes such a nice drink! Another favorite is passion fruit-lime. Apple did not go over well.
TWO: Measure out a generous 4 oz. of honey and get it into your primary fermenter. I've found that old Carlo Rossi one-gallon jugs are the best. They're easy to keep covered and keep the bugs out of, easy to pour from when bottling later, and relatively easy to clean. Add the fruit as well.
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Anywhere from 3 day to a week later it'll be bubbling away, the fruit will have risen to the top with all the carbonation, and every time you shake the jar the force of the carbonation will pop out some gas and liquid. This is time for bottling: straining out all the fruit, pour your brew into bottles which WILL be airtight and seal them well. Leave them to ferment for at least another few days. Carbonation will build up as fermentation continues, and you'll know it's ready when you see lots of lovely bubbles gushing up upon opening the bottle. Cheers!
Day 1 vs. Day 5: You can see how on Day 1 of fermentation all the fruit has settled to the bottom, but by Day 5 it is at the very top of the ferment, held there by the upward force of all the carbonation.
Any other lazy fermenters out there? What's your favorite recipe?
Great article and thank you for talking about wild fermentation, my favorite way to make hard cider. It's much under appreciated.
I'm happy you like it @survivingslav14! Wild fermentation's my favorite fermentation method by far
Happy to get to know more about you. I very much wish to learn more about fermentation, its on my to do list.
Thanks @borrowedearth! I highly recommend Sandor Ellix Katz's book Wild Fermentation as a great beginner (and beyond) fermenting resource
Very cool, @colleenthurber! I have never done this before but now I want to try!! Berries, such as blackberry and blueberry work fine, right? Thank you! P.S. I nominated this post for a Trophy Token.
Thanks @crystalize! I really appreciate the support. And yeah, I'd definitely give it a shot with berries. The only fruit that I'd hold back on is banana, because that just seems weird to me.
LOL.. Banana soda. Yikes!!
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Wow super cool! Thanks @fernowl13! Just checked out the website, I'll definitely be following it
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Very nice, I love homebrewing too!
Awesome! I just looked at your posts and I love them! I dabble a bit in natural dyes myself, following you now ☺
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Great post @colleenthurber I love drinking the honey pop. A super healthy, probiotic beverage. Its the best!
Oh thank you @squdsi1!
ooh, this is so cool! i would love to try this at least once. 😊
@jonpetrich check this out!
It's so easy and tasty. Go for it!
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Whoa this is great! Thanks! Let me figure out Bitshares and get back to you :)
"I use the uber-sophisticated "Jam It Down There With A Chopstick" technique." : ) I like the colors of your ferments . Curious to see how they'll look later. How long are you planning to keep them like this?