DIY Kombucha


Look! I made this! 
(AND I drank it and haven't died!)

I'm a big fan of kombucha, but the idea of making something that's fermented was a little scary to me and rightfully so- the fermenting process goes against everything I've ever been taught about food safety and leaving things out, growing bacteria, etc. 

If you enjoyed science experiments as a kid, this is right up your alley. 

Basically, you make tea, add sugar, put it in a big jar with this sorta creepy looking bacteria/yeast blob that looks like a wet rubbery biscuit and let it sit on a shelf in your pantry for a few weeks. Added bonus, you can hide your favorite snacks behind it. It definitely detours husbands looking to eat all of the cookies :). 

I'm not going to pretend to be an expert by any means, so instead of telling you how to do it, I'll direct you to the experts that I've looked to:

First off, this post comparing the costs of buying kombucha  vs. making yoru own is what inspired me give it a go. 

I purchased the Goldfinch Kombucha Kit at Whole Foods. Their instructions were really straightforward and simple to follow. 

This had a bunch of helpful tips, photos and explanations as well. 

For my first round, I chose to keep the flavors simple, mainly because I wanted to make sure everything tasted right. I kept a few plain and added pommagranate juice to a few. I'm excited to try some of these suggestions in the future. 

Finally, I got my bottles from Bob's Homebrew Supply

I've already got my second batch fermenting in my pantry! SO I'd call this experiment a success! 

2 comments

  1. That is so awesome!! I'm obsessed with kombucha and eventually need to start making my own - probably when I'm not living out of my car through Rover anymore. I'm saving the links you posted here!

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  2. When you are ready, I can give you a part of my SCOBY, the weird yeast bacteria thing so you wouldn't have to buy one. As it ferments it grows so it is easy to share! But ya, this isn't something you want to be driving around in your car!

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