The ancient cultures, Hebrews, Greeks, Romans and the like, used to mix wine into their tepid water to try to kill any bacteria or other living organisms in the water. Reports from Ancient texts show that this could be anywhere from 20 parts water to one part wine to as little as 3 parts to one.
Because the quality was poor and because in the Greco-Roman period people began enjoying sickeningly sweet wines, honey was often added. Illustrates Augustine regarding the Holy Trinity, “…one drink is made from wine and water and honey, and each single part extends through the whole, and yet they are three things…there is no part of the drink that does not contain these three things…”
In later periods, lemon and spices began to be introduced as the culinary arts developed, turning this old world survival mechanism into a new world treat. Please enjoy my contemporary version and adapt any way you like.
Heat a small amount of water to just warm enough to mix in the honey. Add it to a jar with the rest of the water. Let cool to room temperature.
Squeeze the lemon into the mixture.
Fill to a total of 1500 ml with the dry white wine-I used Sauvignon Blanc.
Get it good and cold in the fridge. Serve with a wedge of sweet lemon and, if you like, a sprig of mint.
Lavender not only classes lemonade up and gives it a smooth finish, it renders it’s soothing, stress-relieving properties to de-frazzle the nerves. This soft purply herb has a very strong flavor, so all you have to do is drop a bouquet of it into a jar of lemonade and it will infuse beautifully. If you don’t have access to fresh lavender, simply use one of those reusable tea bags, fill it with dried lavender, and place into the recipe.
Place all ingredients except lavender in a blender (you’ll get the smoothest results from a high-speed blender like a vita-mix). Blend on hight for 45-60 seconds. Pour into a pitcher or a 2-quart mason jar.
Use cooking twine to tie together the lavender. Drop into the lemonade & allow it to steep a few minutes before serving. The longer it steeps, the stronger the flavor gets. Once the lemonade is gone, you may tie up the lavender in cheese cloth (pictured below) and place it in the tub to bless the next bather with a soothing, fragrant bath.
Summer is upon us and peaches are everywhere you turn. Peaches are my daughter’s favorite fruit. We almost always enjoy a glass of water kefir in the morning I had this idea to make her a virgin Bellini. Traditional Bellinis are made from Champagne/Sparkling Wine and Peaches. This is a really refreshing, fun to serve beverage. Be sure to use the sweetest peaches that you can find to help balance out the tangy kefir. Using very cold kefir produces the best beverage.
Use an immersion blender or high powered blender like a VitaMix and puree the two peaches until they are very smooth.
Slowly pour the kefir into the peach puree and mix slowly with a spoon. Mixing quickly will produce more foam.
Carefully and slowly pour into a fluted glass (try not to create any more foam than you have to) and garnish with a slice of peach and a mint leaf.
*Only use if your peaches aren’t the sweetest and you need a little extra sweetness
Learn how to brew your own water kefir and make your own probiotic beverages at home!
This strawberry lemonade has a higher ratio of strawberries to lemons so I would not have to add as much honey to sweeten the drink up. For an added treat, use Meyer lemons for their special sweet and tart flavor.
Place the strawberries in a large pot. Add enough water to just barely cover the strawberries.
Boil the strawberries for 5 minutes or until the strawberries turn from red to pale pink.
Strain the berries out of the juice with a fine mesh strainer or a strainer lined with a coffee filter.
Add the berry juice and lemon juice to a large pot.
Add the honey. When adding the honey start off with a smaller amount and taste your juice before adding more keeping in mind that you are tasting concentrate.
Bring the concentrate to a boil.
Add the juice to hot, sterile jars leaving ¼” headspace.
Place lids that have been simmering in hot water on the jars. Screw on the second part of lid.
Process for 15 minutes in a boiling water canner.
Serve cold and diluted with 1 part water 1 part juice.
Rhubarb is one of my favorite spring vegetables with its pretty pink stalks and tart flavor. To preserve that wonderful flavor all year long, I usually make a rhubarb nectar that can be drank in place of lemonade or added to yogurt for a quick and refreshing drink. Be sure to use safe canning pracites when canning this recipe.
Zest the lemons and oranges. Juice the lemons and oranges.
Place the zest, fruit juice, and rhubarb to a pot.
Add enough water to barely cover the rhubarb.
Boil the rhubarb on medium high heat until the rhubarb is very soft and falling apart when picked up with a spoon, about 30 minutes.
