Praise for DIY Kombucha
This is a precious book written with a deep personal passion for the subject; more importantly, with the conscientiousness of a caring chef and teacher, as if present in your kitchen, walking you through every possible nuance. This is how the world of food and health ought to be communicated.
TONY MINICHIELLO Culinary Instructor/Co-Owner, Northwest Culinary Academy of Vancouver
Reading DIY Kombucha feels as if you are sitting in one of Andreas classes. She brings her humor and openness to every section, making this book an easy read that is incredibly informative and entertaining. Even the most novice homebrewers will leave these pages feeling confident; at the same time, experienced brewers will find themselves taking notes.
KATE MCLAUGHLIN, R.H.N., Owner/ManageR, Canadian School of Natural Nutrition - Vancouver Branch
What a wonderful book! Concise, yet comprehensive and certainly comforting to such as myself, who never had much confidence in their kombucha brewing skills. Now, with the deeper understanding this book provides, I feel confident to go way beyond the basics. Thank you, Andrea, for this new empowerment!
JENNI BLACKMORE, author, Permaculture for the Rest of Us and Food Lovers Garden
With a perfect blend of personal stories, science, and recipes, author Andrea Potter tells you everything you need to know to brew not only kombucha, but other fermented beverages as well. Even though Ive been brewing kombucha for several years myself, I still learned a few things, and I cant wait to try making beet cream soda and some of the other unique fermented drinks.
DEBORAH NIEMANN ThriftyHomesteader.com, author, Homegrown and Handmade, Ecothrifty, and Raising Goats Naturally
Andrea Potters book gives a detailed introduction to the process of making kombucha, as well as water kefir, honey-based jun, ginger beer and more. She thoroughly covers everything you need to know to get started, from equipment to sourcing ingredients, along with a primer on the science of fermentation. With plenty of photos and step-by-step instructions, DIY Kombucha will help you successfully make fermented beverages in your own kitchen.
VICTORIA REDHED MILLER author, Craft Distilling, From No-Knead to Sourdough and Pure Poultry.
Andrea Potter has created a wonderful resource for beginning kombucha brewers and fermented beverage enthusiasts. She delves into the history of kombucha, its health benefits, and how to master the art of kombucha making. She goes through the process step by step and offers troubleshooting.
Her book is beautifully curated with dozens of recipes including fermented beverages using medicinal herbs. It is sure to spark a love for creating your own kombucha.
CRYSTAL STEVENS author, Grow Create Inspire and Worms at Work
Copyright 2018 by Andrea Potter.
All rights reserved.
Cover design by Diane McIntosh.
@iStock main image 483925519, LID 691668260,
mason jar drink 528284756, mint sprig 682636478
Printed in Canada. First printing September 2018.
This book is intended to be educational and informative. It is not intended to serve as a guide. The author and publisher disclaim all responsibility for any liability, loss, or risk that may be associated with the application of any of the contents of this book.
Inquiries regarding requests to reprint all or part of DIY Kombucha should be addressed to New Society Publishers at the address below. To order directly from the publishers, please call toll-free (North America) 18005676772, or order online at www.newsociety.com
Any other inquiries can be directed by mail to:
New Society Publishers
P.O. Box 189, Gabriola Island, BC V0R 1X0, Canada
(250) 2479737
LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES CANADA CATALOGUING IN PUBLICATION
Potter, Andrea, 1983-, author
DIY kombucha : sparkling homebrews made easy / Andrea Potter.
Issued in print and electronic formats.
ISBN 978-0-86571-887-6 (softcover).ISBN 978-1-77142-274-1 (EPUB). ISBN 978-1-55092-679-8 (PDF)
1. Kombucha tea. 2. Fermented beverages. 3. Fermentation Amateurs manuals. I. Title.
TP650.P68 2018 | 641.877 C2018-904198-6 | C2018-904199-4 |
New Society Publishers mission is to publish books that contribute in fundamental ways to building an ecologically sustainable and just society, and to do so with the least possible impact on the environment, in a manner that models this vision.
CONTENTS
THANK YOU
I am sincerely grateful for the support that I have received from my fermentation workshop participants, comrades in fermentation geekery Cedana and Cierra, as well as friends and family for encouraging me to share this knowledge in book form. Special thanks to Kate McLaughlin and the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition, Vancouver, for permission to use the schools kitchen for the photos, to Chris and Hona for their photos, and to Catherine Pulkinghorn for guidance when I needed it most.
ANDREA
PREFACE
Y OU NEVER KNOW which moments in life will create that sparkthat lightning bolt of energy that illuminates a new area of fascination and then animates this interest into a quest for deeper understanding. At first it was not clear what I was chasing, but the everyday experiments bubbling away on my countertop have created (but also literally quenched) a thirst for understanding more about a vast range of topics that affect my experience of life. For me, a snapshot of such lightning moments is actually best seen in the rearview mirror. A series of seemingly mundane events led me to meeting and subsequently trying to understand my first kombucha culture, and becoming responsible for feeding this alien-looking yeast and bacteria mat, beginning a symbiotic exchange where I reap the benefits of the tasty beverage that the organism has alchemized from plain tea and sugar.
Some fermented beverages at the dinner table at a cooking class the author presented. KRAUSE BERRY FARMS AND ESTATE WINERY
The first fermented beverage I consumed was by accident. Rummaging through a friends pantry as a kid, I found a grape juice box. It was bulging, all the corners rounding under pressure building inside. Piercing it with the strawgushI enthusiastically guzzled the fizzy drink. My first taste of wine was very unrefined; the presence of some wild yeast had transformed the sugars in the juice box, creating carbonation and alcohol. This memory contributed to my later understanding of wild yeast and the transformation that I was creating (this time on purpose) in making my first ginger beer.
Skipping forward a decade or so, my stepdad was on another of his health kicks. This time, he had some sort of mushroom (as he called it) growing in a big plastic bucket in the basement. He would harvest and then chug the vinegary-smelling, murky water from the bucket, referring to it as the fountain of youth. There were rumors that kombucha could help ones hair grow back, so maybe it was
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