Rejuvelac Lemonade ~ Naturally Nutritious Drink

Rejuvelac Lemonade ~ Naturally Nutritious Drink

More than refreshing, this lemonade will quench your thirst and give your body a boost!

I’ve been making this for a little while now and my family loves it! I gave it to my fifteen year old son when he was complaining about leg cramps after playing sports and with in an hour he said he felt much better. That’s because there’s more nutrition in rejuvelac than any sugary sports drink could ever boast.

In my journey I am discovering old favorites, like this lemony refreshment in a new light. I want more out of the food and drinks I make. Though fermenting foods to preserve and improve their nutritional values has been around for hundreds of years, it’s new to me. As I learn and find things I like and my family enjoys, I’ll continue sharing them right here with foodie folks like you. After all, happy bellies are what we’re after.

From left to right: Rye berries, hard red wheat berries, soft white wheat berries

So what is Rejuvelac?

Invented in the 1980’s by Ann Wigmore a holistic health practitioner and nutritionist, rejuvelac is a simple fermented beverage that packs a powerful nutritional punch. It’s super easy to make and all you need are some wheat or rye berries, non-chlorinated water and a little time. I’ve also seen sources out there on the internet that say you can use quinoa, buckwheat, oats, barley, millet and brown rice to make rejuvelac.

To get started, you will need to rinse the berries and place them in a two quart jar. Cover with non-chlorinated water and soak 8 to 10 hours.

The water is drained off and the berries are rinsed again. Drain well and place the jar at an angle (in a bowl or on a tray). Rinse and repeat draining twice a day for two days until the berries sprout.

The berries will have sprouts about a quarter inch long after two days.

Once the berries are sprouted, rinse once again and drain. Fill the jar with clean, non-chlorinated water and cover with a cloth or coffee filter. Affix with a rubber band. Allow the mixture to ferment in a warm (room temperature around 70 degrees F.) place for two days.

After the first day, you’ll notice that if you move the jar, little bubbles will raise up from the bottom. That means your fermentation is working!

Strain the liquid into a clean container and enjoy. Refrigerated is best and you should store any unused portion in the refrigerator.

To get more out of your hard work, pour more clean, non-chlorinated water into the fermenting jar with the sprouted berries and ferment for a day, for a second batch. You can do this for up to four batches in total with the sprouted berries.

The finished rejuvelac has a light lemony flavor on it’s own and is slightly sweet.

To make lemonade out of your rejuvelac, squeeze the juice from fresh lemons into the mixture. I found that one lemon per each 8 ounces is perfect. Use a little honey, maple syrup or aguave to sweeten to your taste.

I absolutely love this drink. The first batch I made, following the directions in Sally Fallon’s book, Nourishing Traditions, turned out terrific. After several batches, I decided to play around with flavoring it. It’s naturally delicious on it’s own but to make it into lemonade makes it even better.

A little more research into the nutritional values of rejuvelac revealed that not only is it a great thirst quencher, it’s rich in protein, carbohydrates, phosphates, digestive enzymes and friendly bacteria. It also contains the entire B-complex, vitamin C, E and K. No wonder my son felt better after drinking it!

Knowing that I can turn a summertime favorite into a super healthy beverage for me and my family makes me happy.

This guy would agree!

I do hope you’ll give rejuvelac a try. Replace those sugary sports drinks and flavor this nutritionally balanced beverage the way you like it. Drink for good health and a happy belly! Let us know about it. We’d love to hear from you.

Have a fabulous day and as always, keep it delicious!

Till next time ~ much love, Connie

Rejuvelac Lemonade

Connie Taylor

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Ingredients

  

• 2 C wheat or rye berries
• non-chlorinated water for soaking and rinsing
• 2 quarts non-chlorinated water for fermenting
• 4 lemons
• honey maple syrup, agave or other natural sweetener to taste

Instructions

 

• Rinse the berries very well.
• Place in a jar with 2 quarts non-chlorinated water to soak 8 to 10 hours.
• Drain and rinse the berries well.
• Place the jar with the berries, tilted on it's side at an angle to sprout for two days.
• Rinse the berries and drain twice a day while sprouting.
• After the berries have sprouted, rinse well and drain.
• Cover with 2 quarts of fresh, non-chlorinated water to ferment.
• Place a cloth or coffee filter on top of the jar and affix with a rubber band.
• Allow the berries to ferment for 2 days.
• Pour off the liquid and store in a container in the refrigerator until ready to drink.
• A second, third and possible fourth batch may be made with the sprouted berries.
• Simply fill the jar with fresh water and ferment for one day for each batch.
• To make lemonade, add the freshly squeezed juice of 4 lemons per two quarts of rejuvelac and sweeten with your choice of natural sweetener to taste.

Notes

Recipe by: Connie Tayor @Happybellyfoodie.com - adapted from Ann Wigmore's original recipe