We are going to make fermented strawberry soda. I learned about lacto-fermentation from the lovely expat blog And Here We Are. Please take a peek at Ariana’s blog, it is one of my favorites. My daughter, Bethany, and I went out to pick strawberries on a beautiful May morning. My girls and I have been going to the Wilsdorf Berry Patch for years. We have many very happy memories of picking strawberries together and look forward to this annual outing.
This strawberry patch was started as a high school FFA (Future Farmers of America) project by mother and daughter team, Debbie and Laura. Laura has since graduated from high school and now college.
Debbie continued the business on her own. We were sad to learn that this will be Debbie’s last year. She loves seeing parents bringing their kids to pick berries and feels it is important to teach children where food actually comes from.
Debbie said the season would be short this year and the crop small. The strawberries we found were amazing!
Beautiful berries!
We took them home and cleaned them up.
We followed the directions to make strawberry soda from Ariana’s blog post which describes blackberry soda. We just substituted strawberries for blackberries. Please click through to find out all of the details. All it takes is fruit, a natural sugar, whey, and water…as well as patience.
Tips for Making Strawberry Soda Pop
Whey
I used whey for the culture of Lactobacillus bacteria to create the fizz. Whey is a super food and there is more information about it at Livestrong. Whey is the liquid found on the top of yogurt; and it can just be scooped off the top. It can also be gathered by placing a cup or two of greek or regular yogurt in cheese cloth or coffee filter placed in strainer. The whey will drip off. I used a cheese cloth so I could squeeze it out. The remaining yogurt is cream cheese. It is perfect for a dip or spread.
I also learned:
- Do not use water with chlorine! It will kill the culture.
- We used organic sugar but you can use a natural sugar such as honey.
- I purchased a 1/2 gallon demijon (also called a carboy or a jug) and an airlock from The Home Brewery in Ozark, MO. The jug that I purchased cost $3.50 and the airlock was a three piece plastic number for .95 cents. You also need a drilled stopper that fits the container that you use. But as Ariana mentioned you can use a balloon pricked with a few holes to cover the opening. I also looked for glass jugs in the fruit juice section of our local stores and found none, but that might be an option if you can find them.
Here’s the set up:
We had this out at room temperature for three days, then transferred it to a swing-top bottle. I couldn’t help but give it a taste and it was wonderful. It was like drinking a strawberry. The color is so pretty in the light and this photo is straight out of the camera.
Remember that the bacteria will continue to consume the sugar in the liquid so over time it will become more tart and develop some alchohol content.
Why making soda is important for kids:
First, this process is all science in action. If children have the opportunity to pick the fruit it teaches them how fruit is grown and where it comes from. Older kids can learn about lacto-fermentation. For more information check out this informative post. It shares many details about lacto-fermentation and is another recipe too. Making soda is an excellent and tasty science experiment.
It teaches patience as we wait for the fermentation process to happen. Good things truly come to those who wait.
Home-made soda is much healthier than the chemical filled stuff at the store. If made at home, we know exactly what we’re drinking.
Time picking fruit with you family and working on this project together is an excellent way to make memories and connect with them. I think my family would agree that picking berries at the Wilsdorf Berry Patch is one of our favorite spring time memories.
Many thanks to Debbie for her example as a parent supporting and teaching her daughter, and for cultivating an amazing place to pick berries. The Wilsdorf Berry Patch will always be place our family remembers fondly.
Follow Creative Connections for Kids on:
