Native people around the Chesapeake Bay enjoyed a nice soda pop occasionally. Without a soda shop or pop stop, they had to make their own. Foraging and fermenting were common native people skills. Pine needles are healthy, available, and edible.
A soda or pop is a flavored, carbonated, sweet drink. Modern sodas have artificial flavors and CO2 added into them. You can add berries or use honey as your sugar to make your own custom drink. This just adds other healthy flavors and tastes.
So how did early folks make their own soda pop? They used local pine needles! Long white pine or other long needled pines, like lodge pole pines worked best. Avoid hemlock and shorter needled pines.
It turns out that pine needles are covered in wild, natural yeast. They have 5 times more vitamin C than oranges. Pine needles are also full of anti- fungals, anti-bacterials, and anti-virals. These are all great for a healthy body and skin.
Since pine trees are “evergreens”, you can make your own refreshing sodas year around. All you need is sugar to start the fermentation process. It will take 2-3 days to make your own sodas!
A few years ago, I started making Pine Needle Sodas at hunting and fishing camps. I also made this brew for family and Boy Scouts. The first night we arrived at camp, I began my brew. 3 Days later the sweet, refreshing and healthy soda was ready to go. Now I must admit that some of the adult hunting and fishing campers added gin, vodka, whiskey, rum, or vodka. The Pine needle soda became tonic water and mixers. It also gave the drinkers healthy and invigorating additives. The campers were surprised and satisfied.
When I am making this drink for kids and non-boozers, or boaters, I serve the drink with a bundle of needles and a slice of lemon. They say it tastes like Sprite and has a citrusy, minty flavor. Ice helps but is not needed.
To make your Bay Soda Pop,
2 cups of local pine needles. Trim off the bases and lightly rinse in cool water. Yeast is naturally on the needles so don’t over wash. I cut my needles into 2-inch lengths and let them dry before making my brew. You want to rinse off any bugs and dust but no more.
2 ½ cups of water
4-5 tbsp of cane sugar or honey to taste, the
Sugar will feed the yeast causing the chemical reaction. CO2 will form during fermentation. Only a negligible amount of alcohol will be produced. This soda will not become a moonshine drink.
You can use old soda bottles, but they will need to have a flip top stopper added to them. I use mason jars. A pint size is perfect for this recipe. If you use a quart or larger sized jar, adjust the ingredients to taste. The bottles must be tightly secure so gas can’t go out or in. Use a strainer to filter out any bits and pieces of the needles.
Once everything is in the bottle and tightly sealed, give the jars/bottles a shake, to dissolve the sugar, and let sit in indirect sunlight. This light will help infuse the ingredients together. Do not let brew exceed the 86F degrees. Higher temps will kill the yeast.
Once the soda has sat for 3 days, do not shake it up before opening, unless you want an explosive mess. They also suggest that pregnant women avoid this soda. Apparently pine needles eaten by cows may have caused abortions. Better to be safe than sorry.
Your final soda will be refreshing and have natural flavors. When a real soda is miles away, this homemade brew will suffice with ice.
Cheers!
Montana Grant
