Kombucha keeps coming up in my conversations online and locally. I have a friend who has been making it for a year. I called her yesterday and invited myself over on Friday to learn all about it. She is going to show me her set-up and share some starts with me.
The kids are going to be doing their yearly standardized testing on Friday, so that is when I will visit with my friend to see what she’s doing.
It will be great to hear what you learn about it! I tried it for the first time in March when my family toured Organic Pastures Dairy in Fresno. I noticed that they used sugar in theirs. I’d be interested to know if something other than sugar could be used, or at least an unrefined sugar.
Kelly, how cool that you got to tour Organic Pastures! We used to live down there and I wish we’d thought to go see their operation while we were nearby. Although I did read a very good article in the Fresno Bee about them and it had lots of pictures.
Regarding the sugar, yes, you can use alternative sweeteners. My friend uses honey and molasses. That was one of the first questions I asked her yesterday. I will try honey, molasses and agave so I can see which we like, although, I bet we’ll like them all!
No way! How exciting!
I have been wanting to do this since we started drinking it on occasion last summer. Oh how I wish I could drop by your house and learn how. 
I wonder if one can order the starts on-line?
Hugs, Robin
Wardeh, I’m really curious to see how you liked kombucha on Friday. We tried it at the Mother-Daughter homeschooling tea this spring, and both my mom, myself, and all the gals surrounding us thought that it tasted no different than apple cider vinegar! Yikes! I guess I couldn’t get thrilled about drinking vinegar, so I wasn’t so thrilled about the kombucha. I had been looking forward to trying it since so many families had raved about it. Did you think that it tasted like apple cider vinegar or did it have a different flavor? Maybe we just got a taste of a bad batch? I don’t know, but I’m really curious to learn why it tasted the way it did. As a child, I had a few sips of homemade apple cider that had accidentally not sealed properly and went “bad” – turned to apple cider vinegar. It’s never been a taste that appealed to me! I’ll look forward to your reply! Love, Julieanne
Hi, Julieanne! I LOVED the Kombucha! It was wonderful! I drink apple cider vinegar every morning, so I can compare the taste. The Kombucha was nowhere near as tangy. This Kombucha was perfectly sweet and tangy. It was like sparkling cider or like a wine cooler. Jeff tasted some of it that I brought home and he loved it, too.
I doubt you got a bad batch, otherwise it wouldn’t have been served there, but perhaps you don’t care for the taste or aren’t used to the tang of it. I hear that Kombucha gets more and more vinegar-y as it ages, but people who make it adjust the timing of their batches so they drink it when they enjoy the taste best. Also, people add juice or sweeten it again at the end of its “cooking” to make it suit them. I’d say… don’t give up on it! If you’re interested in it, I’d think you’d be able to make it so your family likes it.
Robin, I have never tasted Kombucha before I went to my friend’s on Friday. It was delicious! I wish you could come here, too.
I think you can order the starts online. I believe that is how my friend started a year ago. Now all her starts have gotten everyone around here going for free.