I've been playing with lacto-fermentation.  

I have to say that the experiment has been  fun.   In fact, it's less an 'experiment' these days, and more a full-blown hobby.  I was a little intimidated at first.  I'd always heard stories of exploding bottles and flying glass, but I reigned in those fears and in the process learned to make a really yummy soda.

When I first heard the term 'lacto-fermented' I was a little suspicious.  Honestly, I'm not a fan of foods like sauerkraut or kimchi, which also use the technique.   However, my father used to make sour pickles in big stone crocks down in the cellar and I liked those.  So, I gave it a shot.

Lacto-fermentation occurs when friendly bacteria change the sugars and starches that are present in fruit and vegetables into lactic acid. The end product can be sour, spicy, tangy or sweet-tart like the strawberry soda pictured above.  But here's the best part:  You're drinking soda that is a living food, full of enzymes and probiotics.   It's good for you!

On page 89 of 'Nourishing Traditions', Sally Fallon says:

"The proliferation of lactobaccili in fermented vegetables enhances their digestibility and increases vitamin levels. These beneficial organisms produce numerous helpful enzymes as well as antibiotic and anti-carcinogenic substances. Their main by-product, lactic acid, not only keeps vegetables and fruits in a perfect state of preservation but also promotes the growth of healthy flora through out the intestine. 

I started off by watching a few youtube videos, then stopped  by Weston Price's pages on the process.  They were pretty much identical.  I checked a few more blogs and then dove in.  

I found out that I didn't need a lot of equipment.  Actually all I needed was a gallon  jar and some bottles and that was it.  That was  the real clincher for me to try it.  I like kitchen experiments  that don't require a lot of 'stuff'.  I don't want to invest a lot of ,money into equipment that I won't use again, if I don't like the final product.


I'm not going to go into it step by step.  There are tons of sites with the directions.  I started with a ginger bug (the 'mother'), then added fruit syrup, fermented it a few days and bottled it.  It was easy and fun.  And delicious.  After a few more flavors, I branched out and started making 'bugs' from other roots (some were more successful than others).  The flavors possibilities are endless (I'm brewing up a rhubarb-ginger  flavor right now).  And you don't have to worry that you're letting your kids drink something with a ton of processed sugar in it.  


It's actually healthy!