I can personally attest that this caramel sauce made with all-natural maple syrup, is delicious.

How to use Maple Caramel Sauce

I love to use this maple caramel sauce:

• on cinnamon rolls,
• in a cup of tea,
• drizzled over cookies or ice cream, and
• (my favorite) added generously to a latte.

Not much better than a Salted Maple Caramel Latte if you ask me.

Salted Maple Caramel Sauce

Dive in and make some of this today… your world will be better for it.

I wouldn’t joke about something so good…

Ingredients for Salted Maple Caramel Sauce

1 cup maple syrup

2 TB butter

 1/4 cup heavy cream

1/4 tsp Redmond salt

Directions for making Salted Maple Caramel Sauce

1. Boil maple syrup in a medium-sized saucepan with pretty tall sides (it will bubble up a LOT) until a candy thermometer reads 225. (Don’t let it reach the softball stage.)
2. Turn off the heat and add in butter, stirring until it’s all melted.
3. Add cream and salt and stir, just until all mixed.
4. Store in a glass jar in fridge for many weeks.

Notes about Salted Maple Caramel Sauce

• A good candy thermometer is necessary to get this right, but they’re not expensive and they’re handy to have in the kitchen. This is a good one.
• If you choose a pot that’s not quite big enough and your maple syrup bubbles treacherously close to the top of your pan (trust me, it happens quickly!), don’t panic. Have a piece of butter ready to toss in your pot. The bubbles will instantly recede. It’s a simple sugarmaking trick (more about how to make your own maple syrup here) that works every time.
• This caramel sauce is delicious on cinnamon rolls, in a cup of tea, drizzled over cookies, ice cream, yogurt, and (my favorite) added generously to a latte. Not much better than a Salted Maple Caramel Latte if you ask me… iced and hot, both delicious. 

The post Caramel Sauce (Easy Recipe With Maple Syrup) first appeared on Souly Rested.

I switched to cacao powder for my smoothies, baking, and well everything chocolate, and I haven’t bought cocoa powder since.

Today I’m explaining why I made the switch and sharing my all-time favorite cacao smoothie recipe. Because you need cacao in your life.

Oh, AND you need the bonus recipes I want you to have too… make sure you scroll to the bottom

What is a replacement for cocoa powder?

If you want to avoid those undisclosed GRAS ingredients–aka preservatives and addictive flavorings–that could potentially be in cocoa powder, I highly recommend you grab some delicious cacao powder.

 

Another great unrefined option is carob powder. While carob tastes a lot like chocolate, it’s actually a nutrient-rich, slightly sweeter option for a chocolate substitute. Carob is a member of the legume family, but has a similar texture to cocoa and a huge bonus to carob? It’s caffeine-free.

 

Is cacao high in caffeine?

While cacao does contain caffeine, so I always point folks to carob powder if caffeine is a problem for them, it’s not a lot. It’s significantly less than what you’ll find in coffee. Bonus: the primary stimulant you’ll find in cacao is called theobromine, which provides a gentler, more sustained energy boost. (source)

 

How to add espresso without caffeine

I love an alternative to this smoothie, with espresso OR a caffeine-free espresso replacement. It tastes so similar to coffee, but it’s just a medicinal tea that tastes like coffee. In fact, it’s my all-time favorite hot tea. I drink it every day.

To use this medicinal chicory tea as an espresso replacement, simply steep 4 TB of the tea blend in 1 quart of hot water. (Minimum 10 minutes, but I like to steep it overnight when I have the time.) Once you have that ready, you’re ready to make your smoothie. See notes below.

Does cacao heal the gut?

Another huge bonus to cacao is the fact that it’s loaded with fiber, which is so important for feeding out gut properly. (source) So yeah, pour me up a daily glass of kombucha and one of these amazing cacao smoothies often please. My gut says “thank you” every time.

 

Want to know more about gut-friendly drinks I love to make at home?

 

Here are some of our favorite kombucha flavors, complete with recipes for making them yourself.

And these are the best summer flavors for kombucha you’re making at home.

 

 

Cacao Smoothie Recipe

yield: this generous recipe makes 3 smoothies, because there are always a lot of folks in our house who want some whenever they hear my blender whipping up some of this amazing cacao smoothie.

CACAO SMOOTHIE INGREDIENTS

3 frozen bananas

2 scoops of chocolate protein powder

3 TB cacao powder

2 TB maple syrup or date syrup

1/2 cup spinach

3 cups milk

1/2 cup peanut butter

pinch of salt per serving

CACAO SMOOTHIE DIRECTIONS

Toss all ingredients in blender and mix.

Pour into 3 glasses and enjoy!

CACAO SMOOTHIES NOTES

• Feel free to substitute 6 extra TB of cacao powder in place of the chocolate protein powder if you don’t have any on hand.
• You can definitely substitute caffeine-free carob powder 1:1 for both the cacao powder and the chocolate protein powder.
• I haven’t bought peanut butter in years, since i figured out how to make my own peanut butter. It’s amazing in this cacao smoothie.
• Don’t settle for any old protein powder. Two ingredients you will find in almost every brand of protein powder but never in the only protein powder I use? Artificial sweeteners and sugar alcohols. The first are chemicals added to make your drink sweet. And most brands add sugar alcohols because they aren’t completely absorbed in your intestines (which means there will be less calories in your drink), but if you eat too many you’ll get gas, bloating, and diarrhea. Check out 17 delicious ways I use protein powders. But try to use ones made with real food, and no junk.
• Other great things to add when I want to switch things up a little? Try tossing in some dates for added natural sweetness, or a double shot of espresso or espresso alternative–see below (and a 1/2 cup less of milk).
• Feel free to use milk substitutes in place of the milk, and almond butter in place of the peanut butter.
• Use Redmond Real Salt in this recipe and add more than 64 trace minerals to your recipe! Use code SOULYRESTED to save & stock up on some of this amazing salt today. I buy it in the bulk size because it stores so easily and keeps forever.

Print

Cacao smoothie

Servings 3 smoothies

Ingredients

• 3 frozen bananas
• 2 scoops of chocolate protein powder
• 3 TB cacao powder
• 2 TB maple syrup or date syrup
• 1/2 cup spinach
• 3 cups milk
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• pinch of salt per serving

Instructions

• Toss all ingredients in blender and mix.

  Pour into 3 glasses and enjoy!

Notes

• Feel free to substitute 6 extra TB of cacao powder in place of the chocolate protein powder if you don't have any on hand.
• You can definitely substitute caffeine-free carob powder 1:1 for both the cacao powder and the chocolate protein powder.
• I haven't bought peanut butter in years, since i figured out how to make my own peanut butter. It's amazing in this cacao smoothie.
• Don't settle for any old protein powder. Two ingredients you will find in almost every brand of protein powder but never in the only protein powder I use? Artificial sweeteners and sugar alcohols. The first are chemicals added to make your drink sweet. And most brands add sugar alcohols because they aren't completely absorbed in your intestines (which means there will be less calories in your drink), but if you eat too many you’ll get gas, bloating, and diarrhea. Just ingredients protein powders are only real food, and no junk.
• Other great things to add when I want to switch things up a little? Try tossing in some dates for added natural sweetness, or a double shot of espresso (and a 1/2 cup less of milk).
• Feel free to use milk substitutes in place of the milk and almond butter in place of the peanut butter.

Ingredients in my Cacao Smoothie

* Use code SOULYRESTED for 15% off your entire first order of $100 or more with Azure Standard, delivered to a drop near you.

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I’m about to show you something that will change the way you look at soda forever.

Can you really make homemade soda?

I don’t know when I last had a soda (I do give into my temptation a few times a year, probably), but today I had a crazy obsession for coke, so I knew today was the day to give this homemade soda idea a try.

So I started googling, and searching my pantry, and googling more for substitutes for many things I didn’t have on hand.

The result? Well I have a quart jar of soda syrup stashed in the fridge, I’m on my second glass of this DIY coke, and I’m in LOVE.

I also have a 1/2-gallon jar of DIY Coke Kombucha fermenting as we speak… more on that below.

