This recipe is a real taste of the Kootenays.

Wild rosehips grow all over our region, and many local foragers wait until after the first frost to pick them. By early November, the fruit has softened and is ready to become something delicious.

Rosehips are naturally rich in vitamin C and colourful plant compounds, making them a timely ingredient as we head into cold-and-flu season. They also create the prettiest coral-pink water kefir soda with a tangy flavour that tastes a little like a floral apple.

Fresh lemon brightens the rosehips, while a small amount of honey balances their tartness and helps build natural fizz during the second ferment. The finished soda tastes wonderfully wild and local, but dried rosehips work just as well for anyone who cannot forage their own.

Why You’ll Love This Rosehip Water Kefir Soda

This homemade water kefir recipe is bright, tangy and gently floral without tasting like perfume. The honey softens the sharper flavours, and the lemon keeps everything fresh.

It is also a beautiful way to use an ingredient that grows abundantly throughout the Kootenays. As the rosehips infuse, the water kefir develops a warm coral-pink colour that looks especially pretty poured over ice.