Do you remember when your mother and probably your friends mothers as well, had a ginger beer plant in the pantry? If you do congratulations, you can now travel anywhere you like in England with your free bus pass.
If you aren’t one of us in the know, you will be wondering what on earth I am talking about. Strictly speaking a ginger beer plant isn’t what we think of when we imagine a plant. It has neither root nor branch and you can’t buy one at a garden centre. At least not at any garden centre that I have heard of. I shall endeavour to explain. A ginger beer plant is yeast, water, a little sugar and a little ginger in a jar that if you feed for seven days will form the basis for a gallon (4.5 litres) of delicious home made ginger beer.
Ginger Beer originated in England in the mid 1700’s. Up until 1835 ginger beer had been brewed and consumed locally. But with the introduction of an improved Bristol Glaze, it could be poured into glazed stoneware bottles, suitably corked, and safely exported all over the world.
Fred Watson.
Your Ginger Beer Plant.
½ oz of dried yeast
½ a pint of water
Sugar
Ground ginger
The juice of two lemons
Method
Put yeast, water, 2 level teaspoons of sugar, 2 level teaspoons of ginger into a jar and mix together.
Cover jar with a sheet of polythene, held in place by an elastic band.
Each day for the next 7 days, add 1 level teaspoon of sugar and 1 level teaspoon of ginger.
Strain the mixture through a piece of muslin and add the lemon juice to the liquid.
(Keep the sediment to one side, it can be used again; see bottom)
You are now ready to make your Ginger Beer. But please follow the instructions carefully so as not to be at risk of bursting bottles and flying glass.
Sweet Still Ginger Beer.
Ingedients
The juice from the plant
1 lb of sugar
1 pint of water
Method
Put all of the ingredients into a pan and stir until the sugar dissolves.
Bring to the boil and simmer for five minutes, to kill the yeast.
Make up to 1 gallon with cold water.
Bottle the ginger beer and cork tightly. Keep for a few days before drinking.
Dry Sparkling Ginger Beer.
Ingredients
The juice from your plant
2 oz of sugar
Water
Method
Add sugar to your juice and make up to 1 gallon with cold water, stir to dissolve the sugar.
Pour into screw cap bottles making sure the caps a screwed tight. Keep for 7 to 10 days when the ginger beer will be sparkling and ready to drink.
(Split the sediment you have left in the muslin into two jars. You now have another two ginger beer plants. I would suggest that you give one away. You can now start again by adding ½ pint of water, 2 level teaspoons of sugar, 2 level teaspoons of ginger and carry on as before for the 7 days).