Edit to add: If you’re here for ALL the homemade soda, don’t miss my Homemade Root Beer Recipe AND my VIRAL homemade Dr Pepper recipe.

Is Homemade soda better for you?

Most of the soft drinks on the market today are essentially liquid cocaine. Scientific studies have shown that they induce cravings that are comparable to addictive drugs. (source) We dove deep into this in episode 11 of season 3 of the podcast. 

So yes, homemade soda is much better for you. You are in charge of every ingredient, so you know exactly what is in your homemade soda. And, maybe most importantly, you can choose how to sweeten your homemade soda. You can choose to use an all-natural sugar that won’t spike your blood sugar level, which is what leads to so many problems and you can choose how much sugar. My goal is to slowly wean down the amount of sugar I’m using in our homemade soda so it’s even better for us.

How to make your own soda?

You have choices. You can pull together the ingredients yourself or you can use an all-natural syrup mix. Both are great options and I’ll walk you through both.

First, let’s start with the from-scratch option. I bet you have all of these things in your kitchen right now. Well, maybe not the lavender. But that’s okay. Read the recipe notes for substitution ideas for lavender, as well as many other items on this list.

If you’d rather opt for purchasing a completely natural, pre-mixed coke soda mix, this one is amazing. Not only is it made with the same quality of ingredients you’d stock your own kitchen with, but purchases support a small family-run business. Plus I even have a code just for my readers (“soulyrested”).

Oh, one thing you won’t find in either version of this DIY coke? Caramel color. Yeah, I’ll skip the cancer-causing, oh-so-bad-for-me ingredient that you find in every can of coke, and I’ll be perfectly happy with a yellow colored glass of soda.

More of a root beer fan? Get my root beer recipe here.

Can you buy a kit for making homemade soda?

YES! If you don’t want to try to source your ingredients and make your own cola syrup, you can absolutely buy a mix from a trusted, small-family business that I have been ordering from for many years. In fact, after years of making my own cola syrup, I heard that Farmhouse Teas came out with this Kola Syrup Mix and I knew instantly I had to try it. (Use code SOULYRESTED to save $$, if you want to try it out. Oh, and they make other delicious teas and a root beer syrup kit! If you spend $59 or more shipping is free!)

This syrup, when combined with carbonated water, tastes just like a tall, cold glass of Coke. BUT you get to choose the sugars you use, so you can make it with all-natural sugar options that don’t spike your blood sugar level.

Better yet, this Kola Syrup Mix is made with medicinal ingredients, not addictive ones. It’s made of powder from a nut that grows in West Africa that is world-renowned for providing energy, reducing appetite, and helping manage depression and anxiety.

While I’m not saying a glass of this will solve all your problems, it sure is a delicious step in that direction.

One Kola Syrup Kit will make 4 quarts of syrup, total, which means each kit makes about 13 2L amounts of homemade soda.

And bonus, if you care about the color of your soda, unlike my from-scratch soda, this soda even almost has the caramel color of Coke, since it’s made with kola nut powder.

Is homemade soda cheaper?

Because my Homemade Soda Syrup makes a whole quart of syrup, and you only need 1 TB for a cup of soda, it’s always going to be cheaper than buying Coke. Plus, you can make exactly how much you want instead of opening a whole 2L of soda and winding up with a flat drink that noone wants to drink before the 2L is empty.

If you make homemade soda with the Kola Syrup Mix that I love I’m very happy to report that you can make a 2-liter’s-worth of homemade soda for $2.99 worth of syrup. I don’t know about where you live, but we would have to pay that much at our local store for a 2L of Coke and this homemade soda is FAR superior and SO much better for our family.

I’m even going to try to grow some of the ingredients for making DIY soda in my garden this year… More about that here: Growing Herbs for Tea (& more)

Can you make cola kombucha?

Yes! You can make kombucha that either option above, the from-scratch recipe I share or the Kola Syrup Kit.

Cola kombucha recipe:

Combine 1/4 cup of soda syrup with 1/2 gallon of first ferment kombucha. Let sit at room temperature 1-3 days. (Find out more about how much money you save making your own kombucha here.)

Or, for another alternative, keep the ingredients you strain out of your sauce pan (the ginger and lavender), and steep that in 1 gallon of first ferment kombucha for 1-3 days at room temperature

Soda kombucha, without second ferment:

Combine soda syrup and first ferment kombucha, 1 TB syrup per every 1 cup kombucha, and enjoy immediately. (And here’s another floral kombucha recipe you might love.)

How long does homemade syrup last?

Homemade syrup lasts for a week or two in the fridge. But it can last for a year or longer if you want to freeze it.

It’s super easy to freeze your homemade soda syrup ! Simply fill ice cube trays with your soda syrup and freeze until solid. Store cubes in freezer-safe container and use 2-3 cubes in a tall glass of cherry seltzer water for the most amazing ice-cold homemade Cherry Coke you can imagine.

How do you make soda without a machine?

While I love our soda machine, it is new to us and I’ve been making homemade soda for years. Simply add a can of carbonated seltzer water to your syrup, no machine necessary. If you do have a soda machine, I don’t recommend adding your syrup to the machine. Unless you like volcanic-like explosions. Simply carbonate cold water and add that to your syrup.

What are the steps in making coke?

I have no idea what steps are included in making genuine Coca-Cola, and the ingredient list is closely guarded. But I’ve worked at creating a delicious drink my family enjoys that sure does taste a lot like the real deal.

And I’m going to break down exactly how I do it. Because, well, the world needs a Coke substitute that has zero junk. If you’re ready to skip the dyes and artificial ingredients and enjoy a guilt-free refreshing soda, here are the steps you need to know…

Homemade Soda Recipe

• 3/4 cup lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp anise extract (or see notes for substitution)
• 1 tsp dried lavender (save $$ with code SOULYRESTED)
• 4 tsp minced ginger
• 1 TB vanilla extract (I love this one)
• 3/4 tsp white vinegar OR apple cider vinegar
• 2 cups water
• 1 3/4 cups maple syrup

Combine all ingredients except the maple syrup in a small saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and let simmer for 20 minutes.

Remove from heat and strain out the solids.

Pour into a quart jar and let cool.

Add the maple syrup and stir.

Keep refrigerated for up to a month.

Yield: 1 quart of soda syrup

To make homemade soda, combine 1 tablespoon of your homemade soda syrup with 1 cup of seltzer water or club soda. Serve over ice.

Or, we love making our own carbonated water too. This is our soda machine. I love it because I can use my own ingredients (usually fruit) to make any flavor of bubbly water I want. (Most soda machines don’t let you add ingredients to the machine.)

Sidenote: I source most of my ingredients from Azure Standard. Go here to find out how this independent food supply chain is fixing a broken food system and connecting food suppliers directly to consumers.

Homemade Soda NOTES

• Substitute 1/2 tsp anise extract with  1/4 tsp allspice.
• Swap in a ¼ teaspoon allspice, cinnamon or nutmeg for every tablespoon of fresh ginger. Or substitute 1/4 tsp ground ginger for every 1 TB fresh ginger.
• Or use 1/4 tsp turmeric powder in place of the 4 tsp fresh ginger in this recipe.
• If you want to always be prepared to make this, consider grating some fresh ginger and freezing it.
• You could substitute honey in place of maple syrup.
• Dried lavender leaves can be used instead of lavender flowers. But I love the great quality of these lavender flowers if you’d like to stock up on some. Use code SOULYRESTED and save.
• If you don’t have lavender on hand, or maybe are waiting on these great lavender flowers that you ordered, you could try an equal amount of a few other herbs instead that might work pretty well. (If you try one, please let me know!): rosemary, lemon thyme, or mint.
• Have fun trying all different flavors of seltzer, make lime coke, strawberry coke, orange coke, you name it… my favorite is black cherry coke. Mmmmmm.
• If you splurge on a carbonated water machine–we LOVE this one–then you can really experiment with lots of neat flavors that you make (I just made a raspberry ginger coke… so good!).
• I source many of these ingredients from Azure Standard. Go here to find out how this independent food supply chain is fixing a broken food system and connecting food suppliers directly to consumers.
• All the ingredients for this homemade soda are included on my Pantry Checklist, which is also loaded with discount codes for you on all my favorite real food ingredients. Download your own Pantry Checklist right here.

