Kombucha & Co

Tips and Recipes to Make Your Own Kombucha, Kefir, Jun, Ginger Beer, Honey Mead and More

A new edition for the kombucha-crazed culture we're now in of the book previously known as Probiotic Drinks at Home.

Kombucha and other fermented drinks are great for gut health, but they're expensive to buy and you can't be sure of the quality. But it's easy to make your own kombucha when you know how.

Fermentation guru Felicity Evans has you covered with step-by-step instructions to make a range of 50 delicious flavours of gut-friendly probiotic drinks, including troubleshooting tips and inspiration for alcohol-free happy hour at home. From kombucha to kefir, ginger beer to honey mead, learn to confidently make your own fermented drinks and transform your health from within.

Felicity Evans taught herself over many years to make gut-healing, probiotic drinks. She is the founder of Imbibe Living, a Byron Bay-based company with a range of wellness products designed to add more goodness and beauty to your everyday.

Kombucha & Co
Murdoch Books
Author: Felicity Evans
ISBN: 9781760525583
RRP: $29.99
Photography by Rob Palmer

Basic Water Kefir

Although this is called 'basic water kefir', in my mind there is nothing basic about it. Think about the complex arrangement and symbiosis between the water kefir grains, transforming a plain sugar-water mixture into a bubbling, living probiotic drink.

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Fermentation time: 1½–5 days
Difficulty: Medium
Shelf life: Refrigerate for up to 4 months
Makes: About 1 litre (35 fl oz/4 cups)

Ingredients

3 tablespoons raw sugar
3 tablespoons hot water
1 litre (35 fl oz/4 cups) filtered water or springwater
pinch of sea salt
1 dried fig
1 dried date
10 sultanas (golden raisins)
¼ teaspoon molasses
3 tablespoons water kefir grains


Primary Fermentation
Put the sugar in a 1.5 litre (52 fl oz/6 cup) wide-mouth glass jar. Add the hot water and stir to dissolve the sugar. Add the filtered water, sea salt, dried fruit and molasses and stir well to combine.
Add the water kefir grains to the jar. Cover the jar with a piece of muslin (cheesecloth) and secure with an elastic band.
Place the jar out of direct sunlight at room temperature and leave the liquid to ferment for 1–3 days, depending on the temperature.

Bottling
Scoop out and discard the dried fruit from the liquid. Put a funnel in the opening of a 1 litre (35 fl oz/4 cup) glass bottle with a tight-fitting lid and put a strainer on top of the funnel. Pour the water kefir liquid into the bottle through the strainer. Set aside the water kefir grains in the strainer to re-use or rest.

Secondary Fermentation
Tightly seal the bottle lid and leave the bottle in a warm place to build carbonation. This could take anywhere from 12–72 hours, depending on the temperature. 'Burp' the water kefir daily to release some pressure by opening the lid slightly and then tightening it again.

Drink Up
When the water kefir is as fizzy as you like (this could range from a small spritz to a ferocious fizz), store it in the fridge to slow the fermentation process, and enjoy cold.

Pretty Vanilla, Rosewater and Chia Water Kefir

The marriage of the delicate scent of rosewater with warming, creamy vanilla is very sensual and exotic. 'Chia' is the Mayan word for strength and chia seeds are prized for their endurance and energy-giving properties. They are powerhouses of goodness, providing omega-3, fibre, antioxidants and protein.

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Fermentation time: 1½–5 days
Difficulty: Medium
Shelf life: Refrigerate for up to 4 months
Makes: About 1 litre (35 fl oz/4 cups)

Ingredients
1 x basic water kefir ingredients (page 44)
3 tablespoons rosewater
1 tablespoon chia seeds
1 vanilla bean or ½ teaspoon natural vanilla extract
1 teaspoon edible dried rose petals (optional)

Primary Fermentation
Follow the instructions for basic water kefir.

Bottling
Scoop out and discard the dried fruit from the liquid.
Put a funnel in the opening of a 1 litre (35 fl oz/4 cup) glass bottle with a tight-fitting lid and put a strainer on top of the funnel. Pour the water kefir liquid into the bottle through the strainer. Set aside the water kefir grains in the strainer to re-use or rest (see page 40).

Add the rosewater, chia seeds, vanilla bean or vanilla extract and rose petals, if using, to the bottle.

Secondary Fermentation
Tightly seal the bottle lid and leave the bottle in a warm place to build carbonation. This could take anywhere from 12–72 hours, depending on the temperature. Give the bottle a shake every now and then to help disperse the chia seeds. 'Burp' the water kefir daily to release some pressure by opening the lid slightly and then tightening it again.
Drink Up
When the water kefir is as fizzy as you like (this could range from a small spritz to a ferocious fizz), store it in the fridge to slow the fermentation process, and enjoy cold.

Strawberry and Thyme Water Kefir

The woody aroma and flavour of the thyme grounds the sweetness of the strawberries. This drink is simultaneously savoury, sweet and tangy.

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Fermentation time: 1½–5 days
Difficulty: Medium
Shelf life: Refrigerate for up to 4 months
Makes: About 1 litre (35 fl oz/4 cups)

Ingredients
1 x basic water kefir ingredients (page 44)
1 handful fresh strawberries
3 thyme sprigs

Primary Fermentation
Follow the instructions for basic water kefir.

Bottling
Scoop out and discard the dried fruit from the liquid.
Put a funnel in the opening of a 1 litre (35 fl oz/4 cup) glass bottle with a tight-fitting lid and put a strainer on top of the funnel. Pour the water kefir liquid into the bottle through the strainer. Set aside the water kefir grains in the strainer to re-use or rest (see page 40).
Purée or chop the strawberries and add them to the bottle with the thyme sprigs.

Secondary Fermentation
Tightly seal the bottle lid and leave the bottle in a warm place to build carbonation. This could take anywhere from 12–72 hours, depending on the temperature. 'Burp' the water kefir daily to release some pressure by opening the lid slightly and then tightening it again.

Drink Up
When the water kefir is as fizzy as you like (this could range from a small spritz to a ferocious fizz), store it in the fridge to slow the fermentation process, and enjoy cold.

Kombucha & Co
Murdoch Books
Author: Felicity Evans
ISBN: 9781760525583
RRP: $29.99
Photography by Rob Palmer