Last year during my fermentation kick, I tried brewing my own kombucha tea with mixed results. Kombucha is a brewed and fermented tea that is slightly sour, slightly sweet, and full of healthy probiotics. I learned I like freshly-brewed, homemade kombucha much more over bottled (like you get in the healthy food section of your local grocery). I also tried flavoring and bottling my own kombucha, which looks pretty in the bottle, but still prefer the taste straight out of the brewer. I set up a continuous brewing system with two 2.5 gallon porcelain brewers. I ordered my original culture (called a “SCOBY” for Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast) online. The
kombucha brew
September 30, 2014
ready for bottling
Last year I got on a fermentation kick. One of the successful fermentation experiments was making my own wine. I started with a wine kit so I could get the feel of the process. You can search for kits online – so far I’ve tried the kits made by Vintner’s Reserve and have been happy with their Chardonnay, Merlot, and Sauvignon Blanc. The all-in cost ends up being $2-$2.50 per bottle after you invest in the initial supplies. The wine is drinkable in 2-4 months, and about the same quality you’d expect in a $10-$15 per bottle wine from your local supermarket. The initial investment ran me a little under
September 2, 2014