Kombucha and Water Kefir

Kombucha

Water Kefir

I am so super excited to have some Kombucha and Water Kefir fermenting in my kitchen right now. My friend Nicole of A Life Well Nourished, gave me a Scoby starter for Kombucha and asked me to babysit her Water Kefir grains for a week. She said they would store just fine in the refridgerator, but this gives me a good chance to try making both for a bit. Both drinks are a bit sour, a bit sweet, naturally carbonated and full of vitamins and probiotics. Eating and drinking fermented foods is part of being healthy and eating nourishing foods. I also have my first fermented food, a pear chutney, fermenting on my counter. I can't wait to share all of my fun and tasty experiments with everyone. Fermenting is an artisan experience. Each batch is slightly different and things take time, life slows down. I won't get to taste my first batch of kombucha for over a week. My pear chutney will take about a month, maybe longer before it mellows and is tasty. The kefir is "quick" only taking about 48 hours from start to finish.

Really, all of this is super easy to do, it just takes a bit of confidence and a leap into the unknown. Fermenting foods used to be a tradition that was passed on from generation to generation. It is how early people had food during sparse times and cold winters. Every culture is known for a fermented food of some sort: sauerkraut, traditional pickles, miso, fermented cheeses and even ketchup! Ketchup originally was a fermented food! Modern science found ways to mimic flavors and skip the long process of fermentation but at what cost? The modern way to make these foods quick and easy kills all the natural good-for-you bacteria that is essential to good health. Eating live foods such as yogurt, kombucha and other fermented foods eases digestion. I've only tried a handful of these types of foods, but from what I've tasted there is an entire world waiting for my taste buds to be tantalized with. I can't wait to try more!

For an updated article read this post: http://thefrickinchicken.blogspot.com/2011/02/kombucha.html
-Amanda