Booch

A couple of years ago I tried Wonder Drink brewed right across the river from us in Portland. I hadn't tried it before and actually had not heard of it until I started watching Justin Rhodes. In several of their videos Rebekah would mention either Iced Hibiscus Tea or Kombucha.

The hibiscus tea wasn't a mystery to me, but the Kombucha? Well I had to do a little hunt for that and found it in the area of Natural Foods at Fred Meyer (before the big re-modeling of the store). The price was three bucks and change. More than I would normally spend on any kind of beverage, but I wanted to try it so I bought one.

My first sip of the booch made me pucker a little as it reminded me of Apple Cider Vinegar. BUT, I liked it and I decided that I would pick up a couple here and there. The price really slowed me down so a few months after buying single bottles I decided to check Azure Standard to see if they had it available by the case which cost $32.95. At less than $3 a bottle it seemed like a good deal so it was the first and last time I ordered it. Since I don't place orders with Azure Standard that often I decided to just go back to buying a bottle here and there.

Last summer I started watching a different homesteader's YouTube channel which included a vlog on brewing your own Kombucha. A ha! I can do this myself?! Well,  several months passed and I still didn't make any, but I did continue to think about it. I even went so far to find a vessel suitable for at least starting my new brewing adventure.

This year I have decided to try doing new things, especially things that will save money in the long run. A couple of weeks ago I found an article HERE on Mother Earth News and the author is a local...lives in Battle Ground. I also found some good information on a different website HERE - which had lots of photos.

Between the two articles I have this now:

SCOBY growing batch

On Saturday I decided it was time to "harvest" my SCOBY. While I was at it, I tried what was in the jar and it wasn't half bad. I decided since it was the liquid that I was growing the SCOBY in I decided to go ahead and start over and brew a brand fresh new batch of Booch.

I'm no expert, but I think this turned out alright. I look forward to a fresh batch of Kombucha. I haven't had a bottle of Wonder Drink in a long time, but from now on I won't need to buy another bottle and I look forward to keeping this up and saving money in the long run.

Check back later I'll have a post on the finished product. I asked Alexa to remind me when to check the brew - that will be on February 11 - I'm excited!

DIY is the best!