Summer time ... and fermenting is easy!

finally fermented fizz!

Our kitchen has been a veritable hot-bed of bubbling fermentation bliss the last few weeks. And that's because summer is the perfect time to start growing some serious bacteria! The weather, humidity and glut of public holidays are all very conducive to making ferments, so if you've never tried your hand at preserving food with the power of bacteria, there is no better time.
We've had milk kefir, water kefir, sourdough and (my favourite) rhubarb fizz on the go... and I have to admit I absolutely adore coming home to a warm house full of the heady scents of yeasty fermentation!
Rhubarb fizz has been particularly popular due to the warmer days - a not-too-sweet soda pop with a musky rhubarb flavour - and who could go past the fact that it turns out prettiest pink? We've been making it is small batches because it ferments quickly and if you leave it too long it will keep right on fermenting to the point where it has been known to explode!

fizz, ready to ferment!

Rhubarb Fizz

You will need...

2 fat stalks rhubarb
1 cup raw sugar
2.25 litres water
1 lemon
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
5 grolsch bottles

Method...

Chop rhubarb and lemon (peel and all!) into rough chunks. Place in a large, sterilised liddable pot or basin with all other ingredients. Stir a few times, cover with lid and leave to soak for 48 hours. Strain the mixture using a sieve, and fill sterilised bottles, leaving a 4cm gap at the top of each bottle.
Store bottles at room temperature for 4 days. Its now ready to drink - but don't wait too long to polish your batch off because this stuff gets fizzier daily and bottles have been known to explode.