Re: fermented drinks bonanza

[Guest guest]

I love my ginger drink! I think it's basically the same as in NT, but

here is what I do:

In a quart sized glass jar or juice bottle I put 1/4 c. chopped fresh

ginger root (no need to peel), juice from 2 limes, 2 T. whey, 2 t.

salt, 4 T. sucanant. Then I fill the jar with water (leaving a few

inches at the top for gas build-up), cap tightly, shake very well. I

leave it out for 2-3 days and then put it in the fridge. I always mix

this with seltzer water when I drink it as it's pretty strong.

Basically, use less salt and more sweetener to make it taste more like " soda "

HTH,

--

If you're not outraged, you're not paying attention.

[Guest guest]

Nanette,

What my family really likes (and what has been helping our allergies) is

iced herbal tea. It's not fermented, and not in the book, but it's

still healthy, I think, and very economical. I use the Traditional

Medicinals tea bags, made of only herbs, not the so-called herbal teas

that are pretty much black tea with flavorings. I also vary them up.

One time I use Echinacea Plus, the next time it might be Throat Coat,

the next, Female Toner, the next Breathe Easy.

Put 4 tea bags in a quart glass jar. Fill to the top with water, screw

the lid on and set outside in the sun for at least 4 hours. Pour into a

2-quart pitcher and fill up the remaining space with water. Add 1/8

tsp. white powdered stevia and stir.

Sofia

[Guest guest]

>All the drinks I've made so far taste so salty. The cider is the best one

>so far. I've made the ginger ale, the raspberry drink and the cider. Does

>anyone make a beverage that they really like? One that doesn't taste so

>salty that my kids can drink? My daughter drinks the ginger ale with soda

>water, my son doesn't like any of the drinks so far.

>

>Nanette

I love cider and make it a lot, but I don't use salt in it at all. I use kefir

grains as a starter, but you can also use just a tiny pinch of baker's

yeast for the first batch, or " catch " yeast from the air (or from apple

peels, if you have an apple tree out back that hasn't been sprayed).

There are lots of cider recipes online, and you can do the same with

about any fruit juice (or ginger/sugar water for gingerale). I haven't had

much luck using whey as a starter ... I would get mold with it too. The

kefir grains are much more mold resistant than the cultures

they use for making yogurt, I think.

Heidi Jean

[Guest guest]

Nanette,

You may get this from some of the others. As far as I know, the

salt is used to improve the environment for the Lactobacilli and

degrade the environment for pathogenic microbes. However, it is not

absolutely necessary. Sally Fallon probably adapted its use from

souring vegetables (Sandor Katz, for instance, likes to drink the

lactic brine) and few of these recipes used a whey starter. Since these

fermentation recipes use a whey starter, they probably don't need the

salt. Personally, I don't use it. I use about 2 tbs whey per quart

of " juice " and let it sit on the counter for 1-3 days. You can also put

it in the fridge to ferment. It's slower but slightly less likely to go

bad. I'm still experiencing some taste issues but I think that most of

that is finding the right " juice " to start with. Some juices simply

lose their taste when soured.

Geoffrey Tolle

> Hello,

>

> I've begun to systematically make all the fermented

> beverages in NT beverages section.  Apple cider is in

> the fridge - mold floaties on top. General consensus

> for this group is just to strain/pick them off the

> top and drink it anyway.  Is that true for the apple

> cider?

>

> All the drinks I've made so far taste so salty. 

> The cider is the best one so far.  I've made the ginger

> ale, the raspberry drink and the cider.  Does anyone make

> a beverage that they really like?  One that doesn't taste

> so salty that my kids can drink?  My daughter drinks the

> ginger ale with soda water, my son doesn't like any of

> the drinks so far.

>

> Nanette