Curious about kombucha? You're not alone. Many are discovering the benefits of probiotic beverages such as kefir, kvass, and kombucha.
What is kombucha?
Kombucha is a fermented, probiotic, naturally carbonated tea, combining sweetened tea with a "mushroom" consisting of active cultures of yeast and bacteria. This mushroom (pictured below) is better known as a SCOBY, or Symbiotic Colony of Bacteria and Yeast.
Homemade whey works as the perfect "starter" for lots of fermented foods. Fruit chutney, ketchup, and homemade mayonnaise all ferment quite well when whey is used as part of the process. I use whey to inoculate a mixture of lemon juice, sugar, and water to create this fermented lemon punch.
Looking for an alternative to soda and sugar-laden fruit juices? Hoping to find something your kids will enjoy? Fermented beverages offer taste, fizz, and fun in a variety of flavors and forms!
Fermented beverages include dairy kefir, kombucha, beet kvass, and water kefir. The water kefir recipe below can be adapted to suit your tastes and preferences.
Water kefir requires three basic ingredients: Starter, sugar, and water. Don't worry if sugar is not part of your daily diet. The sugar is "eaten" by the grains or starter, and the drink is transformed into a probiotic boost to your immune system.
Looking for a comfort beverage for the Christmas or winter season that is gluten-free and sugar-free? Consider these recipes for our Hot Cacao Drink and Coconut Milk "Eggnog," demonstrated by Rejuvenating Recipes' Erin Fabry.
Our Contributors
"Let food be thy medicine
and thy medicine be thy food."
— Hippocrates