Where to buy Sarsaparilla

[Rosalind]

OK, I have officially gone insane, per DH. I decided I would like to make my own soda, the old-fashioned fermented kind. We have any number of random plastic bottles with screw caps, plenty of the Grolsch-type beer bottles, and it turns out to be very easy, just like making bread. Last night I made cream soda with half brown sugar in the recipe and vanilla extract.

Recipe for soda:

Mix 1 c. sugar of choice (must be either sugar or honey, the artificial stuff doesn't ferment) with 1/4 tsp. regular bread yeast in a washed-out soda bottle with screw top.
Add flavoring of choice (fresh grated ginger, citrus, extract-type flavorings, fresh fruit mash)
Fill to 1-2" of the top with filtered water, leave a little headspace
Put cap on tight
Let sit 24 hours (48 if it's chilly in the house) until the side of the plastic bottle feels hard, no longer squishable
Open very carefully in sink in case of exploding soda, then filter into bottles through a couple layers of cheesecloth. Enough yeast to re-fizzify the soda will make it through the cheesecloth, but the major chunks of stuff will catch in the cloth.
Refrigerate. Very important, refrigerate post-bottling or it will explode.

Of course, I would love to make my own root beer. And, glory be, sarsaparilla apparently grows in shade! Hooray hooray, something that grows in the shady part of the garden! Now, where can I get some plants? I checked Richter's, Forest Farm and Googled, and nada--plenty of places that have extract, but everything else says "grows wild in North America." It does? Really? I mean, I'll go hiking and keep a sharp eye out, but I think I'd remember stepping on something that smelled like soda pop. Does it grow in Massachusetts? Anyone know?

 

[Greensage45]

Goodmorning Rosalind,

It is odd, some sites say that it is a Mexico, Central, and South American Native, and then yet other sites indicate that is Northerly bound.

I did find this site that indicates wild plants growing in the woods of Connecticut. http://www.ct-botanical-society.org/galleries/aralianudi.html This site has a good picture reference for identification.

I also ran into a listing on Ebay for 10 live roots. Here is that post.
http://cgi.ebay.com/10-Wild-sarsapa...rootstock_W0QQitemZ360158375070QQcmdZViewItem Terrible in the shipping if you ask me.

I see, here is a quote from the Natural Standard 'the authority of Integrative Medicine', which reads:

Sarsaparilla (Smilax regelii and other Smilax species) is a vine plant with prickly stems, shiny leaves, and numerous reddish-brown roots. Among several recognized sarsaparilla species, Jamaican Smilax regelii (synonym Smilax officinalis) is the most commonly cultivated for commercial and medicinal use. Sarsaparilla is also grown in Mexico, Central and South America, and southern India. Its main uses include the flavoring of beverages and homeopathic medicine. A wild form of sarsaparilla plant (Aralia nudicaulis) can be found in North America, primarily in Canada (1).

This certainly explains all the confusing information as to where this plant is growing. Obviously the pioneer folks were using the Jamaican Smilax regelii or Smilax officinalis. I would doubt there was a good solid trade route from Mexico in the earlier days with all the turmoil there at the turn of the Century with Pancho Villa.

Here is an odd one, called Aralia nudicaulis, a native of the side of North America, also known as False Sarsaparilla. We don't want false. Here is a link to a page for identification. http://www.rook.org/earl/bwca/nature/herbs/aralianud.html

Oh wow, here is something good!!! It turns out that the USDA Germplasm site has several listings for several different species of Sarasparilla. http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/swish/accboth?query=smilax&submit=Submit+Text+Query&si=0 I hope that link works, if not then just slip Smilax as your search word.

OK, well, I have searched and searched for both plant and seed for sale. Even my favorite "The Seedman" did not have Sarasparilla. Really amazing.

I wish you luck on your search, but in the meantime, if you are not on that "Free Seed" program through the USDA, then please ask one of us and we can put the order in. They have four species listed, I would go for all four.

Goodluck, Ron

 

[Greensage45]

Oh shoot,

I just noticed that those roots for sale on Ebay are the Aralia naudicaulis (False Sarsaparilla). You definitely do not want that.

Ron

OH DOUBLeY Shoot! The USDA ARS site says that the seeds are NA (not available). Bummer. This is a riot.

 

[Rosalind]

I know, right? Thanks for looking, though. Supposedly, one historical site says that the false sarsaparilla works OK too, but then you're talking about random European dudes off the street attempting to translate from another vaguely polylingual person who speaks the native language without botanical names, and hoping for the best.

 

[Greensage45]

LOL, yeah I know what you mean.

That site that indicates that it grows in the forests in Connecticut, this is our best hope. We have the site for identification and we know the False one grows in the Western portion of the States, regardless of the confusion on the names, at least a plant growing in the woods in Connecticut is surely the one you want.

We need to find a member who is close to Connecticut and take a nice little drive with a tiny shovel.

Seems to me this is a good indicator of a Marketable Seed if you can produce them, seeing this is so hard to find I am sure others have ran into the same troubles.

I also went ahead and wrote a good friend of mine who is a Nuseryperson. I asked her to look up seeds and plants for us through her wholesalers. She deals with native plants. I should hear from her this week and will post back any information.

Ron

 

[Rosalind]

Wow, you have a lot of resources! Thank you so much! I am sure we will track it down somehow!

 

[digitS']

I should have realized that you were trying to make rootbeer, Rosalind. That's such a noble endeavor .

This is what the USDA says about wild Smilax pumila (sarsaparilla vine). It is not the Jamaican sarsaparilla.

They are showing it a long way south from Connecticut & Massachusetts.

I believe someone said that they used anise hyssop (licorice mint) for rootbeer flavoring but, after searching, I can't find who wrote that . . . ?

Steve

 

[Rosalind]

Awww shucks. Looks like it does not tolerate frost at all. Well, I could grow it in a pot if ever I could find it.

Is there such a thing as faux root beer made without sarsaparilla? Sassafras we have aplenty, as well as numerous other spicy-tasting native species (sweet "cherry" birch, spicebush, wild ginger), plus all the spices and herbs that can be ordered from Richter's. You'd think there'd be some combination of wintergreen/spice flavor that would work...

 

[Greensage45]

Here is an interesting site. They sell sarsaparilla powder, but they also have a listing of all the species names and what the corresponding sarsaparilla is called, plus a nice long write-up.

http://www.kalyx.com/store/proddetail.cfm/ItemID/669257.0/CategoryID/1000.0/SubCatID/3340.0/file.htm

Interesting that a person on blood thinners needs to be careful with this product.

Ron


Ahhh..finally, I found the full story on the Sassafras/Sarsaparilla vs Rootbeer history; this was on a bulletin board so I will just copy the links from that board and go directly to the source article. Read each one, they are short, somewhat boring, but very informative.

Part one
Part two
Part three
Part four
Part five

Ok, now I can rest. LOL

Ron

 

[digitS']

All of those ingredients could be a part of rootbeer, Rosalind.

I was reading a rootbeer brewer"s blog recently where the brewer intended to omit the sarsaparilla as an "improvement" to one recipe. I'm sure a google search of "rootbeer recipe" -sarsaparilla (and its various spellings) would turn up other choices of ingredients.

DD bought me a birch beer the other day. That was my first experience with that drink. I haven't a clue what went into it . . .

Steve