Fall equinox herbal cider soda
I demonstrated making this cider soda at the annual Sacred Vibes Healing’s Spiritual Herbalism Conference, and participants were asking for the recipe so I decided to archive it on the blog!
The fall equinox is a time of harvest and creativity in the kitchen and apothecary that can have great benefits for bodymind and spirit. In this “recipe” we’ll go over how to make wild soda as the base for a delicious herbal mocktail. It incorporates fresh seasonal foods and flavor profiles that are accessible to me in the southeast US, but the herbs can easily be shifted to your region’s abundance.
Ginger is a potent antiviral plant when fresh, and enhances circulation throughout the body. Marigolds support us with connection through transition, whether that be seasonal changes or other kinds of change and loss. They have a slightly stimulating and peppery quality that aid digestion and enliven the mood. Apples are in the rose family and I find they offer the same heart healing properties we often associate with roses and hawthorns. Apple cider and lemon juice add vitamins (especially vitamin c), antioxidants, and support digestion and immune function.
Above: Chopped baby ginger and marigold blossoms
Marigold ginger wild soda - cold water method:
There are a few ways to ferment a wild soda. In this process, wild yeasts and sugar from local plants and raw honey make magic together, and you end up with a gut supporting beverage that's sweet, tart, sparkling, and gently infused with medicinal properties of plants!
Directions:
To a clean 1/2 gallon glass jar, add:
1/2 C fresh, unwashed and unsprayed marigold petals (can substitute with calendula or other seasonal edible flower)
1/2 C chopped fresh young ginger rhizome (can substitute with mature ginger from the store)
1/2 C raw honey
1/2 gallon filtered and dechlorinated water. Dechlorinate tap water by leaving it out overnight - the chlorine will evaporate.
Cover the opening of the jar with clean cloth or coffee filter and a rubber band. This way, the mixture is exposed to air but bugs are kept out.
Stir the mixture a couple times each day to make sure the fresh herbs are covered by water. Once it starts bubbling, ferment another 1-2 days, stirring and tasting daily. When it tastes carbonated, strain out the herbs. Then transfer to a glass flip-top bottle for carbonation.
In the flip top bottle, let carbonation build up 1-2 days (sometimes longer depending on your climate, but pop the top daily to release some pressure so your bottle doesn’t explode!). When it’s to your satisfaction, serve cold and garnished with fresh herbs and flowers! You can store your wild soda in the fridge for 3 months, that is if you don’t drink it all in the first week. I do find that the carbonation fades after storing in the fridge a while.
You can easily adapt this recipe to dried flowers, herbs and fruit. To do this, use 1/3 the amount of dried herbs.
Another method for brewing soda is to start with a hot infusion using all the same measurements. This method will create a stronger flavor (where the cold infusion brings out more delicate notes) and broadly draw out the medicinal properties of the plants just like an herbal tea. Prepare a hot infusion by pouring just-boiled water over the herbs. Let the infusion cool to room temperature before adding honey. Continue with the fermentation process as listed above.
To play with flavor notes, try combinations of fresh and dried herbs, or a combination of cold and hot infusions. You can also use different kinds of sugars and add culture starters to help your fermentation along.
Above: Glass flip-top carbonating bottle filled with soda, next to a mason jar of soda.
Equinox herbal cider soda:
Proportions for 1 herbal mocktail.
In a drinking glass, add:
Ice cubes, if using
1/2 oz lemon juice
2 oz apple cider
Marigold ginger wild soda to fill the glass
Stir gently with a spoon or cinnamon stick and enjoy the season’s harvest! It’s been a hard year, and we have many things to celebrate.
Save the date! Make Herbal Mocktails 11/1
Online and co-hosted by: Britni Austin of her[・b・]otanicals and Peregrine Bermas of Dirt & Free Herbal Arts
Find more info and registration here.
Learn more:
We Are What We Need: Intro to Fermentation (free resource zine!)
Pascal Baudar has a few great books about wild ferments, and the Noma Guide to Fermentation has regular use in my kitchen.