1. Scrub the sweet potato thoroughly in warm soapy water.

2. Chop the sweet potato (skin on) into pieces about 1 inch in size. Pulse in a food processor to coarsely shred the pieces. Place the shredded sweet potato in a 1/2 gallon mason jar.

3. Add 1 quart filtered water, liquid whey, honey and optional cinnamon and lemon juice + zest.

4. Stir the mixture well until the raw honey is dissolved.

5. Add additional filtered water to the lower edge of the jar rim, taking care to leave 1" space at the top for the fermentation microbes to "breathe". Add a fermentation weight to keep the sweet potato chunks submerged if desired.

6. Cover the jar with a fine cheesecloth secured with a rubber band.

7. Leave on the counter at room temperature for 2-5 days, stirring daily.

8. Taste after 2 days. If it is slightly bubbly, tangy, slightly sour, and mildly sweet...it is ready! If not, leave it for another day or two and repeat the taste test until ready.

Optional Secondary Fermentation

1. Strain the fermented sweet potato liquid from the mason jar into 8 or 16-ounce glass bottles with fliptop, wire cap lids. *Fill only to the bottom of the neck of the bottle to allow for pressure from carbonation.

2. Close the lids tightly and leave on the counter for an additional 1-2 days (1 day in the summer).

3. Place the bottles in the refrigerator to get cold. Open a cold bottle slowly in the sink, as there will be a lot of natural carbonation to release.

4. *The sweet potato shreds can be reused to make a second batch that is slightly weaker in flavor. Alternatively, cut the amount of water, whey, and honey in half for a second batch that is similar in strength to the first batch.