4th of July Fermented Digestive Tonic

Can you believe that the 4th of July is just around the corner?!

Although I’m not big on block parties and fireworks, I am big on warm weather, colorful berries, and delicious drinks. And that’s where this 4th of July Fermented Digestive Tonic comes in!

This fermented digestive tonic combines fresh berries with coconut water and…(drumroll please)… brine!

And first, let me say that I totally get it if you’re like “Eww! Brine?” (or if you’re like “What the heck is brine?!”)

What is brine? Brine is the liquid that is created when fermenting sauerkraut. It tastes slightly salty and is full of awesome gut-loving bacteria.

How do I make brine? In order to make brine, we need to make sauerkraut! If you’re a sauerkraut newbie, check out my tutorial on How to Make Sauerkraut (step-by-step with photos) here.

The one adaptation to the sauerkraut recipe is to make extra brine. Brine can be made by adding 2 teaspoons sea salt to 1 cup of water. In my last batch of sauerkraut, I added 3 extra cups of water and 6 teaspoons (or 2 tablespoons) of sea salt so I would have lots of extra brine. This means you’ll want a very large ceramic crock or glass jar for fermenting.

Once you make your sauerkraut and let it ferment, then steal a bit of the fermented brine for this delicious digestive tonic!

This 4th of July Fermented Digestive Tonic is awesome at replacing electrolytes due to the sodium, along with the potassium and minerals from the coconut water. Depending on how tangy and salty you like your sauerkraut, you might want to add more/less brine to the tonic so start with a 1/4 cup and work your way up to a 1/2 cup (or more) if desired.

4th of July Fermented Digestive Tonic

 

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Author: Sonnet

Recipe type: Drink

Serves: 2

Ingredients

• 3 cups coconut water
• ¼ cup strawberries, sliced
• ¼ cup blueberries
• ½ cup brine
• Ice

Instructions

1. Combine ingredients and serve cold.

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