Print

DIY Coke-homemade soda

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp anise extract or see notes for substitution
• 1 tsp dried lavender
• 4 tsp minced ginger
• 1 TB vanilla extract
• 3/4 tsp white vinegar OR apple cider vinegar
• 2 cups water
• 1 3/4 cups maple syrup

Instructions

To make homemade soda syrup:

• Combine all ingredients except the maple syrup in a small saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and let simmer for 20 minutes.
• Remove from heat and strain out the solids.
• Pour into a quart jar and let cool.
• Add the maple syrup and stir.
• Keep refrigerated for up to a month.

To make homemade soda WITH your syrup:

• To make homemade soda, combine 1 tablespoon of your homemade soda syrup with 1 cup of seltzer water or club soda. Serve over ice.

Notes

• Substitute 1/2 tsp anise extract with  1/4 tsp allspice.
• Swap in a ¼ teaspoon allspice, cinnamon or nutmeg for every tablespoon of fresh ginger. Or substitute 1/4 tsp ground ginger for every 1 TB fresh ginger.
• Or use 1/4 tsp turmeric powder in place of the 4 tsp fresh ginger in this recipe.
• If you want to always be prepared to make this, consider grating some fresh ginger and freezing it.

This is the organic dried ginger I use if I don’t have fresh grated ginger available. (Use code SOULYRESTED)

If you like homemade soda, you’ll love these drink recipes:

Homemade gatorade

Homemade Healthy Tea Blend that Tastes Like Coffee

Healthy Hot Chocolate Mix

One Drink we Need to Ditch (podcast episode)

Homemade Root Beer Recipe (with REAL ingredients!)

Dr Pepper recipe: homemade soda

I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God. Ecclesiastes 3: 12-13

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Or if you’d rather not make it yourself, grab some of the organic Not Coffee tea right here and support a wonderful, small, family business. Be sure to use code SOULYRESTED to save 10%!

I never thought I liked coffee or cats, but today I’m sitting on my back deck sipping this iced “not” coffee playing with 4 barn kitties who have stollen my heart and well, I’m about as happy as can be.

So I’ll admit it here (but maybe never in real life) I’m a cat lady who love coffee. (what??)

The second I took my last sip I knew I had to document and share this recipe.

Cause this Chocolate Maple Iced Coffee is going to rock your world and change the way you get through hot summer days. Heck, the kids are gonna love it too. And it’s loaded with good-for-you stuff. Absolutely nothing you can’t pronounce. Zero caffeine (well, except for the small amount of naturally occurring caffeine you add if you choose to add cacao (but fyi this drink is delicious without the chocolate vibes too.)

Maple Chocolate Iced “Coffee”

Ingredients

16 oz prepared Tea that Tastes Like Coffee (code SOULYRESTED saves $$)

2-3 TB Maple Syrup (code SOULYRESTED saves $$)

1/2-1 TB of cacao

1/2 tsp maca root powder (totally optional, see notes)

6-8 ice cubes

3 generous scoops of maple ice cream

Directions

1. Steep 1 TB of this Tea that Tastes Like Coffee in 16 oz of hot water for 2 minutes. (Or make your own homemade healthy tea that tastes like coffee.)
2. Stir in maple syrup, cacao, and (optional) maca root powder.
3. Add 6-8 ice cubes and stir well.
4. Add 2 generous scoops of maple ice cream and stir again.
5. Top with 1 more scoop of maple ice cream and enjoy.

Yield: 2 cups of amazingness and at least 10 minutes of pure sipping pleasure on a hot summer day.

Print

Maple Chocolate iced "coffee"

Ingredients

• 16 oz prepared Tea that Tastes Like Coffee
• 2-3 TB Maple Syrup
• 1/2-1 TB of cacao
• 1/2 tsp maca root powder totally optional, see notes
• 6-8 ice cubes
• 3 generous scoops of maple ice cream

Instructions

• Steep 1 TB of this Tea that Tastes Like Coffee in 16 oz of hot water for 2 minutes. (Or make your own homemade healthy tea that tastes like coffee.)
• Stir in maple syrup, cacao, and (optional) maca root powder.
• Add 6-8 ice cubes and stir well.
• Add 2 generous scoops of maple ice cream and stir again.
• Top with 1 more scoop of maple ice cream and enjoy.

Notes

• If you don't have maple ice cream, first of all why not? It's super easy and you will never want to buy junky ice cream with ingredients you can't pronounce again. But I digress.. feel free to use whatever ice cream you have on hand or just add a few more ice cubes. Chocolate Maple Iced Coffee is delicious without the ice cream twist.
• If you want to skip the cacao (or use cocoa powder) that's also totally fine. Maple Iced Coffee is still a good bet.
• If you want the coffee jolt, of course I'm sure you know this recipe would be heavenly with the real McCoy.
• Maca is totally optional, but I add maca root powder to a lot of things, because it is reported to improve energy levels, help with cognitive function, and even may protect skin from UV damage. Plus its nutty, butterscotch-like taste is an added bonus to this already amazing drink.

Recipe Notes

• If you don’t have maple ice cream, first of all why not? It’s super easy and you will never want to buy junky ice cream with ingredients you can’t pronounce again. But I digress.. feel free to use whatever ice cream you have on hand or just add a few more ice cubes. Chocolate Maple Iced Coffee is delicious without the ice cream twist.
• If you want to skip the cacao (or use cocoa powder) that’s also totally fine. Maple Iced Coffee is still a good bet.
• If you want the coffee jolt, of course I’m sure you know this recipe would be heavenly with the real McCoy.
• Maca is totally optional, but I add maca root powder to a lot of things, because it is reported to improve energy levels, help with cognitive function, and even may protect skin from UV damage. Plus its nutty, butterscotch-like taste is an added bonus to this already amazing drink.

Other articles you’ll love:

Teas for Tea Fanatics

Is Tea a Healthy Choice?

How to Make (Deliciously Addicting!) Mint Lilac Tea

Fermented Tea… What is it? and the 5 Best Flavors

“He satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.” Psalm 107:9

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Find out why SoulyRested was considered to be one of the Top 20 Must-Read Homesteading Blogs of 2018 and then one of the Top Homesteading Blogs of 2021 as well.

Glance at my Resource Page if you’d like to get a glimpse of all the supplies I use and recommend for everything from gardening, to homeschooling, to chicken care, to nature journaling, to maple syrup making.

 

 

I’d love to connect!

To find me in some other neck of the woods, just click any (or every!) icon below:

The post Maple Chocolate Iced “Coffee” first appeared on Souly Rested.

Truth is, there are many options for making maple candy. But they all share two things in common. Keep reading for the full scoop…

Hi, I’m Michelle. A backyard sugarmaker in New England, and author of Sweet Maple.

Please consider helping me support sugarmaking education worldwide with every purchase of the SoulyRested Swag. You’ll find the latest designs right here (like the one I’m wearing here) .

There are many ways to make this deliciousness

All varieties of maple candy are delicious. And they are all made up of ONE ingredient. Yep, one.

And guess what? You can not only pronounce it, but know exactly where it came from and how good it is for you: 100% maple syrup.

Seriously, there’s no better candy, guys.

This post contains affiliate links. Go here to read the full (ultra fun) legal disclosure about that.

Get the Full Scoop

For the full scoop on the amazing science behind all-natural sugar and all the options and varieties of maple candies you can make, see my book, Sweet Maple.

If you can’t find it at your local book store, great news! You can purchase it right here and still support your local bookstore. (Pretty cool, huh?)

Of course you can grab a copy on Amazon too, if that’s your jam.

If you do grab a copy of my book be sure to go here to claim all the bonuses I’ve gathered for you to say thank you!

