… of the ginger and fruit variety.

Fruit flies. Hate them. HATE. But they were drawn in by my ginger bug, which I fully understand. I am wondering now, however, if I even did this right. When I first started my bug back in May (the same day I started my sourdough starter, Breadna Krabappel- the GB remains nameless), the instruction I read, wherever that was, said to put a cloth or other breathable top on it, and it would be active in 6-8 days in favorable conditions. It is finally active, just as of over this past weekend, with itty bitty, albeit visible, bubbles- not the super-active foam I was expecting. And no yeasty smell, which to me is concerning. See below:

It is now strained and sitting with a tight lid on my counter- I would put it in the fridge if it was more active and I felt like I needed to dull its activity until I’m ready to use it, but there’s simply no need. The blog I read today suggests that I should have had a tight lid on it this whole time, and I’m now questioning whether this is even right and if it will work to make a nice, bubbly soda. I keep trying to burp it, thinking I’ll get a little *psssshhhhh* when I pop it open, but I get nothing.

Anyway, I’m going to make some sodas this week regardless- planning pineapple, strawberry, and peach- and see how it goes. I’m going to get some Georgia peaches from the Tree Ripe Fruit Co when they make a stop at one of my family’s favorite nurseries this week. Fun fact: did you know that if you put peaches in your refrigerator before they’ve hit peak ripeness, that’s what makes them mealy? I’ve spent my entire adult, peach-purchasing life thinking I had just wasted money on shitty peaches when I get a mealy one, but it’s been user error this whole time! The more you know… Anyway, now anytime I buy peaches, I just put them in a brown paper bag when I get them home, check on them every day or two, and put them in the fridge once I’m satisfied with their taste and level of juiciness.

The fruit flies. That is another matter entirely. They are the bane of my existence during the summer months- them, and the creatures destroying my garden, of course. I have made sure that everyone in my house knows not to leave food sitting out, there is no fruit outside of my refrigerator, and I run my garbage disposal at least twice a day to make sure there’s nothing down the drain attracting them. I made a trap with ACV and dish soap, and I have one of those little plug-in UV light sticky traps also. And still, they persist, the wee devils.

So a few days ago, I bought a pineapple from the grocery store- decidedly unripe, all green except for at the very top- and knew I wanted to use the rind for this strawberry top and pineapple rind juice recipe I had found. This is perfect, I thought, because I have a 2L Cambro full of strawberry tops from after picking (waste not, want not, says I) that need to be used. I inadvertently left the damned pineapple in my car, inside the plastic grocery bag, on a nearly 100 degree June day, and voila, now I have a whole fermented pineapple (facepalm) that likely no one will eat, so I have to make that into maybe some tepache. Being adaptable to my own f-ups is key to living the way I do. Anyway, one of the main things I wanted to do with that pineapple was save the top to see if I could get it growing. I’ve never been successful at that in the past, but I saw a video in my FB feed the other day with some tips and I’m going to give it yet another go. I’ll update if that ever turns into anything. The point of this is that now, while I’m trying to discourage the fruit fly activity and decrease their population in my kitchen, I am also actively supporting their existence by providing a nice, juicy pineapple crown for their nomming pleasure. Damn it.

So here I am, it is now Wednesday – the one night every week when I get a blissfully quiet hour and a half all to myself – and I have so much planned for this afternoon that I’m seriously considering bailing early from work so I can fit everything in and relax before the boys get home. Gardening, baking, juice making, a quick grocery stop, and I have to drop by my bestie’s house for some eggs…

Wednesday has now come and gone(full disclosure, it takes me an average of about 3 days to write a whole entry). I did my quick grocery stop and dropped by bestie’s for the eggs, but I did no gardening, I did no baking. All I did was make a batch of candied bacon that I plan on using for I don’t even know what yet. Scones, bread, cookies, and cinnamon rolls are all possibilities for this weekend. FFS. I need to wrap this post up before I drag it out to next week. I will share more about my ginger bug soda efforts after the weekend – promise.

Best,