How to Make Wild Fermented Rhubarb Soda
What's so special about Rhubarb?
Aside from it's gorgeous colour and unique flavour, rhubarb has a rich history and tradition behind it, with some nutritional benefits thrown in for good measure.
Rhubarb has a long history, with roots in ancient Chinese medicine. It was also used in ancient Arab, Greek, and Roman civilizations.
During Islamic times, it was imported along the Silk Road, reaching Europe in the 14th century through the ports of Aleppo and Smyrna and later Russia, where it became known as "Turkish rhubarb".
When is Rhubarb in Season?
In the United Kingdom, the first rhubarb of the year is harvested by candlelight in forcing sheds where all other light is excluded, a practice that produces a sweeter, more tender stalk. These sheds are dotted around the "Rhubarb Triangle" in Yorkshire between Wakefield, Leeds, and Morley.
The other type of Rhubarb we get in the UK is known as Main Crop rhubarb, which is grown outdoors. It's stalks are deeper red and tinged with green, while its leaves are bright green. It has a more intense flavour and robust texture than the forced variety. It usually comes in mid to late spring and the season for field-grown plants lasts until the end of summer.
Nutritional Benefits of Rhubarb
Rhubarb is an excellent source of vitamin K, which is an essential vitamin for bone health and blood clotting. The vitamin A in rhubarb may also help to fight free radicals that cause skin damage and premature aging, keeping your skin looking healthy and youthful.
It’s also high in antioxidants, and many other important vitamins and minerals that provide a variety of health benefits.
The fiber in rhubarb helps keep things moving through your digestive tract, preventing problems such as constipation. It also contains compounds called sennosides, which act as natural laxatives. The tannins in rhubarb also provide anti-diarrheal effects.
How to Make Wild Fermented Rhubarb Soda
We're going to begin with our starter culture aka the mother.
Other fermented drinks have different starters, like Kombucha has a SCOBY, with Kefir, you have Kefir grains.
When it comes to my drinks, I like to make my own wild fermented starters from scratch using the fruit or vegetable that is the protagonist of the recipe, the main reason for this is I know where it comes from this way and I don't want to compromise the flavour by bringing in different microorganisms, plus it's super easy to do.
Rhubarb Starter
Ingredients & Equipment:
- A few stalks of fresh rhubarb
- A few tablespoons of Sugar (Raw Cane Sugar if possible)
- 500ml Water - Filtered if possible as to avoid chemicals in the water
- Kilner Jar or alternative jar that can be sealed airtight
- Grater
To make this we're going to take our water and add it to our sterilised kilner jar (or similar) and we're going to grate in a small amount of Rhubarb in there, about 30g or so, we'll add a tablespoon of sugar (raw cane sugar if possible).
We're going to seal this and leave it out a room temperature and we're going add the same amount of rhubarb and sugar to the mix daily until we start to see bubbles forming.
This length of time for this process can vary depending on temperature of the room, but expect it to take anywhere between 3 and 7 days. Rhubarb ferments quicker than other fruit and vegetables that I've used, so you may find that it's fizzy sooner rather than larer.
Fermented Blood Orange Soda
Ingredients to make 1 litre of soda:
- 35g Rhubarb Starter
- 160g Fresh Rhubarb
- 15g Lemon Juice
- 70g Sugar (Raw Cane Sugar if possible)
- 650g water (filtered water)
We're going to our wash our rhubarb and cut it into little pieces around 3 or 4 cm. We're going to add it to a small pot with 70g sugar and we're going to add our water to the pot and poach it on a medium heat for about 8 to 10 minutes. Ideally we want it so it maintains it's shape and doesn't turn to mush. It's not a big deal if it overcooks, it just means that when it comes to bottling, you may find mushy rhubarb in your drink.
Once that's fully cooled down, add 35g of our starter, squeeze in 15g of lemon juice and add it to our poached rhubarb and liquid. Put that mix in a freshly sterilised sealed container and leave it in the the fridge for 3 days or so till you see small bubbles forming.
Once it's there, strain it and transfer it to a sterilised bottle or bottles of your choice. I usually then refrigerate it at below 5°C and leave it for a day or 2 before checking to see if the secondary (in the bottle) fermentation has kicked in.
It will most likely last for about 4 weeks in the fridge.