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Farm Kitchen:  Anyone made ginger ale or rootbeer?  |
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summerbreeze
True Blue Farmgirl
277 Posts
Laura
WA
USA
277 Posts |
 Posted - Jun 21 2007 : 4:02:36 PM
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Someone told me homemade is so much better than store bought (as is true with most things). How hard is ginger ale and rootbeer to make? Does it take special equipment?
Laura
You only live once,if you do it right once is enough. |
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BarefootGoatGirl
True Blue Farmgirl
1495 Posts
Corrine
North Carolina
USA
1495 Posts |
Posted - Jun 21 2007 : 5:34:44 PM
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I've never tried root beer, but I have made both Ginger Ale and Ginger Beer from Sally Fallon's Nourishing Traditions Cookbook. I wasn't very fond of the Ginger Ale, but we all loved the Ginger Beer. It takes a huge bowl or jug with a lid and bottles with corks or wire held stoppers. It takes 28 days to brew, but is totaly worth it. A word of warning though...be very cautious when opening the stoppered bottles, they will explode like champaigne unless you tilt the bottle and ease up on the wire VERY slowly. I kind of start pouring the beer as I push up on the stopper so that all the foaming liquid is being poured into a large picture even before the bottle is compleatly open. The first time I opened a bottle I just popped the top and soaked my entire kitchen! It smelt like there had been a party!
Trina
If you would know Love, you must know pain too. -Hannah Hurnard |
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KarenP
True Blue Farmgirl
666 Posts
Karen
Chippewa Falls
Wisconsin
USA
666 Posts |
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KarenP
True Blue Farmgirl
666 Posts
Karen
Chippewa Falls
Wisconsin
USA
666 Posts |
Posted - Jun 21 2007 : 5:47:06 PM
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Laura and Corrine,
The book sounds interesting, I had to laugh, Corrine about the spray the kitchen comment from you too.
Laura, my husband makes home brewed beer from time to time, I just used his bottles and caps for the ginger ale.
KarenP
"Purest Spring Water in the World" |
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mikesgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
3659 Posts
Sherri
Elma
WA
USA
3659 Posts |
Posted - Jun 21 2007 : 6:15:14 PM
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| Ah.... brings back memories. I too have had my entire kitchen sprayed. My DH decided he was going to make wine, not long after we were married, and apparently, it was a bit more active than he anticipated. He kept saying, "I had a bubbler......." |
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Aunt Jenny
True Blue Farmgirl
11381 Posts
Jenny
middle of
Utah
USA
11381 Posts |
Posted - Jun 21 2007 : 6:26:32 PM
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I make homemade rootbeer all the time, but we use it fresh and don't bottle it.
We make it for family parties and like that..the recipe is:
(make it in a 5 gallon or so igloo drink cooler thing)
5 gallons water (start with 4 and then add the other gallon later
5 lb. sugar
5 lb dry ice
1 bottle rootbeer extract (you find it near the vanilla extract and stuff at the grocery store)
put the water, sugar and extract in the cooler and stir well. Add the dry ice and put the lid on loosely and let sit for 20 min or so..this makes the bubbles...then serve.
you can divide this recipe in half. 5gallons of rootbeer is ALOT.
Jenny in Utah
Inside me there is a skinny woman crying to get out...but I can usually shut her up with cookies
http://www.auntjennysworld.blogspot.com/ visit my little online shop at www.auntjenny.etsy.com |
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Runbikegrrl
True Blue Farmgirl
250 Posts
MaryAnn
Waterbury Ctr
VT
USA
250 Posts |
Posted - Jun 21 2007 : 6:35:49 PM
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Homemade rootbeer...that brings back memories. My mom use to always have a batch of rootbeer going...the bottles were in the basement under the stairs. Once in awhile one would explode...I remember having a friend over one time and one exploded and she let out a scream...probably thought it was a gun shot..LOL
"So many interests so little time!"
http://lovelifelivegrrl.blogspot.com/ |
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mikesgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
3659 Posts
Sherri
Elma
WA
USA
3659 Posts |
Posted - Jun 21 2007 : 6:42:43 PM
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| My dad used to store his in the bottom of a half dug well we had on our property. There's a topic for a forum - how dangerous, by today's standards, our childhoods must have been! |
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KarenP
True Blue Farmgirl
666 Posts
Karen
Chippewa Falls
Wisconsin
USA
666 Posts |
Posted - Jun 21 2007 : 6:48:55 PM
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Sherri, it's a wonder we made it to adulthood, no bike helmets, no knee pads, no car seats, barely a seat belt,no covers or shields on PTO shafts and home brewed ginger ale, root beer and the like.
I guess it's survival of the fittest...
