Homemade Ginger Ale

I saw these recipes the other day and knew they were right up Amanda’s alley!  My dad is undergoing some really hardcore chemo, and has been suffering from nausea.  He told me that Ginger Ale helped, but I didn’t think that Canada D*y would have a ton of actual ginger in it (which is actually scientifically proven to combat nausea.)  So I decided to whip up a batch myself.  On the Crumpets and Cakes  blog I found two great recipes.  One instant and without yeast, and one with yeast.  I decided to avoid the fermented recipe for my dad, instead  I made the second, faster Ginger Ale recipe.  I will report--it seemed to help with the nausea, which is good for everyone now and again.  However I will also point out that I loved it too!!  It was a little spicy, just a little sweet and really refreshing.  The best thing is that you can adjust how much of the ginger syrup to put in the soda water—so it can be as spicy or mild as you would like!

-Jules

Recipes from Crumpets and Cakes

Ginger Ale: Instant  version:
1 cup fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
1 cup sugar
2 cups water
club soda
juice of one or two limes, juice from half lemon
mint for garnish

Directions:
Combine ginger, sugar and water in a saucepan. Simmer slowly for 10 minutes, until sugar is dissolved and ginger is softened.

Strain warm syrup and allow to cool. Fill a tall glass with ice, add 1 part(used 2oz shot glass) of ginger syrup and 3 parts of club soda.
Squeeze lime and lemon wedge into glass. Use more syrup if desired. Garnish with mint. Stir and enjoy.

Ginger Beer:
1c sugar
freshly grated ginger root (1 1/2-2 tablespoons), use the fresh ginger root you can find, it really makes a difference
juice of one lemon
1/4tsp baker's yeast
cold fresh spring or filtered water

special equipment:

clean 2L plastic bottle, funnel, patience
Directions:
Through a funnel add sugar and yeast to a plastic bottle. Mix grated ginger root and lemon juice and then transfer it to a bottle, add water to fill it half way and shake well to mix all ingredients. Add more water, leaving about an inch head space, screw the cap on and shake again. You can also mix all the ingredients in a jar and then transfer to a plastic bottle. Leave in a warm place for about two days and then transfer to refrigerator, to stop fermentation process. Refrigerate overnight. Pour it through a strainer and enjoy!

Kombucha

I wrote a few months ago that I was going to start making Kombucha and I was nervous about how it would turn out. These days besides a bit of water, Kombucha and Water Kefir are all I drink. I'm finally rid of soda in my life and I don't miss it a bit! Now when I drink kombucha I know I'm doing something good for my body instead of feeling guilty everytime I used to drink a soda. Kombucha is naturally carbonated and it is full of probiotics. My favorite way to flavor it is strawberry, but tonight I decided to try blueberry and raspberry for the first time. You can flavor it with whole fruit or juice, but I found that the whole fruit is better. I use frozen fruit for convenience. One thing I've learned is that this is pretty hard to mess up! The SCOBY, converts all the sugar into something that isn't bad for you. You add sugar for a "second" fermentation (or the fruit) to help with the carbonation.

-Amanda

Kombucha

about 1 gallon of filtered water
6-8 black tea bags, preferably organic, for the healthy of the SCOBY
1 cup of organic white sugar, turbanido or rapadura. Succant isn't preferred.
1-2 cups of plain kombucha from previous batch (your SCOBY will come with some.)
1 SCOBY, acquired on line from a place like Cultures for Health or from a friend.

Make a batch of sweet tea, using the filtered water. A Brita filter system works fine. You want something that will remove the choline, or it will kill the SCOBY. When tea is room temperature, add SCOBY and Kombucha from previous batch. Cover with a tightly woven cloth (I used a t-shirt doubled over) and a rubberband. Fruit flies and gnats are attracted to kombucha I hear and you don't want them laying eggs in your SCOBY! I haven't had any problems, but it isn't exactly the season for them either.

Leave your covered Kombucha in a darkish place where it will be undisturbed for 7 - 10 days. Then bottle it. You can add fruit when you bottle it or add 1 tsp sugar per cup for plain Kombucha. If you use fruit, I'd say 1-2 whole strawberries per 16 oz. So it isn't much. If you use fruit juice you are only going to use about 1 oz to flavor 15 oz of Kombucha, it isn't much. Let sit at room temperature for 1-3 days (you can go longer, it will just get stronger.) Refrigerate and enjoy!

 Top view, SCOBY floating on top of tea (now Kombucha.) By the way if your SCOBY sinks, that is okay!

