I've learned so much about food through reading Nourishing Traditions this last month. I've learned the harm caused by eating refined sugar, and the benefits of enzyme rich kefir drinks which give our bodies the good bacteria they need to properly digest food, along with a storehouse of beneficial vitamins and minerals.This makes kefir a truly energising drink - one that leaves our bodies running more efficiently than if we didn't drink it.
Thanks to Sarah Walsh for sharing this recipe for kefir lemonade, along with some kefir grains to get me started. The taste is akin to a yeasty cider, so if you've joined Healthy August and want to give up coke or lemonade, here's a fizzy substitute for you.
Ingredients
- 4T whole sugar (eg. jaggery/rapadura)
- 3c filtered water
- 6T kefir grains
- 1 organic lemon (or one that has been thoroughly scrubbed and cleaned)
- 1T raisens
Method
Mix sugar and water together in a clean jar, shaking well to combine.
Rinse kefir grains in filtered water and tip into sugar water mixture. Scrub lemon, slice in half and add to jar, along with the raisens.
Replace lid on jar and leave in a warm place such as a hot water cupboard or pantry for 24-48 hours to ferment. You will know when the kefir lemonade is ready because the raisens will have all plumped up and risen to the top.
Strain liquid into a jug. Squeeze juice from the two lemon halves into liquid and store in the fridge. It's now ready to drink.
Caring for kefir grains
After making your kefir lemonade, your raisens and kefir grains will probably still be sitting in a sieve. Pick the raisens out and discard.
Rinse kefir grains under filtered water (to prevent yeast building up on the grains over time) and place in a clean jar with 2c water and 1-2T whole sugar. To keep the kefir grains healthy, change their sugar water once a week.
The neat thing about kefir grains is that they keep multiplying as you feed them water and whole sugar. I've already grown enough to be able to pass half onto another friend who likes kefir lemonade.
Kefir lemonade, interesting. I have not heard of it before. I know lemonade though, the kind my kids and I drink, ;). We actually love lemonade. I always have a pitcher plus 4 color-coded tumblers of freshly made lemonade in our fridge (almost everyday). I've tried quite a lot of lemonade recipes before, but this one I got to say is a bit new to me. I'd love to try it though.
ReplyDeleteI'd love to hear how yours turns out.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the kefir grains Emma! I added grated ginger after Andy (husband) decided that it would be better tasting more like the "normal" gingerbeer. Also added a little bit of molasses - but only add a very little bit (1 teaspoon at most) as it's very strong and makes it quite a dark colour. I'd be interested in making it with malt. A little trick we are trying out with our current batch is making it up in a large plastic soft drink bottle. Once all liquid and ingredients are in, squeeze bottle so liquid is up to the top, then put lid on. As the kefir makes the fiz, the bottle will expand and (hopefully) not explode. I'm hoping this will make the drink more fizzy.
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