Good For You: Soda

On my list of things that are good for you, soda doesn't usually make an appearance. But thanks to a recent post at A Moderate Life, it's going to appear on my healthy list a lot more around our house. No, I haven't become convinced that HFCS is suddenly wonderful. She shared a simple easy recipe for creating soda out of fruit juice - and not only does it work, it tastes great.

I know, you think maybe my taste buds must be a whole lot different than yours if I'm saying this tastes good... The one thing no one ever describes adequately about fermented foods is "What does it taste like?" I'll tell you: This soda tastes like whatever juice you make it from. None of the ingredients change the juice's flavor, so don't worry about that. The kids will like it, heck, my husband even liked it. I'm sipping on my orange-tangerine soda right now, and the closest thing I can compare it to (besides just the juice..) is a mimosa! The gentle carbonation adds a sophistication to this beverage; it really would be perfect to serve to company. This will be my choice for summer instead of the hot/iced tea I normally serve. It's soda, grown up.

I followed the proportions of the recipe but not the type of citrus. Here's my version:

8 organic oranges
6 organic tangerines
1c. granulated sugar
1 c. whey (drained from plain yogurt)
1 generous T zest from one of the tangerines

Juice the citrus. I threw the zest into the juicer too. Add sugar to the juice, stir to dissolve, add the whey & mix. Using a funnel, pour into two 32oz. bottles with wire-bail closures. Allow to sit at room temperature 48 hours. If no fizz has developed by this point, open the bottles and add more whey, I had to do this and I didn't measure the whey, just added til the liquid in the bottle rose almost a quarter inch. Rock the bottle gently to mix, let sit again.

When it's working, you'll see a layer of foam start to build at the top and it will get thicker as it sits. Refrigerate the bottles when the soda tastes right to you. Definitely open it in the sink; there could be a celebratory fountain of soda when you pop the seal.

This post is linked to Gnowflin's "Probiotics at Every Meal" series - check it out!