 The SCOBY will regenerate after 7 days. You can kind of see the old SCOBY hanging down, and the new one is on top. The old SCOBY you can give to a friend or put in your compost pile. (I throw mine in my garden)

My "new" SCOBY, the old one is floating in the Kombucha still. Holes are okay.

My bottled Kombucha, now sitting for it's second fermentation. I did blueberry, 2 strawberries and a raspberry. Sometimes I bottle it in individual bottles using old store bought Kombucha bottles, old beer bottles or swing top bottles. (I bought a beer capper at Amazon for $15.) This time I just poured it in old yogurt containers, old juice bottles and a pickle bottle! Don't store Kombucha in plastic, it will kill the SCOBY.

UPDATE 3/17/11: My SCOBY (also known as a Mother) gave birth... I gave my first SCOBY away to my friend Wendy so that she can now make Kombucha at her house. Read more about her Kombucha project at her blog: Just One Momma.

Kombucha and Water Kefir

Kombucha

Water Kefir

I am so super excited to have some Kombucha and Water Kefir fermenting in my kitchen right now. My friend Nicole of A Life Well Nourished, gave me a Scoby starter for Kombucha and asked me to babysit her Water Kefir grains for a week. She said they would store just fine in the refridgerator, but this gives me a good chance to try making both for a bit. Both drinks are a bit sour, a bit sweet, naturally carbonated and full of vitamins and probiotics. Eating and drinking fermented foods is part of being healthy and eating nourishing foods. I also have my first fermented food, a pear chutney, fermenting on my counter. I can't wait to share all of my fun and tasty experiments with everyone. Fermenting is an artisan experience. Each batch is slightly different and things take time, life slows down. I won't get to taste my first batch of kombucha for over a week. My pear chutney will take about a month, maybe longer before it mellows and is tasty. The kefir is "quick" only taking about 48 hours from start to finish.

Really, all of this is super easy to do, it just takes a bit of confidence and a leap into the unknown. Fermenting foods used to be a tradition that was passed on from generation to generation. It is how early people had food during sparse times and cold winters. Every culture is known for a fermented food of some sort: sauerkraut, traditional pickles, miso, fermented cheeses and even ketchup! Ketchup originally was a fermented food! Modern science found ways to mimic flavors and skip the long process of fermentation but at what cost? The modern way to make these foods quick and easy kills all the natural good-for-you bacteria that is essential to good health. Eating live foods such as yogurt, kombucha and other fermented foods eases digestion. I've only tried a handful of these types of foods, but from what I've tasted there is an entire world waiting for my taste buds to be tantalized with. I can't wait to try more!

For an updated article read this post: http://thefrickinchicken.blogspot.com/2011/02/kombucha.html
-Amanda

Linden Tea

I am not an herbal tea girl. I love the idea of herbal tea, but the taste…not so much. However, I LOVE, LOVE linden tea. It is a calming, sweet tea that is beneficial for gastrointestinal issues. Trust me. It is also super tasty. I LOVE this tea. It is very popular in Turkey and offered in most cafes and late at night when people don’t want to drink caffeinated beverages.

-Jules

Linden Tea

One apple

palmful of linden leaves

To Brew

In tea pot boil 16 ounces of water with a sliced up apple. After the water boils pour the pamful of linden leaves (or two tea bags of linden) into the boiling water. Take the pot off of the heat and let steep for about 5 minutes. Afterward strain leaves and pour into mugs. The boiled apple in the water should make the tea fairly sweet but if you like sweet tea, sweeten with sugar or honey to taste.

--Makes two cups of tea

Buttered Hot Chocolate

My Mema used to make me something called Chocolate Toast. She basically made this thick chocolate sauce laden with butter. She'd toast up some bread and cut it into strips. Then you'd dunk your toast strips into the sauce and eat it. It was called breakfast. It was divine. Now that I'm an adult eating something like that for breakfast seems sinful, but I really wanted to recapture that memory/taste. I made what I'm calling Mema's Decadent Hot Chocolate based off her chocolate sauce recipe. And perhaps since I'm visiting her this weekend, she'll take me on a trip down memory lane, and I can be a kid again, just for a day.
-Amanda
ps. recipe udpdated 12/10 to remove white sugar.



Mema's Decadent Hot Chocolate

2 tbsp cocoa powder
2-3 tbsp maple syrup
2 tsp butter
1 cup milk (I use Raw)
2-3 tbsp heavy cream
a dash of vanilla
sprinkle of cinnamon (optional)

Mix all ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring up to a simmer whisking well. Pour into a mug and serve with marshmallows or whip cream. Makes 1 serving.