Ok, so I wasn’t so excited about what the dessert chapter had to offer… but let me tell you this chapter more than makes up for it! 😉 There are some awesome ideas and recipes for drinks that would be such treats!
This chapter includes the typical recipes for kombucha and kvass (from Russia) but there are also some other recipes like root beer (something I LOVE and miss! Definitely going to try this once I can find some sassafras root!), ginger beer, ginger ale, apple cider, sweet potato soda (sounds very interesting!), rice milk, almond drink and some teas and even a yoghurt drink!
I never had much soda growing up as a kid, but I always did like root beer. My great aunt used to make it and I even loved it then as well! I’ve always wanted to make it, but I’ve never taken the time to figure out how to do it and today I was reminded of it and handed a recipe! This will be HIGH on my priority list to get started with!
My kids have had soda and do like it, of course who wouldn’t! Thankfully, though, they also call kombucha soda as well as kefir flavored with ginger has been labeled ginger ale. They are happy with these fermented drinks and consider them treats! Now that I think about it, I don’t think I’ve ever purchased soda and had it in the house. We’ve only had it at restaurants… they probably don’t even realize we could have it at home! Hmmm… I hope it stays that way for a bit!
The majority of the drinks provided in this section need a culture or you can grow a culture or ferment it on it’s own. Cultures for Health* is a great place to purchase cultures or find a friend who is willing to share! I often have kombucha cultures to give away, so if you are close by, give me a ring! Fallon states that the main reason today’s culture enjoys alcohol and the fizziness of soda is that people are actually craving and missing the fermented beverages of the past.
Fallon also mentions a study (page 587) that was done in Russia after World War II. There was a drastic rise in cancer and they wanted to figure out what could be causing it. All Russians were drinking large amounts of vodka, but other than that they couldn’t figure out what could be the cause. However, there were two districts in the region of Perm, on the Kama River in the central western Ural mountains that stood out and had cancer statistics that were radically different than the rest of the country. It was found that almost every home in this region had a crock with fermenting kvass or kombucha!
If that isn’t incentive enough!!!! Are there any beverages that you ferment? I’d love to hear!
*Full disclosure: I do receive a small commission of the sales from Cultures for Health if you go to their site to order by clicking their link in my blog. Your price for their goods isn’t any high by doing this.
Green & Grateful 