Strain the rhubarb and zest.
Place the rhubarb nectar back in the pot and add the honey.
Bring the nectar to a boil
Place the rhubarb nectar is hot, sterile jars leaving ¼” headspace.
Add lids to the jars that have been sitting in a pot of hit simmering water. Add the second piece of the lid and tighten the lids.
Process in a boiling water canner for 15 minutes.
To serve, use 1 part nectar to 4 parts water.
I make these wonderful smoothie enhancers when my spring and fall garden is filled to the brim with mild green lettuces, broccoli raab, fennel fonds, and spinach.
Place the greens and water in a blender, food processor, or in a wide mouth mason jar for an immersion blender.
Finely chop the greens with your choice appliance.
Fill the ice cube tray with greens. Add any excess water to the green filled cubes. Adding the excess water will allow you to remove the green cubes easier from the ice cube tray.
Freeze over-night.
Remove the green cubes from the ice cube tray and move to an air tight container in the freezer or toss in any smoothie that you want to add extra flavor and vitamins to.
Just in time for the hot days of summer, here is a simple way to make a quantity of “Sun Tea” to enjoy! Peppermint is particularly refreshing and has many health benefits.
Pour the water into a clear glass jar.
Place the peppermint in a small muslin bag or a square of muslin, and tie it shut.
Put the bag of peppermint into the water and cover the jar.
Set the jar outside in the sunlight and leave it there for 4 or 5 hours, depending on how concentrated you wish it to be.
Remove the peppermint packet and pour your tea into a container to keep in the refrigerator. Add 1/8 teaspoon stevia and stir to dissolve. Refrigerate.
Serve over ice!
This is a recipe for naturally fermented mead, super easy and delicious!
In a one gallon glass jar mix together the water and the honey with a wooden spoon until the honey is dissolved. Add your optional fruit or berries and stir. Cover with a cheesecloth to keep bugs out and let it sit out in a warm place for 5-7 days, it should get really bubbly because the sweet water is attracting yeast from the air. Make sure you stir it with a wooden spoon at least twice a day! If it does start to grow mold, don’t despair! Just scoop it off the top.
Strain the fruit out and pour the mead into a one gallon jug and either seal it with an airlock/carboy (just a few dollars at a brewing store) or you can put a balloon over the top. Basically it needs to be able to let air out without letting air in. Let this sit for 2-4 weeks and then store in the fridge! So far I’ve tried strawberry, blackberry, and regular mead… all delicious!
This satisfies any chocolate craving without the use of dairy. It also makes a delicious ice cream when churned in an ice cream maker.
This recipe works best in a high-speed blender like a Vita-Mix, but you can use any blender. Place all ingredients in the blender and blend on high for 45-60 seconds. If you’d like it warm, blend it for 2 minutes.
Sweet, tart, simple, and satisfying. This recipe also makes great popsicles.
Blend all ingredients on high for 45-60 seconds.
Kombucha with a second ferment using cherries and vanilla. It’s an excellent replacement for Cherry Vanilla Coke but with all real ingredients.
In your quart mason jar (or upcycled glass jar), add cherries and vanilla. Pour kombucha over them right up to the rim of the jar. Cover tightly to build up carbonation. The cherries cause it too carbonate pretty fast so to avoid an exploding jar (it can happen), you might want to burp it once or twice a day. Let it set for about 2 days then strain off the fruit and transfer to flip top bottles. I love these bottles! You can either drink right away or let set for another day to rebuild carbonation. Move to the fridge to stop yeast and bacteria activity or drink up! Kombucha doesn’t last long in our house. I keep my kombucha on the counter in a cooler part of the kitchen because it seems to lose carbonation once you refrigerate it.
Learn how to brew kombucha by visiting my blog on the link above.
I love beet kvass, but getting my family to drink it is an ordeal. Beet Kvass is known for it’s medicinal qualities and also provides beneficial bacteria to the gut. This green smoothie is a great way to get it into them along with some greens. This smoothie is more like a juice as far as consistency and is completely dairy-free. I serve this type of smoothie alongside a nourishing egg breakfast. It is not filling enough to use as a meal replacement.
Rinse spinach well.
Blend water, kvass and spinach until thoroughly combined. This creates a smoother smoothie by blending the greens first.
Add the frozen berries, cinnamon and optional honey. Blend until smooth and frothy. Skim off the foam or allow to settle before drinking. I kinda like it, personally. 🙂