Over the past few years, it has become increasingly important to my husband and I that we feed ourselves and our children wholesome, nourishing foods; foods with ingredients that we can pronounce, and know where they came from.
I’m not gonna lie, though. We still crave junk food now and then. Sodas are a particular weakness! But ever since we discovered the link between my husband’s severe acid reflux and High Fructose Corn Syrup, we’ve steered clear of most colas (among other things!). Yes, there are brands which have begun using real sugar to sweeten their products again. But the majority are still chock full of artificial ingredients and colors.
We’re very adamant about our children in particular not drinking sodas. As in, they never get one. So, it was a real treat the other day when I decided to try making homemade sodas for us all to enjoy! Strawberry soda, to be exact.
It wasn’t any cheaper to make it myself, but it was fun, and definitely a great alternative to commercial soft drinks. Plus, the variety of flavors you can create is as endless as your imagination! And my children got to enjoy it as well, which was great.
I had some frozen strawberries from a local farm that I thawed to use, so I went with strawberry flavor. You really can use any kind of fruit you want!
Here’s the recipe I went with:
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Homemade Strawberry Soda
Ingredients
- 1 quart strawberries, washed and hulled
- 2 Tbsp white vinegar
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 bottle of club soda or seltzer water, refrigerated
Instructions
- Place the strawberries in a blender and blend until smooth. Add the vinegar and mix well.
- Pour the liquid into a med. pot and stir in the sugar. Bring to a slow boil over medium to medium high heat, stirring until all the sugar has dissolved. Reduce heat, and allow to simmer for five minutes.
- Remove from heat, and allow to cool at room temp, creating a syrup.
- Pour the soda water into a cup, and add tablespoonsful of the strawberry syrup to desired taste. I used several tablespoons of syrup for one cup of soda. Don’t be afraid to be generous. Each family member may prefer a different mix.
It was a hit! Everyone enjoyed their refreshing soft drink. Next on my list of experiments is to make a lemon-lime soda! Yummmm.
Have you ever made homemade soda? Do you have a favorite recipe to share?