How to Make Two Popular Kinds of Maple Candy

I walk you through the details on how to make my two favorite ways to make maple candy in this video:

I call them Maple Stained Glass and Maple Crumbles. My favorite way to use maple candies? I keep them in a jar by my loose leaf teas and use them to sweeten my morning cup of hot tea.

Making maple stained glass hard candy

Making maple crumbles candy

Heat a quart of maple syrup to 244°F in a large pot on the stove.

When it reaches 244°F remove it from the heat and let it cool to 175°F. Beat it with a wooden spoon until it turns a nice cream color, then pour it into greased molds. If you do this just right (which I seldom do, there are just too many variables that have to be perfect) you’ll have a wonderful soft molded candy.

BUT if you let it go slightly above 244 or let it cool to lower than 175 or stir it too long or not long enough you will have a hard sugar that hardens too quickly to pour into molds. Just pour it onto prepared cookie sheets and break it into pieces as it cools.

Store your maple crumbles in a sealed mason jar. I use this lid and jars like these.

Give an amazing gift

I love giving these candies as gifts. I have a page of printable gift cards in my subscriber library if you’d like to have a sweet note to attach to your gifts to let folks know the amazingness you made them and great ways to use the candies. Just subscribe here and print it out right away.

Other Recipes You’ll Love:

• Making Maple Mango Granola
• Making Maple Peanut Butter
• Making Homemade Gatorade
• Making Maple Kombucha
• Making Maple Cream
• Making Maple Sugar

And I list my favorite tools in my homestead kitchen right here.

p.s. Remember, order a copy of my book Sweet Maple for all the details on making the best maple confections and maple-infused baked goods, bread, and even savory meals. Go here for a peak inside, reviews, and all the bonuses.

p.s.s. If you need to order syrup, my friend’s XXL size of maple syrup right here would make lots of wonderful candy, and it’s the best bulk-serving price I’ve found anywhere. Order $50 worth or more & use coupon code SOULYRESTED to enjoy a free tub of maple cotton candy! 

My people shall be satisfied with my goodness, declares the Lord. Jeremiah 31:14

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Find out why SoulyRested was considered to be one of the Top 20 Must-Read Homesteading Blogs of 2018 and then one of the Top Homesteading Blogs of 2019 as well.

Glance at my Resource Page if you’d like to get a glimpse of all the supplies I use and recommend for everything from gardening, to homeschooling, to chicken care, to nature journaling, to maple syrup making.

 

 

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Aside from Bill, who is my favorite sugarmaker but not a soul-mate when it comes to loving kombucha, our family loves kombucha.

Okay, I’ll just admit it, Bill refuses to taste kombucha. He just can’t get over the look of that scoby. But that’s fine, it leaves more for me and the girls. Before we dive into my favorite kombucha recipes, you may want to know more about how to make kombucha and the products I use.

My course, Simple DIY Kombucha breaks down every detail you could ever want to know about making kombucha–perfectly every time–at home. And  you can go here to find out the full scoop on every product I use for making kombucha.

Enjoy 10% off this organic scoby for your kombucha using code SOULYRESTED.

And take 10% off this kombucha starter kit using code SOULYRESTED10.

Our favorite kombucha flavors

Since we have so many we love, today I’m sharing with you some of the favorite flavors that are often brewing on the kitchen counter in our little farmhouse.

But I am holding back a little on you… the best of the best recipes are only in my totally FREE kombucha e-course , which you can sign up for in a hot second at that link or at the bottom of this article.

These measurements in the recipes here are all for a 33-ounce second ferment bottle. I decided that was the best way to offer you the recipes, since I always recommend folks start fermenting kombucha with flip-top bottles like these. (affiliate link) With their tight seals and thin bottle necks, they’re great at building up carbonation. And who doesn’t want their homemade kombucha on the extra bubbly side, am I right?

Once you become more of an expert at brewing, you’ll discover what ingredients aid in carbonation and you’ll have lots of tricks up your sleeve for great success, even using mason jars for brewing. If you’d like to learn from my failures experimentation and research, check out my crash course (and the amazing bonuses that come with it) right here–>  Simple DIY Kombucha.

Citrus Rosemary

 1/4 cup of chopped tangerines and 1 teaspoon of dried rosemary

This is my personal favorite. I think. I really shouldn’t try to pick a favorite though, because I’m pretty sure I’ll have a new favorite in a few weeks.

Maple Apple Pie

1/4 cup diced frozen apple pieces, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1 tablespoon maple syrup 

This one is Kayla’s favorite. She’s my teen-homestead-mentor who inspires me to do something amazing almost daily.

While you can use these flavors with first ferments that you’ve made with any variety of teas and sweeteners, I prefer to start this second ferment with a first ferment that I’ve made with one of these specially-blended kombucha teas and maple syrup. (Use code SOULYRESTED on both and save $$!)

If you’d like to make your own maple kombucha, you will need to grow your own maple scoby (it’s not nearly as hard as it sounds). In my last post I gave you the full directions for growing a maple scoby.

Blueberry Ginger

1/8-1/4 cup frozen blueberries and roughly 1 teaspoon finely diced fresh ginger

This one is Hayley’s favorite. Hayley is my youngest but possibly most creative daughter, at least with words and a camera. Check out her youtube channel here if you’d like a view of homesteading from a teen’s perspective.

Strawberry Ginger

1/8-1/4 cup frozen strawberries and 1 teaspoon finely diced fresh ginger

Okay, maybe this one is my favorite. Yeah, I’m just gonna stop trying to choose, cause I had to include this one too.

Strawberry Mojito

1 tablespoon lime juice (or small chunks of a lime), 1/4 cup strawberry chunks, and 1/2 tablespoon dried mint

This recipe is Wilma’s favorite. Wilma is a sweet, older friend who watched my kombucha obsession from the side lines for a while. Until she was over for dinner one evening and decided to put her reservations aside and give it a try. I had quite a few flavors on hand that night. (I try to plan ahead when I know we’ll have company over and make multiple flavors for a kind of kombucha smorgasboard.) She sampled them all and knew with certainty that strawberry mojito was her absolute favorite. I often take the super easy way out when making my strawberry mojito (especially if I don’t have limes on hand). I love the strawberry mojito flavored tea that Ceanne expertly blends over at Farmhouse Teas (and all the others too for that matter). I just add about 1/2 teaspoon of this tea to my 33-ounce bottle.

If you want to try this amazing option, make sure you use the coupon code SOULYRESTED for 10% off your strawberry mojito teas and anything else your heart desires over at Farmhouse Teas.

Elderberry

1/4 cup elderberry syrup

This recipes is everyone’s favorite and I love that it adds even more immunity-boosting umph with this amazing elderberry syrup that you can make yourself with these dried berries. Of course you can purchase elderberry syrup too. Use code SOULYRESTED for 15% off already amazing prices on all things “elderberry” with this amazing small business.

Lemon Lavender

1 tsp lavender lemon kombucha tea

This recipe is Eliya’s favorite. Eliya is a friend of Kayla’s and Hayley’s who–yes, it’s a little unusual for a teen boy–loves kombucha. I got him hooked when he spied all the colorful creations on our kitchen counter and asked to sample them. While it took him numerous tastes of almost all of them, he declares Lemon Lavender his favorite. (He even went full-blown-test-test-mode and did a blind test. Yeah, I guess the teens were a little bored that summer afternoon.)

In Eliya’s honor, be sure to use coupon code SOULYRESTED on your lavender lemon tea (or anything else that looks great to you) for 10% off. Whooo Hooo!

Of course this barely scratches the surface of the kombucha recipes I’m creating weekly around here.

