Hey Cal, long time no see.
I have a CO2 cylinder carbonation setup here, and use it to make soda water by reusing the plastic bottles I used to buy it in. Then I just need the syrups to go with it. You can use regular good quality cordial like Schweppes, but I prefer to make them myself for freshness.
Orange is easy. Take a bag of oranges (about a dozen to a bag here), squeeze the juice out and throw it all into a saucepan with half a teaspoon of anhydrous citric acid and a cup of white sugar. Simmer on low heat until it reduces by about half, strain and bottle. Adding a couple of lemons and/or limes to the mix also improves the flavour.
The tonic water is a bit more complex, mainly because most of the ingredients aren't off-the-shelf items and need to be bought in decent quantities. But I'm a big fan of Bombay Sapphire and also tend to enjoy tonic alone as a refreshing summer drink. So, here's the recipe I used, from Marissa Stevens.
You can also make syrups out of the juice that comes with canned fruit, and pineapple is especially good.
Hmm those don’t look too scorpionlike I’m afraid.
I’ve not grown and chillies for a couple of years but last time was Bhut Jolokia (~1Mshu), Trinidad Scorpion (~1.2Mshu) and a perfume scorp (ie flavour but no heat). I’ve also grown Dorset Naga - almost orangey-pineapple citrusy flavour that makes a mean Szechwan noodles (~800K SHU).
If you hunt deer and make venison burgers then I can recommend a couple of slices of Trinidad scorp on top of the burger.
I forgot to say - if you can overwinter the plants then the next year’s crop is better.
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Haiku,
Thanks for that. It seems we have a similar means to make our drinks. The most common one around here is ginger beer.
Do you keep the seltzer and syrup separate mixing them only when served or do you premix?
Erythritol is my sweetener of choice as certain sugars don’t agree with me.
Thanks for that. It seems we have a similar means to make our drinks. The most common one around here is ginger beer.
Do you keep the seltzer and syrup separate mixing them only when served or do you premix?
Erythritol is my sweetener of choice as certain sugars don’t agree with me.
Yeah, I'm sort of worried it might be something else, but the plant was clearly labelled, and there is a spiky bit on the fruit so... Hoping I can get some good seeds out of it at least.
I don't hunt, but I do have some nice venison in the freezer. Thanks for the tip!
The plan was to get another season out of it, I will have to move the plant indoors any day now if I want more than a single ripe fruit.
Think I'll pickle some of the bigger chilies.
Pear and pineapple chilli sauce: Sweet Ghost Pepper-Pineapple-Pear Hot Sauce - Chili Pepper Madness
I have to cook mine outside in a camping stove as the mrs doesn’t do spicy. The pear & pineapple sauce is very good.
I also make a straight blitz blend of the fruits then freeze in an ice cube tray (actually small 1/2 spheres), then move to a larger bag once frozen. Then defrost when you want.
Fingers crossed for the scorps
You should get a sort of fold and the “sting” at the bottom.
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That's a great idea, I'll do the cube thing!
That sauce is intriguing as well.
In a couple days or so I will harvest that one fruit, poke my digit to the placenta and give it a lick to see how bad it is. I'm really hoping my tongue will melt just a little.
If it tastes good I'll keep it regardless, there's a few places I can get Habaneros but that's about the spiciest chili that can be had here.
That sauce is intriguing as well.
In a couple days or so I will harvest that one fruit, poke my digit to the placenta and give it a lick to see how bad it is. I'm really hoping my tongue will melt just a little.
If it tastes good I'll keep it regardless, there's a few places I can get Habaneros but that's about the spiciest chili that can be had here.
I'm surprised to say that I hadn't heard of it until right now. It's in Woolworths at $7.55 for four small bottles. Being a cheakskate I probably would still have bought Schweppes or generic anyhow.
I mix as I'm serving. That way I don't need numerous full-sized bottles of different flavo(u)rs in the fridge, which is already too small for me because of the long periods between shopping.
Edit: Here's a snapshot of my CO2 tank.
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Keeping the soda in the fridge makes the drink cold enough for me, but I do keep a tray of ice cubes in the freezer for those especially warm days.
