Use Raw Honey to Make this Delicious Mead

Photo above: Bottling Mead

Mead Recipe:

2/3 cup of raw honey

1 ½ cups of filtered water (warmed to 110 degrees F. or 43 degrees C.)

6 cups of cold filtered water

½ cup water kefir grains*

Pour honey and warm water into a 2 quart mason jar and mix well. Add cold water and kefir grains*; cover and leave in warm place for 4 to 5 days. Strain out the grains and pour “mead” into glass bottles with secure tops. Return to a warm place for another 4 to 5 days. Store in fridge. Be careful when opening because the carbonation can build up pressure.

This Mead recipe is adapted from the one in the book "Full Moon Feast" by Jessica Prentice (See box to your right for order information)

When you culture with water kefir grains* there is very little alcohol content.

Kefir grains can be stored in the refrigerator in a glass jar with a couple tablespoons of Rapadura or Sucanat (whole cane sugar). The grains will multiple over time and you can share them with friends.

*Water kefir grains, also known Tibicos, tibi, sugar kefir grains, Japanese water crystals and California Bees, are a culture of bacteria and yeast held in a polysaccharidematrix created by the bacteria. As with kefir grains, the microbes present in tibicos act insymbiosis to maintain a stable culture. Tibicos can do this in many different sugary liquids, feeding off the sugar to produce lactic acid, alcohol (ethanol), and carbon dioxide gas which carbonates the drink. Water Kefir grains are found around the world, with no two cultures being exactly the same. Typical grains have a mix of Lactobacillus, Streptococcus, Pediococcus and Leuconostocbacteria with yeasts from Saccharomyces, Candida, Kloeckera and possibly others. Lactobacillus brevis has been identified as the species responsible for the production of the polysaccharide (dextran) that forms the grains. People who do not wish to consume dairy products may find that water kefir provides the living pro-biotics without the need for dairy or tea cultured products, like kombucha.

Since the finished product, if bottled, will produce a carbonated beverage, it provides an alternative to sweet soda drinks for children and adults.*To find other sources for Kefir grains (besides Amazon.com) contact your local Weston A. Price chapter Leader for possible sources or check out my shopping guide.

Photo above: This is the honey water just after I added the water kefir grains.

Note: I always encourage everyone to use as much local, grown without chemicals ingredients (organic), and meat, eggs and dairy from animals that were/are free-ranging and were/are raised without hormones and antibiotics. Seafood should be wild from unpolluted waters.

Check out Shopping Guide for food sources.

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