More of our favorite kombucha recipes:

• We love the taste of summer in a glass of kombucha when we brew some Blueberry Lilac Kombucha.
• Or Blueberry Mint is just as heavenly and just as summery. Add 1 TB frozen blueberries and 1 tsp dried mint to a 1/2-gallon jar of kombucha.
• Orange Creamsicle is pretty much loved by everyone… Add a 1/4 cup frozen citrus pieces and 1 tsp vanilla to 1/2-gallon jar of kombucha.
• We are big on all simple yet fruity flavors and this Rose Berry Kombucha really hits the spot for being super, simply refreshing.
• Raspberry Lilac is yummy, made with 1-2 TB frozen raspberries and 1/4-1/2 cup of lilac syrup.
• This one I call New England Springtime and it is wonderful: 1-2 TB frozen blueberries and 1/4 cup lilac forsythia syrup.
• My favorite drink with breakfast (especially if it’s buttermilk pancakes drizzled in maple syrup)? Orange Forsythia Kombucha. I add my first-ferment kombucha; 1/4 cup frozen, chopped oranges; and 1/4 cup of my maple forsythia syrup to 1/2-gallon jar. So yummy!
• Rhubarb kombucha is delicious. In spring I enjoy a lot of it, when I have easy-to-make Rhubarb Simple Syrup on hand. Just add 1/4 cup of the syrup to your 1/2-gallon second ferment.

More kombucha goodness you’ll love:

Listen in as I spill the beans about a perfect cup of kombucha.

Go here to find out the full scoop on every product I use for making kombucha. (Including that awesome filter and pour lid.)

Find out how I dye Easter eggs with kombucha!

And read my cost analysis of the insane amount of money I save by making my own kombucha.

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Find out why SoulyRested was considered to be one of the Top 20 Must-Read Homesteading Blogs of 2018 and then one of the Top Homesteading Blogs of 2019 as well.

Glance at my Resource Page if you’d like to get a glimpse of supplies I use for maple syrup making, DIY kombucha, gardening, homeschooling, and homesteading.

Many readers often ask what camera I use to take the images you find here on SoulyRested. I love my Nikon.

I’d love to connect!

To find me in some other neck of the woods, just click any (or every!) icon below:

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If you’ve grabbed a copy of my brand-new book, Sweet Maple (affiliate link there), you know I’m bound and determined to make everything that I can with the best choice of sugar known to man… all-natural maple syrup.

So, yes, I had to start making my kombucha with maple syrup.

This post explains 3 ways you can go about making maple kombucha in your first ferment, meaning your total sugar base is all-natural maple sugar. Another option is to add maple syrup to a second ferment. In that case, you could feed your scoby (in the first ferment) any sugar source you want and use maple syrup to sweeten your second ferment.

But that’s not what this post is about… More about that another day. (For now, see links at the bottom to some of my favorite second ferment recipes.)

If you need a scoby…

Save $$ on this organic scoby with code SOULYRESTED.

How to make maple kombucha

This post will help you brew a completely all-natural kombucha without a hint of refined sugar. Now that’s sweet, am I right?

If you’ve stumbled upon this post and have no idea what this “kombucha” and “scoby” stuff is you might wanna go here for more info on all that. Or check out this post for the full scoop on what you’ll need to get started.

Folks said I was crazy.

So there I was, sitting back sipping my kombucha one afternoon right after I had sent my final edits on Sweet Maple (affiliate link) to my publisher and it hit me. I needed to ditch the refined sugar in my kombucha and try making it with maple.

When I first got this idea to make maple kombucha, folks seemed to think I was crazy. (That’s okay, it certainly wasn’t the first time.) I couldn’t find anywhere as a reliable source for how to do it either. Those sources I did trust told me it couldn’t be done and I would kill my scoby. So I knew two things…

1. I would prove everyone wrong (or kill a scoby or two in the process… one or the other)
2. I was alone in this experiment of making a maple scoby.

So I put on my big-girl pants and got to work in the kombucha corner of my kitchen.

Fast forward a few seasons, I’m loving my successful experiment of maple kombucha, and I stumble across an intriguing, hot-off-the-press article about findings at the Cornell Maple Program that suggests the public is longing for maple kombucha. Go figure!

Little ole me, sitting here in my little ole farmhouse kitchen, tucked away in little old nowhere… I was doing what the scientific geniuses at Cornell were doing! The article went on to explain that there’s an overwhelmingly positive response from the general public who is loving their maple kombucha. Well, duh.

That’s what I’ve been saying!

This is seriously good stuff guys! And, creating an amazing organic scoby that has only ever lived on pure, all-natural maple syrup? Well, I feel as brilliantly happy as any Cornell genius ever could!

Here are more drinks I love making with maple!

Try this delicious Maple Apple Cider. (A fall favorite of mine.)

I love making Maple Lemonade. (A refreshing summer drink.)

This Maple Switchel is another gut-healthy drink (and it doesn’t require a scoby).

How to make a maple scoby.

I took three approaches to growing a maple scoby.

Well, okay, to be honest I only took two approaches. The third one just happened, and I can take no credit for any effort at all on the third option.

1.  You can convert a current scoby.
2.  You can grow a new scoby.
3.  You can let your kombucha grow a new scoby.

Today we’ll look at all 3 options… the ones you have to work at and the one that takes no brain power at all.

Once you get the hang of this, the sky’s the limit on the amazing kombucha flavors you can start creating. (I share lots of tried-and-true second ferment recipes in Simple DIY Kombucha.)

Converting a scoby from refined sugar to maple syrup

First, I took a new scoby from my established one and started a new batch of kombucha that I fed a little less refined sugar and a little more maple syrup gradually, each time I brewed a new batch. This slowly got the scoby used to a new food source and prevented starving it before it learned to adjust. You can totally work this out in your own estimates and adjustments… just be sure to write it all down. Trust me, you think you’ll remember it, and then you totally don’t. Not that I’ve ever done that.

Or feel free to check out my kombucha Master Class for all the nitty-gritty details. Basically, let me do the trial and error, and make the mistakes, and then teach you all I learned.

In my crash course, Simple DIY Kombucha, you’ll find the exact schedule I followed as I converted my refined sugar scoby over to a 100% maple scoby, all laid out in an easy-to-follow format, that worked for me, over 6 brew cycles. It took about one month and my scoby was thriving on pure maple syrup.

Growing a new scoby with maple syrup

Make your own maple scoby is surprisingly easy and probably the best way to have your own maple-based scoby. Oh, and sidenote–you can follow these same steps for any kind of scoby, fed with any type of  sugar.

You do need a little floater of a tiny piece of scoby in order to grow a new one. I found one in my current brew and used that. If you already make your own kombucha, they are ultra easy to find. There are little floaters of scoby floating around in kombucha all the time. Tiny is fine.

If you don’t brew your own kombucha yet, you’ll have to make a trip to the store and inspect all the unflavored kombuchas for sale. Turn the jars upside down and around until you find the best floating specimen of scoby. Or until the produce manager kicks you out for manhandling the drinks. Whichever happens first.  

Place your tiny scoby “floater” in a little bit of tea that you brew just for it. You’ll want to combine 1/2 cup hot water with 1/4 TB of loose leaf tea (or 1 tea bag). If you’re new to making kombucha, there’s plenty to learn about what teas to use, but for now you’re safe to choose a simple non-flavored black tea.

Check out Simple DIY Kombucha for a break down of the best types of teas to use when brewing kombucha and the ones I personally have had the most success with that you’ve probably never heard of.

When nice and dark, add 1 TB maple syrup and 1/2 cup cold water. Make sure it’s cooled to room temp before adding in the tiny scoby wannabe. That part is super important!

Secure a piece of fabric over the jar, so your little bit of brew can create and take on the good bacteria in the air. Then let natural goodness happen. Ideally, set your jar in a warm area, 68-85°F, but not in direct sunlight, and let it be, untouched, for a week or two.

About a week into your science experiment, you may notice the scoby doing its magic. It will be a clear film across the liquid. Over time, it’ll become thicker and less translucent. Most likely you’ll need to wait a month or so until your scoby is thick enough to actually brew some kombucha.

If you give it 3 weeks and see no difference in your concoction—no sign of scoby growth—you’ll need to toss your little experiment; recite Edison’s brilliant quote, “I have not failed, I’ve only found 10,000 ways that won’t work;” and try again. And don’t worry, I’m positive you won’t need to do this 10,000 times before you succeed.

