Monday, May 20, 2013

Probiotic Lemonade. Crisp tart refreshing AND healthy


not gist any ol' boring lemonade...
you know me by now... i can't make anything "ordinary".

PROBIOTIC FERMENTED LEMONADE...

REFRESHING
TART
CRISP
and HEALTHY?


well, i must say, i've been bitten by the "fermenting bug".
lately, i've been spending too much money on all those drinks that say, probiotic...fermented...kombucha...chia this and 100% pure of that...
i almost got suckered into a 16oz bottle of pineapple apple mint juice for $11.49.

come on people...it's just JUICE !
did the ingredients read

100% FAIRY TEARS
and UNICORN PEE ?

i thought i better investigate how to make it myself.  is it cost effective?  after you have the proper bottles and gallon jars this lemonade sure is...
AND it's right up my alley being that it's like a third grade science project and there's loads of health benefits.
i eat so much pork belly and chocolate, i need all the help i can get.

fermenting still scares me just a bit.  it goes against my hypersensitivity about fresh, fresh fresh.  if it's been out on the counter too long or doesn't have a label with date, it usually gets tossed.  i'm learning more, but from what i've read, we can surely use the good bacterias that occur.
i will not attempt to tell you all the health benefits of probitics and fermenting, but if you're interested here are two helpful sites Wellness Mama and She knows.com that explain a little.

above is a visual difference of the 2 sugars.  SUCANAT and RAW HONEY.  sucanat, or raw cane sugar, is a bit like light brown sugar in taste and can be found most anywhere, but regular white sugar will do. NOTE...it must be a true sugar...not a sugar substitute.  most of the sugar gets eaten up in the fermenting process so don't be worried about drinking a sugary beverage.

PROBIOTIC LEMONADE
recipe and info found at Food Renegade
AND many thanks to Tamatha at  FLOCK IN THE CITY for answering my novice questions.

12 lemons...(you'll need about 2 cups juice)
3/4 cups raw honey or sucanat or pure cane sugar
1 cup whey
1 gallon filtered water

the recipe calls for sucanat, but i wanted to try raw honey.  honey is not a suggested means of sugar due to the possible problem with bacteria.  use at your discretion.  i did not know this until after the fact....but, shhhh...i liked the honey better and i'm still alive.

first you will need some whey.  EASY.  strain some "live active" yogurt.  save the liquid whey and enjoy the "Greek Yogurt".

combine all ingredients in a LARGE gallon jar with lid.  stir to dissolve sugar.  cover tightly with a lid and let this sit out on the counter for 2 to 3 days...maybe even 5 if you want some fizz.  note...i am not the food fermenting expert and conditions might be different where you live, but here in So Cal. i left the honey one out for 5 1/2 days and it was "effervescently" delicious.

the honey one has a slight fizz on the tongue and a slightly "more unique?" flavor.  i have to say....it had a slight "lite beer" aroma.  maybe because it was on the counter for 5 days.  the sucanat one was on the counter for 3 days and had no fizz, but a lovely, bright, crisp lemonade flavor.  i don't like sweet drinks and i never drink plain juice, BUT these 2 batches were just right.  i tested a bit out on friends, but i have surprisingly been gulping the rest down myself.
i read this should be consumed within a week, BUT i also read it will last for a month.  i don't really know the exact expiration.

strain your favorite yogurt.  it must contain "live active" cultures.  above is my contraption using muslin, the inside of an OXO salad spinner, and a stock pot to catch the whey.
sterilize your jar.  clean with anti-bacterial soap, then put in the oven for 20 minutes at 220F.  cool completely before filling.
KEEP EVERYTHING AS CLEAN AS POSSIBLE.
juice 12 lemons...strain seeds and pulp.
fill gallon jar and close lid.  wait 2 to 3 days...
above is a photo of the one with honey after 5 days.  you can see the thin layer of bubbles that i suppose is showing the fermentation.

NOTE...if it's too tart add it to some sweetened tea or muddle some fresh berries.  throw in a sprig of rosemary, thyme, a cinnamon stick...how about adding a split vanilla bean pod to the finished product.

11 comments:

Patricia @ ButterYum said...

Wow - that opening photo is stunning!

Jules and Ruby said...

hi Patricia...thanks so much. really really appreciate it...

Samantha said...

I love you. OK that came off creepy. This is giving me another use for that fermenting jar I bought that the hubby said I will NEVER use. So what I made raw kraut once 2 years ago... Now I'm going to make some fermented lemonade. I wonder when alcohol will start forming... If ANYONE is going to make a moonshine mistake it'd be me... "Honestly officer it's supposed to be healthy not booze!" Thanks again!

Jules and Ruby said...

hi Samantha ! you're hilarious !!! i bet hubby will be drinking this "hooch" and lovin' it...no more jokes about the jars!...i HOPE there's no alcohol, but i researched it the best i could and found that you'd have to drink 3 gallons at once to maybe equal 1 light beer...and i read it is "kid friendly". i think it would have to ferment for a much longer time.
i'm making another batch starting tomorrow, BUT i have some homemade ginger ale fermenting in bottles right now. hope they don't explode!

top probiotics said...

I am used to saying that one of my best probiotic supplements is a smoothie. I didn't really think it would be great in a lemonade. Thanks for this wonderful idea.

Jules and Ruby said...

hi top probiotics....thanks for checking this out...i just like passing on something great that i find. please DO try it AND check out the links to the originals for more info...jules

Social Check said...

Blog is very nice found some good stuff and good information here! I enjoyed reading this post. My doctor suggested consuming Pro Biotic diet. please suggest me some good diet.

Jules and Ruby said...

hi social check. i'm not the expert on probiotic diets, so i wouldn't be the one to ask...eat a lot of yogurt? best to consult the doctor on this one...have a great week

Anonymous said...

Hi Jules!

This looks lovely. Wondered though if there is a way to make this without the whey ... ('pun'/rhyme not intended!!)
I'm not vegan, but must admit that although I like yoghurt, I can't quite stomach the idea of adding whey to fruit juice.

It looks lovely, though! Maybe I'll be brave someday ...

Cheers

Nata

Jules and Ruby said...

hi Nata...i bet there is a "whey"...sorry...to make this with out the whey. there was some chat about it in the original bloggers comments. go to the links that i put in the beginning the the recipe. Tamatha was very helpful with my questions and she might have an answer for you. thanks so much for the comment and i'd love to know what you come up with. BTW (whey)...sorry again...you can't even tell there is anything yogurt or dairy related in the drink

Thia aka:pixx said...

You did fine using honey. Honey + water + time = Mead. No whey needed. :)

I honestly get frustrated by all the folks claiming honey can not be used for fermenting. Don't listen to them! It ferments just fine. I've fermented with it for years. Yes, if raw, it has it's own bacteria. So does any raw food!

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