Summer weather is upon us in full force,(at least it is here in Pa) and it’s time to quench thirsty kids. I don’t know about you, but I find I want fizzy beverages every now and again, especially in the summer. I even want a drink other than water when it’s REALLY hot out. I suppose my body is craving something I can’t get from water. I find I can drink a lot more pro-biotic beverages in the kind of heat we are having currently. (think a.c. weather.) My kids drink non-stop, I feel like I need to hook them to a watering hole or something it’s insane. They too crave something more than water during the hottest spells of the summer.
Last summer I decided to try lacto-fermented lemonade, and boy was it yummy! That led me to get a bit creative and try a lacto -fermented limeade recipe that I came up with. I find limeade pairs well with certain foods and it has a subtle satisfaction that lemonade can’t quite quench. (though don’t get me wrong I adore lemonade, fermented is even better! I suppose it’s just a preference thing.) I tried it out on the kids and they approved as well! I find it reminds me of the taste of margarita mix just a bit, I suppose this recipe could be used to make some killer margaritas as well! (I may just have to give that a try this summer!)
Fizzy Ginger Limeade
Makes 1 gallon
Juice of 16 limes
1/2 cup grated ginger root (you will want a large hunk of ginger at least the size of your palm)
1 cup of sucanat, rapadura or organic cane sugar
1 cup whey
Place all ingredients in a gallon jar, add filtered water, leaving an inch of space at the top. Cover tightly and let sit on your kitchen counter for 2 days. Refrigerate and serve. This should be slightly fizzy and quite zingy.
Just as an aside, it’s very helpful if your limes are room temperature before squeezing them. They will yield more juice that way.
I usually always have some whey on hand, since I use it in my fermenting. It’s very simple to make, here’s how;
Whey
2 quarts organic plain whole milk yogurt, or raw milk
If you are using raw milk, you need to plan ahead, as it will take 1-4 days to let your milk separate. Place the milk in a glass container on the counter and allow it to stand at room temperature until it separates.
Line a large strainer set over a bowl with a clean dish towel. Pour in the yogurt, or the separated milk, whichever you are using. Cover and let stand at room temperature for several hours (the yogurt will take longer than the milk). The whey will run into the bowl and the milk solids will stay in the strainer. Tie up the towel, being careful not to squeeze. Tie this sack to a wooden spoon placed across the top of a tall container, like a pitcher so that more whey can drip out. When the bag stops dripping, the cheese is ready and you will have your whey in the bowl . Store the whey in a mason jar in the fridge. You should get about 2 cups of cream cheese from this process in addition to the whey. The whey will keep in the fridge for up to 6 months.
This post contributed to Fight Back Fridays and Fresh Bites Friday.
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ummhh……i have done this several times, and the cheese is too sour or bitter or “bright” to enjoy, does not taste like cream cheese. Any help? The whey turns out fine. Another question, how do they get whey powder when whey is like water?
novice fermenter
this looks great! can’t wait to try it!
We’ve made the yogurt cheese (labneh ?) and LOVE it – it does take some getting used to if you’re expecting it to taste like the name brand stuff, because it has a sour cream/cream cheese (meaning a bit more tart or tangy than store brand stuff). My kids love it on crackers and it’s a great snack for between meals.
Thanks for the post – we’re adding the ingredients to our shopping list for the limeade. Sounds tasty. Our kids love smoothies – would this be good in one ? How about as popsicles ? We make our own =)
regarding the whey, does it matter how fresh raw milk is?
also for the limeade, i’ve seen other recipes for lacto fermented soda that require heating the sugar water first-do you know reason for doing that versus your method?
Susan,
Doesn’t matter how fresh the milk is so long as it’s not spoiled completely – though it does take a few days to make whey sitting on the counter, so take that into consideration when using older milk to make whey, I think the whey would still be fine, but the cheese you get may not be as desireable. As for the heating in other recipes I am sure that is simply to dissolve the sugar more quickly and thoroughly. I have done it successfully without heating it, though there is nothing wrong with that method either. Hope that helps!
Never Never Never Say NEVER
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