Making Wild Herbal Sodas
In 2021 I offered 3 online classes, hosted by the wonderful River Valley Coop. They recently shared with me the recordings of these classes so I’ll be posting them here on my blog throughout the year as they’re seasonally relevant!
The second of the series was this class, “Making Wild Herbal Sodas”.
Please enjoy the class video below and the accompanying text, which is the handout class participants received!
Making Wild Herbal Sodas
Wild Sodas are a fun and easy way to make living, medicinal, naturally probiotic beverages that are made by wild fermentation- we don’t add any yeast- the wild yeast on the flowers and yeasts in the raw honey are what cause the fermentation! They can be made with 100% local ingredients, making them a wonderful example of “localvore medicine” that reflects the true terroir of the land and has a super small carbon footprint. I mostly make them in the warmer months, but they can be made year-round. They can be made purely for taste preferences and pleasure, or the herbs can be selected based on desired medicinal effects- the choice is yours! Below I’ve shared the two methods of wild sodas that work best for me (although there are definitely other methods out there!). I share some of my favorite herbs for wild-soda-making and their medicinal actions as well!
Violet and Dandelion flower wild soda
I turn towards Wild Sodas heavily in the warmer months and often drink them in place of tea or for a refreshing afternoon drink when I want something tasty and don’t want to turn to caffeine. Taste-wise they are very similar to kombucha- effervescent, sweet, and a little sour. When I drink them, I almost always garnish with flowers for what I consider to be a fairy cocktail and the effect of just looking at this gorgeousness while you sip on it is deeply healing and grounding- it’s beauty medicine. I especially love using aromatic flowers so I can get a sweet inhale of their aroma as I sip!
I also love adding tinctures and elixirs to wild sodas for a fermented “mocktail” or you could add a splash of an herbal vinegar or oxymel too! For instance, you could add some Wild Rose Cordial to your Wild Rose Soda for an extra kick, and so on. I don’t generally dilute them with sparkling water as I feel that this is a beverage that easily stands on its own. I consider a medicinal dose to be 1 cup and as far as I can tell there’s really no limit to how much of these you could consume in a day, as they’re very gentle, however I tend to treat them like I do most fermented things and don’t overdo it and generally keep it to a few cups/day.
Making Wild Soda with Fresh Herbs
Ingredients:
12 tbsp fresh herb of choice (you can also add organic or wild fruit for added flavor and yeast or even use a bit less plant material if you’d like)
1⁄2 c Raw Honey
1⁄2 gallon un-chlorinated Water (spring/well water best)
Method 1: Hot Water Infusion
Put your herbs in a half-gallon mason jar and fill the jar with boiling water. You can put a lid loosely on at this point to prevent volatile oils from escaping while it steeps. When it has cooled completely, 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. Cover with cheesecloth or a bandana or thin cloth so it can still breathe but bugs can’t get in, like fruit flies. This method arguably creates a more medicinal brew that the cold water infusion method below because you are essentially making a tea, which will broadly extract the active plant constituents.
Now you wait for it to start fermenting! It’s important to stir it a few times a day 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 ambient temperature. Once it starts bubbling, I usually let it ferment for another 24-48 hours, being sure to still stir it. It’s best to taste it a little bit every day (using a clean spoon each time) once it starts fermenting as a litmus test for when it’s time to strain- you want it to taste sparkling and effervescent before you strain it. When you feel it’s ready strain out the herbs, cap the jar, 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. A nice trick is to put some of your strained wild soda in a small jar as a tester for the fizz factor as you can test it for fizziness without losing the carbonation in the big jar each time to test it. Store in the fridge where it will last for at least 3 months and likely longer- I just usually drink it by then!
A few years ago one of my students, Laura Dusty, made this gorgeous illustration of the process of making Wild Sodas with fresh herbs using the cold infused method!
Violet flower (Viola sororia) wild soda garnished with fresh Wild Rose (Rosa multiflora) blossoms
Method 2: Cold Water Infusion
Put your herbs in a half-gallon mason jar and fill the jar with cold or room-temperature water. 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. Cover with cheesecloth or a bandana or thin cloth so it can still breathe but bugs can’t get in, like fruit flies. This method arguably creates a less medicinal brew that the hot water infusion method above because you aren’t making a tea- the process mainly pulls-out volatile oils, which are of course medicinal, but things like minerals and alkaloids are likely not going to be in the finished wild soda. That being said, this is still my favorite method!
