Kombucha & Water Kefir!

I was privileged to get to know Julie at Cultures for Health. A couple months ago Julie sent me some samples to try and I am so excited to share with you my experience! I have been wanting to try making Kombucha for a LONG time, but haven't been brave enough. So...Julie sent me a Kombucha Scoby and some water kefir grains to try.

I started both of these going and my kids absolutely LOVED the water kefir! I was making a quart a day. It has a "fizz" to it, like soda, and a sweet taste. We liked it mixed with a little orange juice...oh so good! You can also add flavors to this drink to make some flavored soda!

The Kombucha takes longer to make. It has to brew for at least a week. I started making a quart at a time, now I am up to making a half-gallon jar. (See picture to the left.) When the Kombucha is done brewing, it kind of tastes like apple cider vinegar. We like this mixed with orange juice as well. I know that you can flavor Kombucha, but I haven't tried to do this yet. I'm sure adding some flavor to it would make it taste better to drink straight.

I ended up putting my water kefir grains away for a bit (we liked it A LOT, but it was a busy time for me and it was too much at the time to keep making it every day!). So I have the dehydrated grains stored in a glass pint jar in my refrigerator - ready to pull out later and get that going again!

You are probably wondering what the big deal is about these drinks....well, they are VERY good for you! Kombucha, after it is done brewing, is packed with b-vitamins. Water kefir grains allow for the fermentation of sugar water or juice to create a carbonated lacto-fermented beverage. I am so glad I was brave enough to give these a try!

If these two drinks don't spark your interest, you may be interested in making some sourdough or yogurt. Julie at Cultures for Health has some great starters to help get you going. Click here to go to the Cultures for Health website and order yourself some starters today! This is a wonderful step to providing healthy foods for your family.