KarenP
"Purest Spring Water in the World" |
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mom2knk
True Blue Farmgirl
321 Posts
Blanche
So Cal
321 Posts |
Posted - Jun 21 2007 : 8:06:30 PM
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| My dh made homemade rootbeer with the dks last summer. They had so much fun making it but they were very impatient about having to wait the 2 weeks for it to ferment before they could drink it. |
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MariaAZ
True Blue Farmgirl
203 Posts
Phoenix
AZ
203 Posts |
Posted - Jun 21 2007 : 9:28:25 PM
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I tried naturally carbonated rootbeer (ie using yeast to carbonate instead of CO2 gas or dry ice) and I didn't care for it. I make beer, which I like just fine  but the faint yeast flavor of the naturally carbonated rootbeer just didn't go down well.
Some day I want to get a CO2 setup for my home brewing. If I ever score one, I will make root beer again but THIS time "force carbonate" it (meaning using CO2 gas forced into the rootbeer to carbonate it.)
Visit my blog at www.craftyfool.net |
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Runbikegrrl
True Blue Farmgirl
250 Posts
MaryAnn
Waterbury Ctr
VT
USA
250 Posts |
Posted - Jun 22 2007 : 03:50:21 AM
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Now see how different tastes are...I love the yeasty taste of anything! Hummm... maybe that's why I am a breadacholic???
"So many interests so little time!"
http://lovelifelivegrrl.blogspot.com/ |
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BarefootGoatGirl
True Blue Farmgirl
1495 Posts
Corrine
North Carolina
USA
1495 Posts |
Posted - Jun 22 2007 : 12:10:32 PM
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Aunt Jenny...you actualy put the dry ice IN the mixture? I didn't think that was allowed. Somewhere I got the idea that that stuff was poision. Where do you get it?
If you would know Love, you must know pain too. -Hannah Hurnard |
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Aunt Jenny
True Blue Farmgirl
11381 Posts
Jenny
middle of
Utah
USA
11381 Posts |
Posted - Jun 22 2007 : 1:55:46 PM
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Nope...it is put in drinks all the time...makes that "fog" in halloween cauldrons full of punch too...I get it at walmart here. They sell it from up front..special freezer. They sell it at another grocery store in the next town too.
Jenny in Utah
Inside me there is a skinny woman crying to get out...but I can usually shut her up with cookies
http://www.auntjennysworld.blogspot.com/ visit my little online shop at www.auntjenny.etsy.com |
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BarefootGoatGirl
True Blue Farmgirl
1495 Posts
Corrine
North Carolina
USA
1495 Posts |
Posted - Jun 23 2007 : 07:00:14 AM
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Thanks, I think I'll try a batch of your root beer for the 4th! I'll probably use raw sugar, but the recipie sounds great! My family looks forward to tasting my latest experment(even if they all think I am a bit off).
Trina
If you would know Love, you must know pain too. -Hannah Hurnard |
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Aunt Jenny
True Blue Farmgirl
11381 Posts
Jenny
middle of
Utah
USA
11381 Posts |
Posted - Jun 23 2007 : 1:58:33 PM
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I use raw sugar often and it works great! It is SOOOO good..not quite as sharply carbonated tasting as bottled root beer..more like old fashioned A&W rootbeer used to be when I was a kid
Jenny in Utah
Inside me there is a skinny woman crying to get out...but I can usually shut her up with cookies
http://www.auntjennysworld.blogspot.com/ visit my little online shop at www.auntjenny.etsy.com |
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mommom
True Blue Farmgirl
854 Posts
Susan
Lancaster
Pennsylvania
USA
854 Posts |
Posted - Jun 24 2007 : 4:24:20 PM
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| I've had the privilege of tasting my Amish neighbors homemade rootbeer. At first I wasn't too sure about it. I thought it was a bit bitter. But, the more I drank it, the more I liked it! Mommom |
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summerbreeze
True Blue Farmgirl
277 Posts
Laura
WA
USA
277 Posts |
Posted - Jun 26 2007 : 12:01:25 PM
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Aunt Jenny,
I'm going to try your recipe on the 4th. Thank you for sharing. I have 5 books on hold at the library. I think I will give a try to making some. I think I have all the stuff I need.
Laura
You only live once,if you do it right once is enough. |
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Aunt Jenny
True Blue Farmgirl
11381 Posts
Jenny
middle of
Utah
USA
11381 Posts |
Posted - Jun 26 2007 : 1:53:28 PM
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We will be making some for sure on the 4th too. YUMMY!! And it goes great with the picnic foods..fried chicken (or maybe barbqued) potato salad, raw veggies and dip,good rolls, pickles and watermelon
Jenny in Utah
Inside me there is a skinny woman crying to get out...but I can usually shut her up with cookies
http://www.auntjennysworld.blogspot.com/ visit my little online shop at www.auntjenny.etsy.com |
Edited by - Aunt Jenny on Jun 26 2007 1:54:00 PM |
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Farm Kitchen: Anyone made ginger ale or rootbeer? |
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Anyone made ginger ale or rootbeer?
