I have been into kombucha for a little while now as a way to add probiotics in my diet, because it is a healthy alternative to soda and sometimes I just need a beverage other than water.
Kombucha is basically fermented sweet tea that is served straight up or with flavors added like ginger or fruit. It has been around for centuries and is good for digestion and gut health similar to other fermented foods like sauerkraut and kimchee. Healthy gut health is responsible to 70% of your overall health, including mental health and clarity.
You will read long lists about the health benefits of drinking kombucha, as well as the fact that not all of them are not proven in research. Either way, the beverage still contains things like B vitamins, antioxidants and glucosamines, which are a strong preventive and treatment for all forms of arthritis. That’s all I need to hear!
Some of my favorite brands are Live (love their root beer one) and Kombucha Town (local from Bellingham). The problem is it gets expensive just like a coffee habit does as bottles in stores average $3, even when I get them at Costco.
I have been meaning to start making my own for some time. I picked up some books at the library, pinned on Pinterest and even joined a DIY Kombucha group on Facebook. You know, like buying a yoga CD and floor mat that serve only as reminders of your good intentions.
The tricky part is that you have to have a starter (like sourdough) and this has meant finding someone else who makes their own kombucha to give you a SCOBY, the magic that gets your kombucha fermenting. For me, I have always been a little intimidated to experiment with what is basically growing bacteria on my counter to drink. I know people say it’s easy to do but what if I do it wrong and poison myself? I think I saw that on the news somewhere…
Give me a mountain to climb by myself and I’m golden but this seems kinda scary to get wrong.
So, like lots of other things in my life, it was something I wanted to do but but just couldn’t get around to making a priority. It never seemed to make it the top of my To Do list.
Well, my boyfriend knew how much I wanted to do this and found at the Skagit Food Co-op in Mount Vernon a kombucha kit.
Happy Birthday!!
And no more excuses.
The Oly Cultures Complete kit comes with every thing you need to get started making your very own kombucha: the glass jar, tea, organic sugar, filter for covering the top of the jar and your very own SCOBY (“symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast”). It’s like the “mother” you see in bottles of ACV). I know, it’s a lot of letters.
I followed the directions provided but also filtered my water and was careful to wash and rinse my hands like I read about in the book Kombucha Revolution by Stephen Lee, cofounder of Tazo and Stash teas. Don’t tell him, I used my Teavana tea strainer to filter out the tea leaves after I made the sweet tea.
It says I have to keep at 72-78 degrees so that meant turning the heat on in the house (my mom and I have a competition to see who can leave the heat off the longest into fall). I also have to keep it out of direct sunlight so I’ll be storing it in my bedroom in the closet.
I’m so excited to see how this goes and what kind of flavors I can come up with. I’ll keep you posted!
Do you drink kombucha? Have you thought about making your own?
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