Letting your maple kombucha grow a scoby

It may not look like much, but that picture above? That right there is Maple Scoby Kombucha Success. On the right/top is the beautiful scoby I grew from scratch. When I first decided to go for this kombucha goal, I thought for sure I would fail, but boy was I wrong. It was super easy and so exciting to watch gut health form and grow right there in a mason jar on my counter.

On the left/bottom is an even crazier success. While I was eagerly trying to grow my own scoby, one started forming totally on its own in another jar of kombucha that I was transitioning to maple syrup. In the second ferment. (Again, we’re not talking about second ferment maple kombucha today. I’ll have to write about that topic soon.) While the jar was totally sealed. I wasn’t trying to do a darn thing but make a bottle of kombucha. Crazy, but true.

The longer time went on and the more I made kombucha over the years, I realized this wasn’t unusual at all. These scobys really do seem to take on a life of their own sometimes.

But really, isn’t that just like life? You labor hard and hope big and then, out of nowhere, you realize another blessing right there in front of you that you didn’t see coming or do anything to deserve. I never would have thought I’d see an analogy for God’s grace in a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast in my kitchen. I never would have thought I’d WANT a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast in my kitchen… but oh was I wrong. On both accounts. 

Fyi, never use a second-ferment scoby as your primary one for new batches. I feed mine to the chicken–they LOVE it–but it’s also great to add to your compost pile.

How long does it take to grow a new scoby?

You can grow a new scoby from scratch in a month or less. If your kitchen is warm it could only take a few weeks.

On the other hand, if your kitchen is cool, the scoby formation could take even longer than a month. In general, if you’re able to keep your kombucha at an average temperature of about 70°F, you’ll have a new scoby in no time, sending out glorious strands of yeast and making oh-so-good-for-you fermented goodness.

If you’d like to monitor your kombucha temperature, that’s extra easy with a handy stick-on thermometer. This is the one I use.

I applaud you that you’ve made it this far into this crazy-long post! You obviously care about your gut health (or you just like to try fun new things), and you’re obviously a fan of maple syrup.

You may want to check out my new book, Sweet Maple. (affiliate link) For a peek inside and a long list of reviews, glance right here.

More kombucha and maple goodness you’ll love:

Go here to find out the full scoop on every product I use for making kombucha.

This article shows you how we cut the cost of making maple syrup IN HALF. Seriously. 

Enjoy 10% off this organic scoby with code SOULYRESTED.

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You can even grab one of these fun stickers or check out this fun drinkware that will help you keep the conversion instructions handy (the insulated mugs have the conversion information on the back).

In this podcast episode I walked through 7 health benefits of all-natural maple syrup.

And in this podcast episode and this detailed article right here you can dive deep into natural sugars (there are MANY options!) and find the perfect option for your family.

What was maple syrup originally used for?

I explain in my book, Sweet Maple, that refined sugar, like we know it today is not the way sugar is supposed to be. And it’s definitely not the way it originally was. Instead, native americas relied on maple sugar as their primary sweetener, made from the sap of maple trees. They would use maple sugar to sweeten their food and their drinks, and because it required no refrigeration it was easy to use and transport.

What else is in Sweet Maple? 3 years of my life and a whole lot of sweetness…Since I’ve spent almost three years pulling together so much maple goodness for you in one book, I had to also make autographed copies available, from my sugarbush directly to you. So grab your own autographed copy of Sweet Maple, or dive into my masterclass, Making Maple Syrup, if you want to know every detail about all things maple.

Can you bake with maple syrup instead of sugar?

You can absolutely bake with maple syrup in place of refined sugar. In fact, it’s a greatly superior choice, nutritionally and taste-wise. Scroll down to grab my conversion chart, so you can do so easily.

Is maple syrup a good substitute for sugar?

Maple syrup is all-natural, it’s filled with minerals and polyphenols, and it offers a rich, full-bodied sweetness that other sugars just can’t come close to. So yes, maple syrup is definitely a great substitute for sugar.

How much pure maple syrup do I substitute for sugar?

Some links in this article are affiliate links.

Substitute Maple Syrup for Sugar!

Scroll right to the bottom if you’re just here for the printable conversion chart that will help you use maple syrup in place of sugar in all of your recipes. And read more about baking with maple syrup here as well.

One book = three years

Yes, you read that right. One book = three years of my life. But it’s all worth it when I hear back from folks like you who tell me how Sweet Maple is a must-have…

How Sweet Maple has transformed your kitchen.

How you have some of the 30 tappable trees and live in an area of the country where you can tap and you never even knew it.

How you had no idea how easy (and fun!) it was to make 100% all-natural maple sugar.

How you learned you could tap just one tree and reap so many benefits by making sapinade (learn how in this video about making lemonade with sap.)

How Sweet Maple  has given you hundreds of ideas of ways to replace refined sugar with all-natural sugar. Every day. See some of the reviews right here.

What’s in Sweet Maple?

For three years, I’ve poured my love of this all-natural deliciousness into creating Sweet Maple. I am in awe whenever I think about it–the fact that this pure yummy goodness is flowing through the trees on my homestead, and maybe in trees in your backyard. So for three years I’ve been:

• Perfecting delicious maple-infused recipes my family loves,

• Documenting every detail I wish we knew before we tapped our first tree,

• Talking with folks around the world who are successfully tapping into the goodness of more than 30 trees that can be tapped for syrup (at least one is found in every single state in the United States).

• Pulling together fascinating research on the scientific findings of maple syrup. (Listen in to this podcast episode for all the details of the science behind amazing maple syrup.)

And now it’s available!

And now, today, I’m introducing you to this gem… now available for pre-order. I hope you want one on your coffee table, or on your kitchen cookbook shelf, and maybe a few to gift to family and friends.

I’ve written not one but two articles about gifting my book or other great products to those maple fanatics in your life:

How to give a treasured gift of one of these real food cookbooks.

Gift giving ideas for the maple fanatic in your life.

Which is healthier, sugar or maple syrup?

If you’d like some intense insight into multiple health benefits of maple syrup, I think you’ll enjoy this podcast I recorded recently.

When I recently surveyed my audience I was shocked that only 22% of you all say maple syrup is your sweetener of choice.

Given that a lot of you all follow me because I teach you how to make maple syrup and how to bake with it, this number, as small as it is, is surely astronomically higher than the general population. This has to change guys!

So here’s my gift to you!

I’m so excited for you to change up how you do things in your kitchen for the better, one tiny spoonful of all-natural maple at a time, that I made you a little conversion chart to help you substitute maple syrup for sugar in everything you make.

Feel free to bookmark this page and refer back to it often, whenever you want to substitute maple syrup for sugar. Or pin the chart right here to refer to later, or download a printer-friendly version in my Subscriber Resource Library, where you’ll find lots of ebooks, delicious recipes, and maple resources. Sign up for that right here.

Any little thing that’ll make all-natural goodness a bit easier is a very good thing, no? So pin, or print, or save this conversion chart and start substituting maple syrup for sugar today. Then hop over here to find out the items I couldn’t live without in my farmhouse kitchen.

You can use maple syrup in any recipe.

Start substituting maple syrup for refined sugar in any and every recipe!

Looking for the best 100% all-natural maple syrup at the best prices, so you can stock up and use it in all your baking? You will love this deliciously amazing maple syrup. Use code SOULYRESTED and save $$$.

HINT: be sure to pin this post or save it in some way so you can find this deal again when you’re ready to reorder.

More maple syrup inspired things:

How to make Maple Cream (my favorite way to enjoy maple!)

How to make a delicious marinade for meats with maple syrup

How to make maple ice cream

How to make DIY Coke (without all the junk you find in soda)

How to make Maple Chocolate Iced “Coffee” (spoiler: it’s not coffee at all. It’s decaf herbal tea!)

-> Remember to grab one of these fun stickers or check out this fun drinkware that will help you keep the conversion instructions handy too.

Listen to me, and eat what is good,
    and you will delight in the richest of fare.

Isaiah 55:2

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Enter to win a Classic Grain Mill & free access to Fresh Flour University!

