Fast fermented Finnish lemonade

By Sari Huhtala

Growing up my mother always had a big red bucket on the counter in the spring time. Back then it seemed like this strange concoction with water, lemon rinds and raisins that magically turned into a refreshing, fizzy drink called sima.

In Finland, sima is served up as a May Day drink, and throughout the summer months as a delightful sauna beverage. Since we had a sauna pretty much every day of our childhood, we drank a lot of sima. For May Day we had the extra treat of homemade tippaleipä donuts with sima.

It took me all these years to start making sima myself, and it’s surprisingly simple, and good for you too, as a fermented lemonade-type drink, sort of like mead.

So, when the kids came to visit recently, I served up sima after their sauna, and it rekindled memories of Finland for them, while providing a bit of a health boost.

My mother passed on to me the traditional way of making sima, that she remembers from her childhood. I tried out a simpler no-boil version. I’ll provide two different methods for making sima, both of which are wonderfully refreshing.

Traditional sima

Makes about 4 cups (double up ingredients if you are making larger batches)

• 4 cups of water
• ½ cup of sugar (opt for organic, raw sugar instead of chemical white sugar)
• 1 lemon (choose organic whenever possible to avoid nasty pesticides)
• A few raisins
• A pinch of active dry yeast (about 1/16 of a tsp)

Wash and peel the lemon. Remove the white pith from the lemon rind. Removing the pith eliminates the extra flavour profile the pith might provide. Save the lemon for extracting the juice later. Place lemon peel, water and sugar into a small pot. Bring to a boil, and boil on low for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and pour water and rinds into a 4-cup mason jar. Squeeze the juice from the lemon into the water. Allow to cool until warm to touch. Add the yeast and raisins. Stir to combine. Place a towel over the jar and keep on counter at room temperature until the raisins float to the surface, one to two days. Once the raisins are on top, strain the sima into a bottle to remove lemon rind and raisins. Add a pinch of sugar to the bottle. The yeast will eat the sugar and increase carbon dioxide.

Place the bottle in the fridge for at least 24 hours to increase carbonation. Storing it for about three days in the fridge before consuming will turn it into a nice fizzy drink. The longer it is kept in the fridge, the more it increases carbonation.

Although half a cup of sugar sounds like a lot, the yeast eats up the sugars, which turns it into a fermented beverage, so it is not a very sweet drink. It’s similar to kombucha.

Quick method for sima

Makes about 4 cups (double up ingredients if you are making larger batches)

• 4 cups of water (filtered or spring water is best)
• ½ cup of sugar or raw honey (opt for organic, raw sugar instead of chemical white sugar)
• 1 lemon (choose organic whenever possible to avoid nasty pesticides)
• A few raisins
• A pinch of active dry yeast (about 1/16 of a tsp)

Wash lemon and cut into slices and place in a 4-cup mason jar. Add the sugar and the raisins. Bring 4 cups of water to a near boil, then fill the mason jar with the water. Stir to dissolve the sugar. Let cool to room temperature, then add the yeast and stir. Cover with a tea towel (you can add an elastic around the rim if fruit flies are a concern). Set aside on counter until raisins float to the top, about one to two days. Strain into a bottle to remove lemon and raisins once raisins are floating, cap, and place in refrigerator for at least 24 hours to increase carbonation. Storing it for about three days in the fridge before consuming will turn it into a nice fizzy drink. The longer it is kept in the fridge, the more it increases carbonation.

Sari Huhtala is the creator, publisher and editor of Alive and Fit Magazine, which was created in 2007.  She has over 25 years of experience in journalism and over 15 years of experience as a certified personal trainer and fitness instructor, and is a holistic chef, offering holistic cooking and edible wilds workshops. She is an organic farmer, wild-crafter and grandmother, who has spent over 20 years navigating a holistic, healthy path for her family. Interested in attending a ridiculously easy path to healthy eating holistic cooking class? Reach out to her at friends@thelaughingforest.ca