Elder Flower & Rose Wild Soda
I'm a big fan of wild sodas in the warmer months when I don't find myself as drawn to tea. They have a sweet, sour, and fizzy flavor similar to kombucha, which makes sense since they're both fermented and probiotic. Another cool thing about wild sodas is that they can be made with entirely local ingredients if you're using local honey! These can be made with lots of different herbs and some of my other favorite wild sodas to make include Dandelion fl, Violet fl, Lemon Balm, Mint, Lavender, and Tulsi. And fruit is a wonderful addition too! You can always combine herbs like I did in this one and if you don't have access to fresh Roses anymore you can make this with just the Elder Flowers and it will still come-out divine! Enjoy!
Elder Flower & Rose Wild Soda
Ingredients:
6 tbsp fresh Rose Petals- use Wild Rose (Rosa Multiflora), Beach Roses (Rosa rugosa), or fragrant garden Roses
6 tbsp fresh Elder flowers, stems removed
1/2 cup Raw Honey (preferably local)
1/2 Gallon un-chlorinated water (well/spring water best)
Double this recipe to make a gallon, pictured above
Instructions:
Put your Rose petals and Elder Flowers in a half-gallon mason jar and fill the jar with cold or room-temperature water. If you are on city water and you aren't sure if it's chlorinated, it's worth a call to the town as not all town water supplies are chlorinated. You can also leave your water out over night and the chlorine will evaporate, which is another way of dealing with chlorinated water. And well water or spring water also work great. Next, add the 1⁄2 cup raw honey and mix well. It’s ok if it doesn’t all dissolve right away if your honey is crystallized, as it will dissolve on its own in a day or two. Leave on the counter and cover with cheesecloth, bandana, or thin cloth so it can still breathe but bugs can’t get in, like fruit flies.
Now you wait for it to start fermenting! The wild yeasts found in the air, on your plant material, and in the raw honey are working now to turn the sugars in the honey into CO2 (this is what makes it fizzy) and ethyl alcohol, but this fermentation will be strained and refrigerated well before it reaches a high alcohol percentage (again, think of it like kombucha). It’s important to stir it a few times a day during this time and when it starts fizzing/bubbling when I stir it I know it’s started fermenting. Time to initial fermentation can be a few days to over a week depending on the temperature outside. Once it starts fermenting, I usually let it ferment for another 24-48 hours, and sometimes longer, continuing to stir a few times a day. It’s best to taste a little bit every day once it starts fermenting as a taste test for when it’s time to strain. I like it start to taste sparkling and effervescent before I strain. Then I strain out the herbs, cap it, and let it sit out at room temperature to build carbonation. This timing can vary, but often 24-48 hrs is a good amount of time to build-up good carbonation. Then I put it in the fridge where it will last for months.
Enjoying Your Wild Soda
I turn towards Wild Sodas heavily in the warmer months and often drink them in place of tea or for a refreshing afternoon drink when I want something tasty and don’t want to turn to caffeine. Taste-wise they are very similar to kombucha- effervescent, sweet, and a little sour. When I drink them, I almost always garnish with flowers for what I consider to be a fairy cocktail and the effect of just looking at this gorgeousness while you sip on it is deeply healing and grounding- it’s beauty medicine. I especially love using aromatic flowers so I can get a sweet inhale of their aroma as I sip!
I also love adding tinctures and elixirs to wild sodas for a fermented “mocktail” or you could add a splash of an herbal vinegar or oxymel too! For instance, you could add some Wild Rose Cordial to your Wild Rose Soda for an extra kick, and so on. I don’t generally dilute them with sparkling water as I feel that this is a beverage that easily stands on its own. I consider a medicinal dose to be 1 cup and as far as I can tell there’s really no limit to how much of these you could consume in a day, as they’re very gentle, however I tend to treat them like I do most fermented things and don’t overdo it and generally keep it to a few cups/day.