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Ugly Apples & Maple Syrup

Our apples aren’t pretty. These trees are old y’all. But they’re wonderful for baking and, well, drinking. Scroll to the bottom for the simply amazing recipe, brought to you by your crockpot and, of course, maple syrup.  And don’t worry, ugly old apples–or a dutch oven over a roaring kitchen fire–are not required.

You can also make extra and can it for later (more about that below too).

Fall in New England Requires Maple Apple Cider

The crisp, windy fall days have made my clothes-line-drying heart happy. (Join in on the comments on my facebook post about the topic this week right here.)

I explained in my Tuesday fb live this week that it’s been an unusually wet and windy New England fall, and while we are usually spoiled with gorgeous foliage for a month or longer, this year it came and went very quickly, so I sure am glad I took a few pictures while it was here. (See this post for 5 simple tips for taking perfect fall photos. Or pin it here.)

Oh, if you missed it you may wanna hop over for that fb live; I gave you the low-down on how to know if you have a sugar maple in your yard and why you really wanna know. And if you DO have a maple tree, by all means, read all about how to make maple syrup–the secret ingredient in today’s recipe! And join me live on facebook at 9:50 a.m. EST every Tuesday morning.

So it’s been a busy week. If you follow on instagram you joined in, via daily stories, as we moved two cords of split wood this week, enjoyed some amazing sourdough bread, and marked some trees that we’ll be tapping this winter (if you don’t follow on instagram, please hop over and join me.)

Oh, and then there was the 100 bales of hay we gathered, brought home, and stashed in Scout’s barn. It’s been a tiring week, y’all. It’s time to make some amazing homemade apple cider, no?

The Secret to Easy Apple Cider

My secret to keeping the cider extra easy? I simply wash and quarter the apples and toss them in the crockpot, seeds, cores, stems and all.

My secret to keeping it all-natural? I use maple syrup. Mmmmmmm. It’s my firm belief that everything is better with maple. If you need a resource for possibly the best maple syrup, consider ordering this family’s syrup. It truly is top-notch.

If you’re going to be making a lot of maple apple cider… or just love to use maple in the kitchen, like I do… you’ll want to check out this syrup. This maple syrup right here is delicious, all-natural syrup.

The the added bonus to this simple-easy recipe? Your home will smell amazing all. day. long. Recently we served our cider over the fire when company was here for an extra-special treat, cause a long, cold New England winter is setting in, folks, we need all the simple little joys we can savor.

How to Can Apple Cider

As amazingly easy as this apple cider is to make (full recipe below), it’s almost just as easy to can.

If you make extra batches and want to savor this deliciousness all winter long, it really couldn’t be easier, since cider is naturally high in acid it doesn’t need any added sugar or lemon juice to preserve it and it’s just a simple 10 minutes in a water bath canner.

1. Bring your quart jars, filled with water, to a boil in your water bath canner, also filled with water around the jars.
2. Heat your apple cider to a boil in a separate pot. (No need to let it cook at all. As soon as it’s to a boil, it’s ready to can.)
3. Remove hot jars from the canner, emptying the water into the canner, so you have enough water in the canner, once the filled jars are in, to cover the jars with water by at least a few inches.
4. Fill hot jars with hot cider and place canning lids and rims on each jar, snuggly but no need to use full arm force (it’s called “finger tight”).
5. Place the jars into the boiling water in the water bath canner, making sure the water covers the jars by at least an inch or two.
6. Process 5 minutes. (This does vary with higher altitudes.)
7. Turn off the canner and leave the jars in the hot water for another 5 minutes.
8. Remove jars carefully and let cool.

Of course in addition to make delicious Maple Apple Cider, you might want to consider canning apple slices. In a recent podcast episode I share exactly how I can fruit in 100% all-natural maple syrup:

“Celebrate… at the end of the year, when you gather in your crops from the field.” Exodus 23:16

 

Other Recipes & Tips You’ll Love:

How to Bake with Maple Syrup (seriously. You need to know this!)

How to Cook Pork Steaks (better than sirloin!)

Make Your Own Taco Seasoning (include a recipe for making it in bulk!)

All my Favorite Tools in my Farmhouse Kitchen (the things I wouldn’t want to live without)

 

Talk to me!

If you have any questions, leave a comment below. And please tag me on ig to show me your delicious cider @souly.rested.

 

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Thousands of years ago Hippocrates said that “all disease begins in the gut.” Hmmmm, he was kinda a genius.

Dietitians and food scientists today all tout the importance of a healthy gut. And this drink, as delicious as it is, crazy enough is a hard worker too that impresses all of those experts as well as a lot of people here in my own kitchen. Because maple switchel replenishes electrolytes (like gatorade, but all-naturally) and encourages gut health (like Hippocrates was talking about) it’s a great recipe to try today.*

What is “switchel”?

Switchel is an all-natural, probiotic energy drink that’s been around for centuries. 

Switchel, also known as “haymaker’s punch” or “ginger water,” was a homemade electrolyte-filled drink long before Gatorade was ever concocted in a lab. Because it is a  fermented drink that contains apple cider vinegar (along with water, a natural sweetener, and a flavoring like ginger root), some feel it’s a bit of an acquired taste. But I loved it from my first introduction to it. It’s startlingly refreshing and down right yummy. And—bonus!—your kids might love it as an alternative to sugary sodas and juices.

While it does pack an extra punch of nutrition if you can make it with fresh maple sap, if you don’t have maple sap, no sweat. Switchel is great with plain-old water.

When Ma Ingalls made it for Pa at harvest time she of course didn’t have any maple sap. Remember reading about Ma’s ginger water in The Long Winter? Guess what! That was switchel! Laura wrote,

“Ma had sent them ginger-water. She had sweetened the cool well-water with sugar, flavored it with vinegar, and put in plenty of ginger to warm their stomachs so they could drink till they were not thirsty. Ginger-water would not make them sick, as plain cold water would when they were so hot.”

DISCLOSURE: This post contains affiliate links.

Why I love it

While homemade, all-natural soda gives us a delicious carbonated drink, it doesn’t boost our gut health.

Everyone’s talking these days about good gut health. And the more I read about it, the more I was convinced that I needed to do something to encourage good gut health. I mean my gut is home to trillions of bacteria (good and bad), surely doing something to make sure those numbers are tipped in my favor will make a difference in my overall health, right?

So I searched out a friend with a spare scoby (although you can buy them) and started my first ever kombucha. And I found a giant jar perfect for housing it all on my counter. (Heck, you can even buy the whole kit in one place.) And I cleared a few things in a corner of the counter to make room for my new kitchen addition. And I looked up recipes for kombucha. And I made a trek to the store for some special ingredients. And I ordered special jars to hold my delicious fermented concoctions. (Whew! That was kinda exhausting.)

And now I wait.

EDIT TO ADD: Fast forward two years now and I have been making kombucha every single day since that very first batch. I can’t imagine life without a glass of this delicious, gut-friendly, carbonated treat every day. While I still enjoy making maple switchel, kombucha is a love of my life. Once I worked through lots of questions and perfected lots of issues I was having, simply because I didn’t have anyone teaching me how to do it, homemade kombucha is the easiest, best thing I do in my kitchen. For real. If you want to know more, you really want to go here.

But unlike kombucha, maple switchel is instant gratification. Well, kinda. (Keep reading.)

So while I wait on my kombucha, I thought I’d share my recipe for maple switchel with you today.

If you wanna know more about how to make perfect DIY kombucha, though, go here.

Of course one reason I love maple switchel is that it’s an extra treat–and extra boost of antioxidants!–if I make it with fresh maple sap during sugaring season. Sadly, all sugarmaking wrapped up here a few weeks ago. Even more sadly, we wrapped things up early, with a week or two left of flowing sap, because maybe someone burnt a pan over the fire. Cause maybe someone left it unattended. And then maybe someone went out and bought a new pan. And then maybe someone burnt the new pan. Just hypothetical of course. But we did boil down almost 11 gallons of maple syrup this year, so I’m pretty happy, even if I do have a few hypothetically burnt pans.