I guess I'd use a keg too if I drank that much soda! Probably only use two litres a month these days, since I started taking anti-ageing supplements my sugar addiction seems to have dropped right off. And since you mentioned that you have a sugar issue, I can recommend Berberine, about 1mg a day. The stuff honestly saved my life, I think I must have had undiagnosed hyperglycemia and was feeling really awful most of the time for about 10 years.
If you're already taking Metformin they have a very similar effect, but that requires a prescription here which is just too inconvenient.
If you're already taking Metformin they have a very similar effect, but that requires a prescription here which is just too inconvenient.
TBH, the amount of fizz in my water is very low, just a tingle on the tongue. Something to hide the chlorine taste. Nothing that would win a belching contest, not even close. I don't really ever drink plain water, just my soda.
I have zero sugar addiction. My problem is digesting the larger molecule sugars. They like to abandon ship rather suddenly so I often use sugar substitutes to avoid unwanted sprinting practice.
I have zero sugar addiction. My problem is digesting the larger molecule sugars. They like to abandon ship rather suddenly so I often use sugar substitutes to avoid unwanted sprinting practice.
I am a member of a local Homebrew club. We normally would have two camp outs per year. We have not had one in two years due to Hurricanes and Covid.
This year the campground we had reserved had 11Ft of water in our spots due to a hurricane, so they cancelled.
We found another campground upstream where the river was wider which did not flood.
However it is nearly inaccessible for large RVs which several members own.
Several members decided we had enough and declared it a go.
I had previously volunteered to cook the Friday night meal with a proposed menu of Pastrami, Cowboy Beans and Pasta salad.
I now have 12# (about 5.5KG) of Corned Beef in the pot boiling. I will shut it down shortly, and in the morning I will fire up the smoker to smoke it for 7 hrs, then pack up and go to the camp site.
I have pasta salad and Cowboy beans to go with it.
I have two 5 gallon corney kegs of Hefeweissen and IPA ready to go along with a Jockey box.
My teardrop camper is cleaned out and I just have to put the mattress in it and load everything.
Pictures may follow if I can remember.
This year the campground we had reserved had 11Ft of water in our spots due to a hurricane, so they cancelled.
We found another campground upstream where the river was wider which did not flood.
However it is nearly inaccessible for large RVs which several members own.
Several members decided we had enough and declared it a go.
I had previously volunteered to cook the Friday night meal with a proposed menu of Pastrami, Cowboy Beans and Pasta salad.
I now have 12# (about 5.5KG) of Corned Beef in the pot boiling. I will shut it down shortly, and in the morning I will fire up the smoker to smoke it for 7 hrs, then pack up and go to the camp site.
I have pasta salad and Cowboy beans to go with it.
I have two 5 gallon corney kegs of Hefeweissen and IPA ready to go along with a Jockey box.
My teardrop camper is cleaned out and I just have to put the mattress in it and load everything.
Pictures may follow if I can remember.
Cal,
A friend in the local HBC told me about making "Hop Water".
5 gallons of water to a boil. Add 2 TBSP lemon juice to drop the pH. 16 grams of hops (noble like Halletauer, Saaz, etc), bring to a boil for 2 minutes, and then drop to 170F for 30 minutes. Knock out and chill. Carbonate and enjoy.
Great drink when you are thirsty and don't want alcohol.
A friend in the local HBC told me about making "Hop Water".
5 gallons of water to a boil. Add 2 TBSP lemon juice to drop the pH. 16 grams of hops (noble like Halletauer, Saaz, etc), bring to a boil for 2 minutes, and then drop to 170F for 30 minutes. Knock out and chill. Carbonate and enjoy.
Great drink when you are thirsty and don't want alcohol.
Six weeks ago I found a tick on my leg, it was likely there at least 24 hours, maybe twice that. Removed it, or most of it, and cleaned the bite thoroughly with soap and water then isopropyl alcohol. Three weeks later I very suddenly had an area of inflammation about 4" in diameter around the bite. Not the classic bull's eye but a big red patch, still a convincing symptom of Lyme disease. So I have been taking some antibiotics for the last 3 weeks which have done a number on my GI tract (the number is 2). Last pill was tonight, and I get a blood test next week. My wife and I have been travelling and I need to time our movements around my, er, movements, which are frequent. So yeah, sprinting practice.