(from page 69 of Change of Heart - The Ecology of Nourishing Food By Kay Baxter and Bob Corker)

This is the time of year when we are looking for summer drinks and special occasion drinks, that are actually good us and our families. Discovering kefir sodas was a very special thing (actually a member of the Koanga Institute sent me the kefir grains to make these drinks with).

Kefir Sodas are another kind of fermented food, and they are very special because they taste delicious and everybody enjoys them. They are great for children who can learn to make the drinks themselves, and they are even great for children’s party treats. The more you let the fermentation process work out, the drier, the more fizzy, and the less sweet the drink will be.
 
Kefir soda is made by fermenting a mixture of the kefir water grains (they are not the same grains as milk kefir grains), water, something for flavouring such as a slice of lemon or a piece of fruit, a few berries, some leaves of lemon verbena etc., and something sweet for the crystals to feed on. I use honey, or home made fruit juice, eg ½ apple juice ½ water, but you can also use rapadura or some form of sugar.
 
We make our sodas in 2 litre glass jars with screw on lids, and when ready to bottle we use 2 litre Grolsch beer bottles with fliptop lids which are perfect for the job.

You will need:

• 2l glass jars with screw on lids
• 2 Tbsp soda kefir grains
• Some good quality water, filtered if necessary
• Some sweetener which becomes food for the kefir grain and will be used up in the fermentation process, to the extent you choose. I use fruit juice, rapadura or honey, they all  taste good. In 2 litres of soda I use around 2 heaped dstsp of honey, 1 cup fruit home made fruit juice, or 2 Tbsp of rapadura.  The amounts are flexible and you will find the balance that you prefer with a little trial an error.
• Something to flavour the soda with. I usually use the same thing every time, a few thin slices of fresh ginger (which we grow in our green house) and 1 lemon sliced thinly skin and all, or just the juice of 1 lemon. You could use any kind of fruit, but berries and feijoas are very good. Other ideas are elderflowers, lemon balm, lemon grass or lemon verbena, chamomile, mint and orange flowers… The list is endless - you can be very creative with kefir.

 
Put all ingredients into your 2 litre jar, put the lid on  tight, and leave in a warm place until you see bubbles around the top. In the Summer I leave the jar on the kitchen bench, in the Winter I put it into the hot water cupboard or beside the woodstove. It is ideal if it takes about 2-3 days to produce bubbles.

Once you have small bubbles, simply strain the liquid through a sieve to into your flip top bottle, and leave for 2 days before drinking. This will finish the process of turning the sugar into fizz and make it a delicious and super healthy drink. It is super healthy because of the range of bacteria and fungi that the kefir grains impart into the drink, which are very good for our entire digestive system.

Then you need to retrieve your kefir grains from the sieve, rinse them under the tap and begin your next jar of soda. Just as it is with all of these ‘living’ foods, the air temperature and season will affect the way they work so you have to tune in.

Placing your bottled sodas in the fridge will slow down the process of fermentation if that is what you need. 
These kefir soda crystals keep on multiplying, so you will be able to pass them around once you have more than you need.