Toast Tuesday: Pruno

Well, since I haven’t done anything too outlandish since that time I danced on the tabletop, got kicked out of the library for talking too loud, and squeezed every package of charmin on the toilet paper aisle, I do not have a prison pruno story to tell. Today, anyway…  No mother, I do not have any plans to get arrested or go to prison. Really. Ever.

Are you asking what pruno is and why I am, or am not, going to prison?  Pruno is the fermented alcohol concoction that prisoners make with what they can find to smuggle out of the cafeteria.

Sugar + yeast + water = alcohol, and in most cases is quite yummy, at least the ones we’ve tried thus far. How do you think you’d feel if you made a fermentation of grape jelly, ketchup, prunes, potatoes, and toilet water? Sick? You are probably right.

Not only does that above concoction sound awful, potatoes are a great safe have for botulism. Per our author, on two separate occasions at a correctional facility in Arizona, a bunch of prisoners ended up in the infirmary after getting food poisoning from their potato pruno. Potatoes have been banned in that prison. That’ll teach ’em.

Since I’m not going to prison, my chances of trying real pruno are slim. So today I’m going to tell you about another homemade concoction. I’ve been experimenting with a ginger bug to make homemade ginger beer. I tend to keep my house kinda cool in the winter, so I’m just entering the season when I’ll get good fermentation. I’ll keep you posted on how it progresses. Last summer I made a really nice grapefruit and thyme soda and a crazy kick-ass spicy ginger beer.

Experiment.

I’m far from perfecting these, and I’m not sure I can even say I’m getting closer. What I have perfected is experimenting. In the past I’ve had success with a lavender lemonade and a cucumber lime soda.

Want some other fun fermentables? Don’t forget our friend kombucha. I haven’t had a scoby for awhile, but when I did I posted some fun cocktails. It’s been awhile, maybe time to dust those off again.

Be sure to see what Meg drank this week.  I’m wishing you all a very terrific Tuesday!