Elder Flower & Rose Wild Soda — Milk & Honey Herbs

Elder Flower & Rose Wild SodaIngredients: 6 tbsp fresh Rose Petals- use Wild Rose (Rosa Multiflora), Beach Roses (Rosa rugosa), or fragrant garden Roses6 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 aboveInstructions: 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.