Shantyboat Cuisine

Truth be told in the last two years I’ve been able to get out on my own little shantyboat less than a half dozen times.   My goals were certainly higher, but life gets in the way so often.  Honestly, that’s a part of the reason I study, build and write about shantyboats, life has just been too crazy and I am working toward a future that includes much more boat/river time.

In the meantime, I try to fit in elements of that world into my life today.  I’m building a small boat, I’m always reading up on boats and river life, and, at times, I try to cook in the shantyboat style.

What the hell does that mean?  It’s affordable, and it’s healthy, for your body and your soul, and finally, you go all in and do it yourself.

So, in the weeks and months to come, I’ll share a few stories, mine and through links on other sites, about this “off the boat” shantyboat journey… through food and drink.

As a brief first step, I love making drinks such as Kombucha, Kefir drinks, and fermented ciders and such.  Today’s recipe is Ginger Bug Soda.   Ginger bug is an old style drink based on ginger that ferments enough to get some carbonation, and sometimes, a kick.   There are ways to

For those who want to make due with what they have, here’s a shantyboat friendly plan.

For something that will look nicer on your counter here’s a slick setup.

My wife couldn’t be more supportive, and for me to be supportive of her, I went the fancy route… a 2 liter fermenting jar from MortierPilon.com. It looks quite nice on the kitchen counter, in your boat or at home. Again, you can go cheaper if aesthetics don’t matter to you.   Here’s the first step, first day. I’ll let you know how it turns out.

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There are quite a few recipes for this drink, including one in each of the videos above, but they basically come down to this:  Sugar… water… ginger.  Click on the videos to see more.

 

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Author: Bryan Lowe

A website about Shantyboats and affordable living on the water. More than 800 stories to date, and growing.