If the thought of tapping trees and making crazy delicious all-natural sugar intrigues you, you’d enjoy this post about how we make maple syrup here on our homestead, step-by-step.

If you want to try tapping a tree, check out this list I’ve put together, after many years of research, of 31 trees that can be used for sugarmaking.

If you like anything about maple, click here–or on the image of the book–to instantly read or download my totally free, no-strings-attached ebook, Maple Goodness. 

Or maybe you’d be interested to know that you can make your own all-natural maple sugar–right in your own kitchen–from maple syrup that you purchase (if you don’t have any plans to tap trees)? This post lists ten reasons maple sugar is the best sweetener you can use (not to mention my favorite).

But back to switchel… What I love about switchel is that it’s a fermented drink that doesn’t require a scoby or kefir grains. In fact, almost everyone has exactly what they need to make switchel right there in their kitchen all the time. And—huge bonus!—it offers almost instant gratification. Well, okay, in 20 minutes from start to finish. It’s a lot faster than the current kombucha batch that’s been sitting on my counter for a week and still not ready.

Take a second to subscribe for my weekly-ish note from our homestead. Because simple joys require hard work, my goal is always to encourage you in a simple joy you may like to read about or pursue for yourself today. As soon as you subscribe, you can access, download, or print out any of my many ebooks, but especially One Sweet Switchel.

It almost sailed into obscurity.

Of course it’s not just me touting the awesomeness of this stuff. Fact is, switchel has been rapidly gaining in popularity since some folks declared it an “up and coming” sensation a few years ago in a little natural products expo in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. Yep, tucked away quietly in the same little harbor where Francis Scott Key worried that our beautiful flag would never be seen again, this sweet little drink that our grandfather’s loved centuries ago started flying high in popularity once more. And to think that it almost disappeared into obscurity! I sure am glad it didn’t!

But let me know if you agree. If you try this recipe for maple switchel, please reach out to me on facebook,or instagram and tell me what you think. I have a few daughters who don’t care for it at all, but it truly is one of my favorite drinks. So I’d love to know what your family decides!

By the way, if you try your hand at making some switchel and, like me, you hate to throw away the ginger when it surely still has more “life” in it, try what I do. I boil the used ginger for 10 more minutes in a cup of water. I strain out the ginger, steep a tea bag in the water, add lemon juice and maple sugar to taste, and enjoy a perfect cup of lemon ginger tea.

I should say, any drink that’s sweetened with maple is a good choice, given that all-natural maple sweeteners are the healthiest sweetener you can choose. I explain the science behind syrup in a recent podcast episode (see below, and be sure to follow on your favorite podcast player, all linked right here). I love sweetening my tea with a little chunk of maple sugar, and maple lemonade is truly the best way to drink lemonade. Ever. (The you-really-gotta-try-this recipe for maple lemonade is right here.)

Got syrup?

Need a good source to purchase delicious, all-natural maple syrup?

If I didn’t have my own sugarbush this is where I would be buying my syrup. This family-run sugarhouse makes some amazing all-natural syrup. Use code SOULYRESTED and save $$$.

So what’s the big deal about probiotic drinks?

The list goes on and on of reasons we should ingest all-natural probiotics to improve our health. To name a few, natural probiotic drinks can:

reduce anxiety and depression.

enhance our immunity to disease.

brighten our skin and improve acne.

improve digestion.

boost energy.

help with weight loss.

So what’s the big deal about electrolytes?

Yet maple switchel doesn’t just introduce natural probiotics into your diet, it also offers you electrolytes!

If I’ve just run a marathon (ha, yeah right), had a bad cold, or had to take certain medicines, my electrolyte balance will be off. Anyone who’s had this problem might constantly:

feel thirsty

have frequent headaches or nausea

be extremely fatigued

Once electrolytes are replenished, all those symptoms improve. If you choose to replenish electrolytes by drinking a Gatorade, you’ll also be downing a ton of sugar and calories. But if you choose to do this with a Maple Switchel, you’ll be filling your body with a whole lotta good. First off, you’ll get your electrolytes because both the maple syrup and the apple cider vinegar are naturally loaded with potassium-rich electrolytes. But then consider all the rest of the amazingness you’ll get from every ingredient… just read on…

And watch this fb live video for more info about this yumminess:

The lowdown on maple switchel

If we look at each ingredient individually, it’s really quite crazy just how amazingly good this drink is for us. And this list isn’t even considering the huge extra bonus this drink will offer during sugaring season if you use fresh maple sap to make your switchel! Bonus, if you happen to have the added luxury of sap ice forming in your buckets (or all around the buckets, as ours did a few extra cold days this year) toss a piece into your switchel.

•  Ginger

It’s crazy y’all just how good ginger is for you. First of all, it’s a natural inflammation reducer. Might not sound like a big deal, right? Until you realize that most diseases have inflammation as their root cause. And, hello, skin problems, muscle pains, and digestive issues often develop because of inflammation issues? Seriously? Who knew that adding fresh ginger to our diet could wind up clearing up acne, warding off tons of diseases, reducing our need for popping pain medicine, and helping our gut?

Next time you feel a headache coming on, skip that ibuprofen and mix up some switchel instead!

•  Apple cider vinegar

Apple cider vinegar, one of the most common household items in every kitchen, is like a miracle drug. It’s loaded with potassium, magnesium, and probiotics. It balances your pH levels and serves as a tonic for your liver and lymphatic system while literally detoxing your body. And crazy enough you can even make your own DIY apple cider vinegar from apple scraps, nonetheless! My friend Jill, over at The Prairie Homestead, gives you the full scoop right here.

•  Maple syrup

Because maple syrup is made from tree sap, it’s not processed like refined cane sugar is. It’s literally tree sap that is collected, boiled, and bottled. That’s it. Thanks to it’s all-natural state, maple syrup is loaded with antioxidants and minerals. If you need to buy some maple syrup, I highly recommend this this is where I would be buying my syrup. (Use code SOULYRESTED to save $$.) I also love this sample package of different grades of syrup. (What an awesome gift!)

You’re not gonna find any of the above in a bottle of gatorade you grab off a convenience store shelf. Not even close. So I hope you enjoy this unique drink and all of its therapeutic properties! It truly is one of the most inexpensive ways—definitely the most delicious way—you can get your fill of probiotics today.

So keep scrolling for the recipe!

* Please note, I’m not a doctor or nutritionist, nor would I ever claim to be. (Ha! Anyone who knows me, knows I couldn’t fool you if I tried.) This post is simply a collection of facts I have garnered over the years and a summary of my own personal experiences. I just felt like I should get that off my chest, probably thanks to all those years I worked with a bunch of lawyers who loved any reason for legal language.

Maple Sap Switchel Recipe

Ingredients

8 cups of maple sap (or tap water is delicious as well)

4 Tbsp grated ginger

3/4 cup maple syrup

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

Directions

• Heat 2 cups of sap.
• Remove from heat and steep the ginger for 20 minutes.
• Strain out the ginger and mix in remaining sap (or water), maple syrup, and the apple cider vinegar. Enjoy at room temperature or chilled.

Folks say it can last for weeks in the fridge, but I wouldn’t know. I mean how could someone let this yumminess just sit for weeks? I can only testify that it lasts very well for a whole day in the fridge. Once. Between myself and my gingerale-loving daughters, this stuff is usually gone as quickly as I make it.

Print

Maple sap switchel

Ingredients

• 8 cups of maple sap or tap water is delicious as well
• 4 Tbsp grated ginger
• 3/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

Instructions

• Heat 2 cups of sap.
• Remove from heat and steep the ginger for 20 minutes.
• Strain out the ginger and mix in remaining sap (or water), maple syrup, and the apple cider vinegar. Enjoy at room temperature or chilled.

Other drink recipes you’ll love:

Homemade all-natural Soda!

Maple Apple Cider (in the crockpot!)

How to Make Maple Kombucha

5 Best Drinks when you’re sick

The post This probiotic drink with maple syrup may even be a hit with the kids! first appeared on Souly Rested.