So, you want to home brew? Here's my first experience with it.

Kombucha and kefirs are old, old, drinks that are becoming increasingly popular in Western culture as people learn about the many health benefits of eating and drinking cultured foods.  (more about the history of the drinks in a future post)

Before I started brewing my own, we bought cases of milk kefir from Costco because I knew the probiotics were so good for our digestion.  Unfortunately, the sugar content is higher than the value of probiotics.  I had no idea how sugary sweet the commercial products were until I started making my own.  I now drink one large glass, the equivalent of one travel bottle of kefir a day (OK, maybe two sometimes, I really enjoy it.) and it only costs me the price of the milk.  Huge cost savings, plus the amount of probiotics in homemade vs store-bought can't even be compared.  The probiotic levels in homemade kefir greatly out-number store-bought.  The longer you allow the kefir to brew, the higher the probiotic level.

As far as Kombucha, I had never even tried it!  I had one friend that is a firm believer in the health benefits and she twisted my arm until I gave in.  The first SCOBY she sent home with me sat on our kitchen counter for 2 months while I tried to work up the courage to handle that slimy pancake and drink something that was its by-product.  I eventually gave-up and threw it away.  I cringe at the thought of throwing it away now, but I just could not do deal that slimy, jellyfish looking, thing.

Three months later, after researching extensively the safety and health benefits, I decided to take the plunge.


Literally, the first time I tried kombucha was when I stuck a straw down beside the SCOBY to see if the it had the vinegary sweetness described in other websites.  I'm not going to lie, it was a hard drink to swallow.  I did not like it, but it tasted as promised and pH level was right, so I moved on to the second ferment and flavored it.  From that point on, I was addicted.   I crave it!

One of my goals with home brewing was to give up my soda habit.  It worked immediately.  The only time I have soda is when I've somehow managed to run out of kombucha.  Even then, I will have a beer or water before soda.  I pretty much lost the taste for it.

The main reason I started home brewing was because my digestion is incredibly messed up - as in, I've had surgeries to correct some of the damage caused by my digestive issues.  I'm on the strongest IBS medication and it only works about 1/3 of the time.  Since adding a glass of milk kefir and several glasses of kombucha to my daily diet, my digestion runs smoothly over 3/4's of the time.  That is a life changing difference!

So there is my story.  Please share your own reasons for your interest in fermenting in the comments.  I would love to track other people's story as you begin your process of removing the bad bacteria from your gut and adding the beneficial ones, plus upping your vitamin and mineral consumption, if you are drinking kombucha.  Kefir has the most beneficial gut bacteria and what has really made the big difference with my IBS.  Kombucha has beneficial bacteria, but it is also full of B vitamins and minerals to enhance your over-all health.