Kombucha does not need tea to grow. It only needs sugar and water. Once we realized this, we asked ourselves what will be my sugar and what will be my water? We began with several bottles of Navarro Vineyards 2012 Gewurztraminer grape juice. We added a kombucha SCOBY and covered the jar with cheese cloth. Within 3 days, the SCOBY was growing. After 14 days we have an acidic, carbonated kombucha. We added a few fresh bottles of juice to the jar and blended them with the kombucha. Then we strained some of the mixture into 2 of the juice bottles and chilled them in the refrigerator. In this cold environment, the bacteria and yeasts will continue to consume the sugars from the fresh infusion of juice, at a much slower pace than they would at room temperature. The blending of the fresh juice with the fermented base creates a refreshing, balanced beverage that we will enjoy over the next several days.
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