Our family doesn’t often eat tropical fruit (we try to keep our food miles as low as possible), but sometimes we can’t resist a juicy-looking pineapple as a healthy treat! As you know, when peeling a pineapple, you tend to lose quite a bit of the pineapple (in order to make sure you don’t end up eating any crunchy bits). Well, I hate to see all that fruit go to waste. Making a fermented beverage like tepache is a great way to use up pineapple scraps and make the most out of those food miles! Here is how to make Tepache from pineapple scraps.
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What is Tepache?
Tepache is a sparkling, fermented beverage that is made with pineapple and/or pineapple scraps. In our home, we have a ‘waste not, want not’ mentality, so we love to turn fruit scraps into something delicious! In this case, pineapple tepache.
This is a traditional Mexican beverage, but you don’t have to be in Mexico to enjoy it.
It’s simple to make Tepache at home, with just a few basic ingredients and supplies.
How to Make Tepache from Pineapple Scraps
Ingredients for Tepache
To make Tepache, you’ll need the scraps from a fresh, yummy pineapple that you just ate. You’ll also need organic cane sugar to kick-start the fermentation, warm water to pour it into, as well as a few aromatics. I suggest: Cinnamon, clove, and ginger!
Supplies for Tepache
To make Tepache at home (or any ferments, for that matter), you’ll want a fermentation kit. This will help increase your chance of successfully fermenting all your yummy goodies, while decreasing the risk of mold, or other undesirable things in your ferments.
There is nothing worse than having to dump a ferment because it got moldy!
My favourite fermentation kit is the Easy Fermenter Starter Kit, from Nourished Essentials. It contains everything you need to get started with fermentation, including a mini recipe book!
You’ll also need:
- Sharp knife
- 1/2 gallon wide-mouth mason jar (washed with hot, soapy water and a clean cloth).
- Measuring cup
- Measuring spoons
- Swing-top bottles for bottling
Directions for Tepache
Gather up your ingredients and supplies.
Place your pineapple scraps and your aromatics into your large mason jar.
Pour your one cup of sugar into 4 cups of water.
Stir to dissolve.
Pour your sugar water over your pineapple scraps, until the water is completely covering the scraps, but sitting below the neck of the jar.
Now place your fermentation weight on top of your pineapple scraps to weigh them down.
The purpose of the fermentation weight, is to keep your scraps submerged below the liquid. Any scraps that peek up through the liquid are more likely to mold. You want everything submerged.
I really love this style of weight that has the little handle on it. You can get flat weights, but they are trickier to get in and out.
Next, screw your Easy Fermenter lid onto the jar (you may wish to wipe off the jar rim first, to make sure there is no sugar water or pineapple juice on it). Set the date dial on top of the lid for 2 days from now.
Place it in a dark place and allow it to ferment for about 2 days.
Bottling Tepache
You’ll know your fermentation is active when you see it creating bubbles.
After 2 days of fermenting, it should be ready to bottle.
Pour the liquid into your flip-top bottles, using a narrow-mouth funnel.
If you wish, you can place a coffee filter, or a mesh strainer inside the funnel, to catch any small solids that might make their way through.
Fill your swing-top bottles almost all the way to the top, and seal them up. If any overflowed while filling, wipe the bottles off well – Tepache is STICKY!
Allow the bottles to sit out on the counter for another day or so. This is how they will develop carbonation inside the bottles. Then move them to the refrigerator.
Once they are good and cold, it’s time to enjoy!
Tepache is such a refreshing, deliciously fruity, fermented beverage. And good for your gut health, too!
Be sure and store the bottled Tepache in your fridge until you’re ready to drink it – otherwise the carbonation will keep building.
Printable Recipe for Tepache from Pineapple Scraps
Tepache from Pineapple Scraps
Make a traditional, fermented pineapple Tepache beverage with just a few simple ingredients.
Ingredients
- 1 Pineapple Scraps from one pineapple
- 1 cup Organic Cane Sugar
- 1 tsp Fresh chopped Ginger or 1/8 tsp ground ginger if you don't have fresh
- 1 Cinnamon sticks
- 2 Whole Cloves or 1/8 tsp ground cloves if you don't have whole
- 4 cups Warm/room temperature water Do not use chlorinated tap water
Instructions
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Rinse off the pineapple using NON-CHLORINATED WATER, then peel it with a sharp knife. I first cut off the bottom and top, then with the wide, flat bottom of the pineapple sitting on the cutting board, go around the pineapple, slicing from top to bottom. I then cut out the centre core of the pineapple. Cut up and enjoy the fruit, and reserve the core and the trimmings for your tepache.
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Place the peels and core, along with your spices, into a half gallon mason jar.
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Dissolve 1 cup sugar into 4 cups warm (not hot), unchlorinated water.
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Pour the sugar water solution over your pineapple scraps, until it reaches just below the neck of your jar.
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Place fermentation weight on top of the pineapple scraps.
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Secure your fermentation lid, and set the date on your lid for 2 days from now.
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Allow your scraps to ferment at room temperature for 2 days.
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Strain out just the liquid, and place it into flip-top bottles, filling almost to the top.
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Leave the bottled Tepache on your counter for one more day so that it develops carbonation.
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Refrigerate and enjoy!
Enjoy fermenting? Check out these other fermented recipes:
Fermented Salsa
Fermented Cherry Tomatoes
Lacto-Fermented Beets
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