As a family, we really enjoy a refreshing drink of homemade
ginger beer on a hot summer's day. We like to make
it using the plant method, which takes a
bit more planning, but it is well worth it.
How to Grow the Plant
Put the following ingredients in a large jar:- 8 sultanas
- Juice of 2 lemons
- 1 tsp lemon pulp
- 4 tsp sugar
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- 2 cups cold water
Shake and leave for 2-3 days to ferment. Then, each day for a week, add:
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- 4 tsp sugar
At the end of the week, your plant will be ready to use to make some ginger beer!
Making up the Ginger Beer
Ingredients4 cups sugar
4 cups boiling water
Juice of 4 lemons
Ginger beer plant (see above)
28 cups (7 litres) water
Stir together the sugar and boiling water until the sugar is dissolved. Add the lemon juice. Strain the ginger beer plant through a clean cloth and add liquid to the sugar water. Finally, add the 28 cups water and pour into bottles. Leave the bottles for three days before drinking to allow the bubbles to form.
* To reuse your ginger beer plant, take half of the ginger beer plant solids that you strained out and put into a jar with 2 cups cold water and feed daily with 2 tsp ground ginger and 4 tsp sugar. Feed for a week before using again.
God Bless,
Homemade ginger beer, ginger beer plant, ginger beer, how to make ginger beer, DIY ginger beer, summer drinks, fermented drinks, beverages, gifts from the kitchen.
2 comments
this might be just what I need for Christmas gifts - i'm not a diy person - what is a plant and do I cap the bottles while they are fermenting? and where do i get the bottles. helpless in CA...next to you at ww. (:
ReplyDeleteHi Sue
DeleteGreat to hear that you are interested in making some ginger beer. A ginger beer plant is simply the fermenting natural yeast that gives the ginger beer all its bubbles. Don't worry, I have used the above recipe to grow a ginger beer plant numerous times and it is very easy. I have always capped the bottles when they were fermenting, but I know others who leave the bottles uncapped. Some people worry that the pressure might build up and the bottles might explode. I have not had this happen, but if you are concerned you can simply refrigerate the bottles and the pressure (aka bubbles) will build up much more slowly. It's up to you. As for bottles, we normally use recycled apple cider bottles. If you would like to buy the bottles, the ones at this link look quite nice: https://www.amazon.com/Bormioli-Stopper-12-Inch-Beverages-Vinegar/dp/B01CUJQTPI/ref=sr_1_9?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1476341475&sr=1-9&keywords=glass+bottles.
You could also use plastic bottles, which might help with pressure build up if you are worried about that. Plastic bottle would also be lighter, if you need to post any of the bottles. Your choice.
Kind regards