Raise your hand if you love kombucha!? I really just can’t say enough good things about it. The first time I tried it (or even heard of it for that matter) I was living in California and it seemed to be super popular out there. This was like 10 years ago before I had even seen it sold in stores in Illinois. It was SO good and of course the bottle talked about the probiotics it is known for and I knew I needed. But it was also expensive and had a lot of sugar and additives in it. So it was a rare occasion kind of thing. Fast forward many years later and I’m back in Illinois and was talking about boosting the immune system with a like minded friend of mine. She had been brewing her own kombucha for years and told me there was nothing that worked better for her family at boosting their immune systems than kombucha. I have two kids that are in pretty great health but one of them had numerous bouts with strep throat not to mention just liking the idea of giving them an extra boost against colds/flu (now add COVID to the list) etc. So she gave me a hunk of her verrrrrry well used SCOBY as well as some of the “mother”. The mother is basically just the liquid at the bottom of the batch of kombucha and is necessary to start your own batch, possibly even more important than the SCOBY. The SCOBY stands for symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast and is formed after the completion of a unique fermentation process of lactic acid bacteria, acetic acid bacteria, and yeast.

Each time I make another batch I produce a new SCOBY (I call it a baby) and at this point I have had to throw some away which I cannot tell you how heartbreaking that is to do! I’ve grown oddly attached to my kombucha and all that comes from it :). So far I have not been able to make my children or even my husband believers/lovers but the benefits for me have been LIFE CHANGING. Seriously life changing! I have been dealing with stomach issues for 20 years at least and like magic they were over in a month. SO WILD. I never would have believed it if someone had told me about it otherwise. To start my first batch I put the mother and the SCOBY at the bottom of 2 gallon glass jar and added 1/2 gallon of cooled brewed green tea sweetened with 1/2 CUP OF SUGAR!!! The sugar feeds the SCOBY so its absolutely necessary unfortunately. I put a cloth over the top and put it under my cabinet for two weeks to ferment. Two weeks later I checked it out, saw I had grown my very own SCOBY, tasted my batch and screamed success!!!! From there I poured off most of the liquid reserving about two cups of mother and my old SCOBY and newly formed SCOBY and started the process again. I get just enough pour off to last me until my next batch is complete. I only drink 1/2 cup a day and that is all anyone really needs to reap the benefits. I have gifted a few babies here and there but otherwise I have had to throw them away or just keep in the jar to help ferment the next batch. Proponents of Kombucha say it helps in improving digestion and diabetes, strengthening the immune system, reducing blood pressure and is said to be detoxifying. It is also said to help with rheumatism, gout, nervousness and promotes healthy liver function and cancer fighting. I can absolutely attest it has helped with digestion and immune system AND the calming effect. If anyone would like to get a baby and start your own batch PLEASE hit me up because I would love to not have to throw another one away :). Lately I have been experimenting with F2 or second fermentation which involves fermenting a few days longer in an air tight container and adding fun flavors. It’s like a fabulous, fizzy homemade soda. So far I have done peach/ginger and WOW, it is so good.