Welcome back to the laboratory. Okay, fine, the kitchen. But when there's a big canner on the stove and a bottle of bubbling red something in my hand, "laboratory" feels more accurate.
Here's how the day went. I was deep in the preserving zone, jars lined up, the canner sitting behind me doing its important work, and I thought: you know what this situation needs? Quality control.
So I popped open a bottle of my tart cherry soda.
LOOK AT THAT FIZZ.
That deep, dark garnet red, with a foam head rising like the bottle was personally thrilled to see me. (Pardon the blur. I was in a hurry to get to the fizz.) And the recipe is almost embarrassing: tart cherry juice and my ginger bug. That's it. Two things. No fancy equipment, no secret ingredient, just a wild little culture on my counter doing all the work. She is, once again, nameless, and once again, I am not worthy of her.
Can we talk about what a moment this was? I was putting up food for winter with one hand and sipping something I made with the other. Past me made the soda. Present me drank the soda. Future me will open a jar from that canner and thank present me, who is currently too busy to be thanked. I was a one-woman homestead assembly line with a beverage, and I have never felt more capable.
(Yes, I burp my bottles. Pressure builds. Respect the fizz.)
Want to make your own? The how-to is right here. And my ginger bug is still waiting on a name. Email me your ideas at [email protected].
Now, if you'll excuse me, that canner isn't going to watch itself, and this bottle isn't going to finish itself either.
— Granny
📸 real photo
