I started making kombucha about two years ago. A coworker drank it everyday and gave me some to try once. The flavor was a little tart but good, and when she told me all the health benefits, I thought – I should get into drinking this!  When I looked for it at the store I got sticker shock, $3+ for a bottle. That would be an expensive habit to maintain. 

So I began to research and found it wasn’t difficult to make. Soon I had my own batch fermenting away in the kitchen. 

Now, two years later I make and drink about a gallon each week. Every so often I have to take my system apart and do some maintenance on it – clean the container and trim down the SCOBY (the mother that causes it to ferment). The chickens adore when I do this because they get a treat. 

I trimmed off about half of the SCOBY. If it gets too big the kombucha ferments too quickly.

The SCOBY is good for the birds’ gut, supplying them with probiotics and other good bacteria. 
If you’re interested in trying to ferment your own batch, read my article for step-by-step directions. If you live by me and want some starter tea and SCOBY just let me know.

I also wrote a piece on flavoring kombucha. That’s the real fun. There are so many different ways to make it taste using fruit, herbs, natural sweeteners and more.  Sometimes I even add some jam. 

Cheers!