I Quit Sugar for Life (53 page)

6 pickling cucumbers (or 5 small, firm regular cucumbers)

4 dill fronds

2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed with the back of a knife

½ teaspoon fennel seeds, lightly smashed

1 teaspoon peppercorns

1 tablespoon sea salt

5 tablespoons whey (see
here
)

1½ cups (350 ml) water

Choose a wide-mouthed jar tall enough to fit the cucumbers with 3 cm to spare. Wash the cucumbers, chop 1 cm off both ends and submerge them in iced water for an hour. Put the
cucumbers in your chosen jar; leave whole or cut into spears if you’re struggling to get them to fit. Place the dill, garlic, fennel seeds and peppercorns in the jar. Combine the salt, whey
and water, stirring to dissolve the salt, then pour into the jar (topping with extra water if necessary to cover the cucumbers). The cucumbers will float as they ferment, so place a small ramekin
or saucer on top. Put on the lid and keep at room temperature (preferably 18–21°C – whack it in a cool laundry or bathroom if required) for about 3 days (longer if you like them
sour) before transferring to the fridge. They will last about 1 month before they go soft.

MAKES
CUPS (750 ML–1 LITRE)

1 medium cabbage, cored and shredded

1 tablespoon caraway seeds

1 tablespoon sea salt

5 tablespoons whey (see
here
) or an extra 1 tablespoon salt

Mix all the ingredients in a sturdy bowl and pound with a wooden mallet or meat hammer, or just squeeze with your hands (this is actually very soothing and meditative), for
about 10 minutes to release the juices. This takes a little work and some patience. Spoon into a Mason jar and, using the pounder or meat hammer, press down until the juices come to the top of the
cabbage and cover it. Cover tightly and keep at room temperature for about 3 days before transferring to the fridge where it will keep for several months.

MAKES
LITRES

Table sugar – yes! – is almost always used for making fermented sodas, but the fructose is ‘eaten up’ in the
process by yeast and bacteria, to create lactic acid and carbonation. Lactic acid is a probiotic that helps digestion, supports the immune system and hydrates cells.

Now, I was a little dubious about whether all of the sugar is used up in this process and did a lot of research into the matter. It seems that, after a
48-hour fermentation period, 80 per cent of the sugar has been gobbled up by the yeast and bacteria. Extrapolated, this means 25 g sugar is left in 2 litres of my gingerade. In 1 cup (250 ml) of
the stuff, it’s 3.1 g sugar, which is about ¾ teaspoon. If consumed with soda water (I find it works best half gingerade, half soda), then one large glass will contain less than
½ teaspoon sugar.

To cut things back further I tried out versions using a combo of sugar and rice malt syrup. Feel free to use no sugar at all and use a total of ¾ cup
(180 ml) of rice malt syrup instead. But bear in mind it will require a slightly longer fermentation period. All good. This recipe is the base for my Yule Mule Cocktail. Check it out, page
146.

6 cups (1.5 litres) water

½ cup (115 g) sugar

4 tablespoons rice malt syrup

1 cup (100 g) thinly sliced unpeeled fresh ginger grated zest and juice of 2 lemons

½ cup (125 ml) whey (see
here
)

Pour the water into a saucepan, then mix the sugar and syrup together and stir into the water. Bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Cool to room temperature, then add
the ginger, lemon zest and juice. (If you have a high-powered blender, trim the zest off the lemons and blitz, then trim away the pith and discard, along with any visible pips, then add the lemon
flesh to the blender and blitz again.) Transfer to a Mason jar and add the whey.

Stir well and leave to sit on the worktop, stirring occasionally, for 2–3 days in hot weather, longer in cooler climates, or until slightly bubbly and becoming tart.
Strain the gingerade into bottles. Allow to carbonate for another 2–3 days at room temperature, chill, then consume. If you’re not going to drink it straight away, keep it in the fridge
– it will keep fermenting, even in the cold, and last a week in the fridge before it goes vinegary. The longer it’s left to ferment, the tangier it will get.