Dandelion Fizz
So you’re stuck at home. It’s the perfect time to learn something new, wouldn’t you say? How about home-made soda? Okay, so it’s not Dr Pepper, but it’s yours, made with your own two hands. How cool is that?
Today we’re making Dandelion Fizz. First, go out in your yard and pick some dandelions.
[image error]The recipe calls for two cups of blooms, and you’re going to want to clean the green off of the flowers. Trust me, you do not want ANY green; it will make the soda bitter and undrinkable.
The best way to do this is to take the bloom between your fingers, use your thumbnail to snap the green base of the bloom in half, then use the nail on your other thumb to cut the yellow away from the green.
After a while, you’ll have a bowl full of lovely yellow petals. (Since dandelions fade so quickly after picking, you may want to pick half at a time, clean them, then go back for the rest. The blooms get harder to clean the longer they sit.)
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When you’ve got the flowers all cleaned, bring the water to a boil, then pour the boiling water over the flowers in a primary fermenter (a big food-safe plastic container, or a stainless-steel pot).
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Let this stand twelve hours (overnight is good). Strain, then add sugar and sliced lemon. Heat just until sugar dissolves — it doesn’t need to boil. Bottle and let cool.
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I like to use a plastic bottle for this — not because it’s plastic, but because when the sides of the bottle get rigid, to where you can’t squeeze the bottle, that means the soda’s fizzy and ready to drink. Are you ready to try this? Here’s the recipe!
Dandelion Fizz. 5 cups dandelion flowers, cleaned, 4 1/2 quarts water, 4 cups sugar, 2 lemons, sliced with peel. Bring water to the boil. Pour over flowers in primary fermenter (I just boil the water in a 2 gallon stainless steel canning pot, then put the flowers in. Same diff.) Let stand twelve hours. Strain, then heat dandelion water gently with sugar and lemon. Heat just until sugar dissolves — do not boil. Bottle and let cool. Cap and store in a cool dry place three to four weeks. Then the fizz will be ready to drink, and should be stored in the fridge. Keeps three to four months.
