fruit soda recipes

[Guest guest]

The best batch of soda we made was with a whole bunch of pears that had gotten

too gushy to eat. I mushed them into a 3-1/2 gallon plastic bucket and then

added all the cores and pealings and gushy apples that were left after putting

up a batch of apples. I covered it with water and about 2 c. kefir whey, covered

it and let it sit for 4 days. Then we poured the whole batch into a pillow case

suspended over another bucket. We squeezed the bag till we got tired and ended

up with almost 2 gallons of fizzy cider, a little bit of alcohol, but not much.

Probably a lot like the hard cider that's popular now. Fed the pulp to the

chickens.

When I " put up " apples, I took a bushel of apples that were too gone for

eating.. someone had left them out in the cold and they had frostbite. I cored

them and filled gallon jars, covered with water and about 1 c. kefir whey, and

let sit for 3 days. Then I put them in the fridge. I make a sauce out of them by

blending them with a little honey. It's very flavorful, a little tangy and keeps

a long time in the fridge. I was able to make a raw apple pie out of them that

no one would ever have guessed was raw. Of course we topped it with loads of

fresh, whipped cream. For the pie filling, I put 2 egg whites, a splash of

vanilla, a little oil, about 1 T. cinnamon and a handful of soft, pitted dates

in the food processor. I processed in about 6 c. apples (1 gallon jar of

preserved apples). If it isn't sweet enough, add a little honey.

Frozen cherries with no sugar added are great fermented.. they remind me of

maraschino cherries. I fill a jar with them, add a little whey and honey and

cover with water. Let sit for three days. The juice is really good.. I like to

mix it with the juice from putting up the apples to flavor it a bit. The

cherries make great sundae or pie toppings, or are really good eaten plain in a

dish or in a fruit salad. I made a jello with the cherries and juice that was a

huge hit. I dissolved gelatin with some warm water and honey in the Vita-Mix (1

T. sets a pt.) and stirred into the fermented cherries and juice. I then topped

with kefir cheese (kefir strained through a cheese cloth) blended with a little

vanilla and some of the gelatin/honey mix (left a little in the Vita-Mix from

the previous step). This is REALLY good... everyone LOVED it... it's tangy,

fizzy and bursting with cherry flavor. More flavorful than anything store

bought.

I also wanted to mention that I've been doing tomatoes.. leaving them covered in

water and whey for 3 days, then refrigerating. Then when I need a tomato sauce,

I just remove the tomatoes from the liquid and blend them with a little olive

oil and herbs. I've used the sauce to top pizzas and add to my dressings. It has

a very tomatoey flavor and keeps very well in the fridge.. keeps it's bright

colors... which reminds me, I think this would be a wonderful thing to do to

fruits and veggies before dehydrating them to keep their color and texture and

lock in the flavor and prevent spoilage. The apples that I have preserved this

way turn crisp white and the tomatoes stay bright red. The raw sauces that I

make from them keep their color and flavor as well (this is a great breakthrough

for me because I used to try to make raw sauces and would add a little vinegar,

but the flavor was always bland and the color dull).

Meg