WFP: Homemade fizzy drinks!
So, you know how I brew kombucha and am a total convert? Well, my SCOBY (symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeasts) got mold twice in a row… I have no idea what happened! I was waiting for another culture from my friend and I caved and bought a few of those GT’s kombuchas from the store. They are so expensive! But anyway, one thing I notice about that kind is how incredibly fizzy it is. My homemade stuff is nice and has a little bubble to it, but nothing like that. I am not sure what they do to get it so fizzy. So, I recently got these new bottles with a flip top, and so I’m starting to do a second ferment- which, so far, has definitely improved the carbonation factor. It’s not explosive or anything, but more fizzy. So that’s cool. 🙂
Also, I’m doing more water kefir. I wasn’t sure about it- I had never tasted it outside of my own brewing of it. It was… different. I guess it’s like that with all of the fermented goodies I eat now. At first you just have to get used to it a little. But now I’ve got a taste for it, and I’m learning how to flavor it in ways I like. It’s not quite as fizzy as kombucha, but the second fermentation with a little fruit definitely helps. On the left is one flavored with lemon juice, and on the right is one flavored with blueberries.
The kids totally love it, and will drink an entire quart in no time. I think in general I prefer kombucha (probably because I’m so used to it), but it takes a good 7 days at least to be finished, whereas the water kefir is done in 3 days. 
When I asked Vera how she liked it, she was enthusiastic!
I really can’t praise these drinks enough! They are delicious and probiotic- helping maintain your health rather than destroy it like so many other beverages these days. I am a big fan!
Garlic scapes are up in the garden. Our first harvest, since we were so late with everything else. They are so good. I’ve been throwing them in everything. Yum! Also pictured are local swiss chard and asparagus, which also are making appearances in most of our meals.
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I’m trying to be braver about trying new things, and I always pass garlic scapes by at the farmers market because I have no idea how to use them. Can you be a bit more specific about how you use them? 🙂
Okay, I know you didn’t ask me, but I love garlic scapes so I can’t resist chiming in. My favorite thing to do with them is to toss them with some olive oil, salt, and pepper, and then roast or grill them until they start to get brown. That’s it. Perfectly simple, and delicious alongside just about anything. They’re also good on pizza. They pair well with asparagus, because they have a similar texture and take about the same amount of time to cook, so you can make a nice pasta dish by sauteing chopped garlic scapes and asparagus, tossing with pasta, then topping with some grated cheese and a bit of lemon juice. 🙂
I’m not picky about who helpful responses come from. 😉 Thank you for the suggestions! Now I can’t wait to pick some up at the Farmer’s Market tomorrow! 😀
Yes to everything that decemberthirty says! I think with something like garlic scapes it’s really best to let their flavor shine through. I like them in eggs a lot. Another idea I had was to include them in my next batch of pickles. I’ll do a post about that soon. You could also add them to some butter and herbs and spread that on toast… mmm!
🙂
So, in eggs, just chop ’em up and throw ’em in? That reminds me, guess what?! Our city council just passed a backyard chicken ordinance! When we find out whether we’re getting the house we put in an offer for, we’re going to apply for our chicken permit! 😀
YAY! Chickens are the best!!! Such happy news. Fresh backyard eggs and garlic scapes… does it get any better?
i looooooove garlic scapes! they make the world’s ultimate pesto.
PESTO!?! Why had I not thought of that? That’s brilliant, I tell you. Brilliant! Thanks. I make pesto out of practically everything, and yet it hadn’t occurred to me to do it with the garlic scapes. 🙂
I have tried kombucha so many times, and I really want to like it but…it just doesn’t happen! Any suggestions? I’ve tried fruity kinds mostly. I know so many people who swear by it.
Maybe try the plain kind? I know it took some warming up to it for me. The taste was so different. But now I’m so familiar with it and I really love it. It’s one of my favorite things! Also, the store-bought stuff is a little intense, I’ve found. You could experiment with making your own (for way less money), and taste it along the way while it’s brewing to come up with your own version.
I am brewing both kombucha and kefir soda water, too. I received my kefir grains only like a week ago, I think they are still “waking up.” Does your kefir soda get fizzy? Mine does not but I am wondering if it is because it they are still maturing since I received them only about a week ago.
This spring I also made saurkraut for the first time (yum!) and I am patiently awaiting things to grow in the garden. All I have been able to harvest so far is some herbs and 1 (yes, 1) strawberry. 🙂
My kefir didn’t get fizzy at all really until recently. I think you’re right- they have to “wake up” a little to get moving. The flavor has improved, too. I’m not sure what changed, maybe they just need a few cycles to really do their thing. 🙂
All of that sounds amazing! You must post about it all!
I made green eggs with our own swiss chard a while ago. Everybody loved it! That’ll definitely make another appearance soon. 🙂
I bought kombucha a bit ago and must admit I didn’t like it all that much. But maybe it’s just something one has to get used to? I don’t know. I’d love to drink it regularly since it’s so healthy but I’m not gonna force it down. Hm.
Kombucha is definitely something I had to grow a taste for. It was just so different when I first had it, but now it’s something I really love. