Reportedly, the UK uses 15 million plastic bottles a day – only half are recycled. Yuka Yoneda, DIY enthusiast and senior editor at New York-based sustainable design blog inhabitat.com, suggests an edible alternative, based on spherification. Here's how to help save the planet with gelatinous water globules.
You will need
- 1 gram of sodium alginate
- 5 grams of food-grade calcium lactate
- A stick blender
- A deep spoon
- A slotted spoon
- Make your potion
Use the stick blender to mix one gram of sodium alginate with about 230ml of water. "You have to mix it for quite a while to make sure the sodium alginate is fully dissolved," says Yoneda. "Then leave it to one side for a few minutes to get rid of any bubbles that may have formed while blending."
Add a magic ingredient
In a separate bowl, mix five grams of calcium lactate with 900ml of water. Then spoon some sodium alginate solution into the calcium lactate mix. "It will form a bubble almost instantly," Yoneda says.
Add three to four more scoops of the sodium alginate solution, but don't fill the bowl.
Create your bottle
Gently stir the bubbles for around three minutes, then carefully remove using a slotted spoon. Place them in ordinary water to stop the reaction. To make things more interesting, Yoneda suggests using different flavourings or food colouring, but make sure it's non-acidic, as acid will destroy the membrane.