Violet Beauregarde
Fall is settling in, and the equinox snuck up on me and was gone before I barely noticed it. That means that temperatures have been a little lower lately. Hallelujah! For tibicos, that means that the fizz is settling down. My last few batches have required a little bit more time in their secondary fermentation to build up the same amount of bubbles, now that my kitchen is not 100 degrees!
Meanwhile, I’ve developed a soda hommage to Sunday morning blueberry pancakes. Blueberry Brew: sweetened with maple syrup. Mmmm! If you’ve been following my recipes, this one might look familiar to you, because it’s the same form I’ve been following for any simple tibicos fruit ferment:
Combine in a glass jar:
4 c water
1 generous handful of dried blueberries
1/4 c maple syrup.
1/4c tibicos (water kefir) grains
Mix. Cover your jar with a towel so the culture can breathe, but so flies can’t get in. Let it sit for about two days, stirring a couple times a day if you think of it. Warmer temps will make it ferment faster: it’s ready when the taste is sour enough for you. The brew should bubble when you stir. If it tastes ready to you, bottle it in an airtight bottle. Leave the bottle at room temperature for a day or so: bottling will allow the brew to build up bubbles. If you keep it bottled for too long at room temp, beware of explosions!
Here’s the Blueberry Brew. What a satisfying color!
Brooklyn Alewife 