I’ve never cared much one way or the other about kombucha. I’ve tasted it once or twice, but it comes packaged, so I avoid it.

I’ve been making vinegar for a while from apples and water, sometimes adding sugar, since I have some a neighbor left when he moved. The vinegar tastes delicious and has resulted in a bunch of the yeast and bacteria cultures that grow as I pass them from one batch to the next.

I figured kombucha and vinegar were similar, just kombucha had tea. I don’t drink much tea. In fact, I have two containers of tea leaves at least ten years old in my cupboard for guests, but I rarely make any. Finally, it hit me; if I take over ten years to use the tea, I might as well try making kombucha with it.

I didn’t even look up how to make it. I figure it’s tea, water, sugar, and a culture of yeast and bacteria. Instead of sugar, I used apples and a little maple syrup I had left over from my CSA years ago that isn’t sweet any more and I didn’t know what to do with. For all I know, I did it wrong and it could have tasted better.

I basically made vinegar but with tea and I can’t believe how delicious it tastes. Now I wish I’d sampled more to compare it against. I can’t wait to make more. I wish I could describe the flavor: rich, smoky, tangy.

I’m fermenting more all the time. The chutneys taste amazing too. I’m branching out into new varieties there. I should have unplugged my fridge long before, since that’s what prompted this exploration and discovery of flavors, nutrition, and connection to cuisines of the world.

Here are pictures:

• ← Spring flowers
• A simple proposal to reduce litter →