Pinecone Soda (Wild Yeast Soda from Pinecones)
Pinecone soda uses the natural yeast on unripe pinecones and sugar water to create a naturally fermented soda. We’ll share the recipe and tips for ingredients.
This pinecone soda recipe is adapted from Pascal Baudar‘s book, “The Wildcrafting Brewer“. It’s a little messy due to the sticky sap, but a fun wild food experiment.
Where to Find the Pinecones
Getting the green cones might be the toughest part of the recipe. You want unripe pinecones that have plenty of sticky sap. Usually, these will be near the tops of the trees.
Watch for shorter trees, downward sloping branches, or terrain that gives you access to tree tops. A ladder or fruit picking pole to reach cones may also be helpful.
Look for green cones in late spring and early summer. As the summer goes on, cones mature and turn brown. The yeast and sap dry out and won’t work for fermenting.
Rinse off debris if needed, but don’t wash the cones.
How to Make Pinecone Soda
All you need to make your natural soda is:
- Green (unripe) pinecones
- Sugar – granulated white or brown sugar
- Good quality non-chlorinated water
To make the pinecone soda:
Start with a half gallon (~2 liter) glass jar and pour in 3/4 cup (150 g) sugar. Fill the jar with water, and add some unripe pinecones. Place a lid on the jar tight enough to keep dust out, but loose enough for gases to escape.
Each day, tighten the lid and shake the jar 2-3 times per day for about 10 seconds each time. (Loosen the lid again after shaking.) You should see bubbles within 2 to 3 days.
Once you see bubbles, you start working with your soda. Continue shaking each day, and taste test. When you like the flavor, remove the cones, strain, bottle, and refrigerate. Best if consumed within a week or so.
If you’d like to make a mildly alcoholic drink, you can add extra sugar, and let it ferment longer. The sugars eventually convert to alcohol.
For bottling, use bail top bottles or recycled plastic soda bottles. You want a container that is strong enough to hold up to carbonation build up.
Notes on Pinecone Soda Ingredients
Pascal’s preferred pinecone for the drink is pinyon pinecones, with white pine being the runner up. All Pinus genus trees are edible, but not all are as flavorful.
You can use cones from trees in the family Pinaceae, except cedar, cypress, and yew. We review edible conifers (and those to avoid) in the Pinecone Jam article.
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I used spruce cones, because that’s what we have readily available. The green cones have a floral flavor with a piney finish. They do not have a strong “Pine-sol” type flavor. I hope to try this again with different types of cones.
For water, his water of choice is natural spring water, which often has trace minerals to feed the wild yeast. We use well water that’s gone through the Berkey water filter.
Do not use tap water with chlorine. Chlorine kills yeast, so your soda will not ferment. If you have chlorinated water, either remove the chlorine or buy some filtered water for brewing.
I like to use organic cane sugar for fermenting, because I think it gives a cleaner flavor profile. If you like, you can experiment with other types of sugar, like maple sugar.
Don’t try to make naturally fermented soda with sugar substitutes. The yeast needs the sugar to eat and multiply and burb out carbon dioxide to make your soda fizzy.
Cleaning up the Sap
Green pinecones have sap, and the sap will get on your hands and equipment. Plan accordingly, and take steps to minimize the mess.
If you like, you can use disposable gloves to handle the cones. The best way to get the sap off of kitchen tools and containers is rubbing alcohol. Sap wears off eventually, but it’s quite sticky in the meantime.
Print Friendly Recipe
PrintPinecone Soda
Pinecone soda uses the natural yeast on unripe pinecones and sugar water to create a naturally fermented soda.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 2 quarts 1x
- Category: Beverage
Ingredients
- Green (unripe) pinecones – about a handful
- 3/4 cup (150 g) granulated white or brown sugar
- 2 quarts (about 2 liters) good quality non-chlorinated water
Instructions
Start with a half gallon (~2 liter) glass jar and pour in 3/4 cup (150 g) sugar. Fill the jar with water, and add some unripe pinecones. Place a lid on the jar tight enough to keep dust out, but loose enough for gases to escape.
Each day, tighten the lid and shake the jar 2-3 times per day for about 10 seconds each time. (Loosen the lid again after shaking.) You should see bubbles within 2 to 3 days.
Once you see bubbles, you start working with your soda. Continue shaking each day, and taste test. When you like the flavor, remove the cones, strain, bottle, and refrigerate. Best if consumed within a week or so.
Notes
If you’d like to make a mildly alcoholic drink, you can add extra sugar, and let it ferment longer. The sugars eventually convert to alcohol.
For bottling, use bail top bottles or recycled plastic soda bottles. You want a container that is strong enough to hold up to carbonation build up.
More Wildcrafting Resources
The Herbs & Wildcrafting page lists dozens of article about using wild plants, including:
Wild Yeast Brewing – Books About Wild Beer, Wine, Mead and More – these are some of my favorite books and courses about using wild yeast for fermenting.
Online Botany & Wildcrafting Course at The Herbal Academy – this is a great introduction to using wild plants.
Real Healing Potions – Basic Herbal Medicine Preparations – my sons enjoyed role playing games when they were younger. They were so excited to learn that the plants in the yard can be used to make real medicine.
The Herbal Academy has an assortment of courses on herbs and wildcrafting. There are courses from beginner to advances, and courses on specific interests, such as treating pets or creating natural skin care.