Pine Needle Soda
Pine needle soda is a naturally fermented drink with foraged ingredients, also called pine needle sprite. It's light, bright, and refreshing! This recipe makes one 16 oz bottle.
Servings 2 servings
Calories 64kcal
Ingredients
- 1 cup pine needles
- 1 ½ cup filtered water
- 2 tablespoons raw honey or sugar
- lemon, lime, or orange slices optional for garnish
Instructions
- If the pine needles are dirty, gently rinse them in cool water.
- Put the pine needles into a 16 ounce flip top bottle.
- Add the honey and filtered water to the bottle using a small funnel if necessary. Leave 1-2 inches of headspace at the top.
- Close the lid and shake the bottle a bit to distribute the honey.
- Put the bottle in a warm (not too hot or too cold) place to ferment - a kitchen counter usually works great.
- The soda should start fermenting and producing carbonation after 2-3 days. Be careful opening the bottle as it could have a lot of bubbles! Don’t let the bottles sit longer than 3 days without opening so that the pressure doesn’t build up too much.
- Strain the soda with a fine mesh sieve and serve over ice with a lemon, lime or orange slice for garnish.
Video
Notes
- Any edible conifer needles such as pine, fir, or spruce can be used for making this soda.
- Be sure to properly identify the tree before using. Yew trees are highly toxic and should not be used.
- Whole pine needle bundles with a small bit of the branch still intact seemed to ferment better and quicker than cut pine needles, but feel free to experiment and see what works best for you.
- Burping the bottles is not necessary unless you want to ferment them longer than 3 days – if so, I would burp after 3 days.
Nutrition
Serving: 8ounces | Calories: 64kcal