Now you wait for it to start fermenting! It’s important to stir it a few times a day 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 ambient temperature. Once it starts bubbling, I usually let it ferment for another 24-48 hours, being sure to still stir it. It’s best to taste it a little bit every day (using a clean spoon each time) once it starts fermenting as a litmus test for when it’s time to strain- you want it to taste sparkling and effervescent before you strain it. When you feel it’s ready strain out the herbs, cap the jar, 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. A nice trick is to put some of your strained wild soda in a small jar as a tester for the fizz factor as you can test it for fizziness without losing the carbonation in the big jar each time to test it. Store in the fridge where it will last for at least 3 months and likely longer- I just usually drink it by then!
Making Wild Sodas with Dried Herbs
Making Wild Soda with dried Elderberry
Ingredients:
4 tbsp of dried herb (you can also add dried or fresh fruit for extra flavor)
1⁄2 c Raw Honey
1⁄2 gallon un-chlorinated Water (spring/well water best)
Directions:
This is essentially the hot water method described above. Put your herbs in a half-gallon mason jar and fill the jar with boiling water. You can put a lid loosely on at this point to prevent volatile oils from escaping while it steeps. When it has cooled completely, 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. Cover with cheesecloth or a bandana or thin cloth so it can still breathe but bugs can’t get in, like fruit flies. This method arguably creates a more medicinal brew that the cold water infusion method above (made with fresh herbs) because you are essentially making a tea, which will broadly extract the active plant constituents.
Now you wait for it to start fermenting! It’s important to stir it a few times a day 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 ambient temperature. Once it starts bubbling, I usually let it ferment for another 24-48 hours, being sure to still stir it. It’s best to taste it a little bit every day (using a clean spoon each time) once it starts fermenting as a litmus test for when it’s time to strain- you want it to taste sparkling and effervescent before you strain it. When you feel it’s ready strain out the herbs, cap the jar, 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. A nice trick is to put some of your strained wild soda in a small jar as a tester for the fizz factor as you can test it for fizziness without losing the carbonation in the big jar each time to test it. Store in the fridge where it will last for at least 3 months and likely longer- I just usually drink it by then!
Recipes
I make Wild Sodas the same way I cook- I rarely follow a recipe and things never come-out quite the same way twice! I encourage you to approach wild sodas similarly. These recipes are meant to get you started. The water: honey ratio should always be followed but you can play around with herbal amounts to your liking! It’s fine to use a combo of fresh and dried herb too. Experiment and keep notes as you develop your favorite combinations. Keeping a kitchen journal of your fermentation adventures is highly recommended!
Some herbs I commonly make into wild sodas include Wild Rose & Rose, Dandelion Flower, Lemon Balm, Anise Hyssop (Agastache foeniculum), Lemongrass, Lemon Verbena, Elderberry, Elder flower, Tulsi/Holy Basil, Black Locust Flower (Robinia pseudoacacia), Lilac flowers, Apple & Crab Apple blossoms, Peppermint, Linden, and Violet Flowers. Favorite fruits include Blueberry and Strawberry. You can combine herbs for desired medicinal effects and flavor profiles. Aromatic herbs with lots of volatile/essential oils make great wild sodas, as do fruits and flowers.
The beginning of Beltane Wild Soda with Violet, Dandelion & Apple Blossoms
I most often make them as “simples” aka with just one herb, but here are some flavor combinations I love and a few recipes:
-Elderberry & Tulsi
-Blueberry & Anise Hyssop
-Lemon Verbena & Tulsi
-Lavender Fl & Sage Lf
-Elder Flower & Rose
-Violet & Dandelion Fl
Summer Soother Soda
Mint (spearmint or peppermint) 1 part
Hibiscus Fl 1/2 part
Immune-Boosting Soda
Elderberry 1 part
Tulsi 1 part
Ginger ¼ part
Good Mood Soda
Lemon Balm 1 part
Tulsi 1 part
Rose 1/2 part
Chill & Relax Soda
Elder Flower 1 part
Rose Petals 1 part
Lemon Love Soda
Lemon Balm 1 part
Lemon Verbena 1 part
Lemongrass ½ part
Beltane Soda
Equal parts: Dandelion flowers, Violet flowers & Apple or Crab apple blossoms
The possibilities are endless- feel free to craft your own recipes!
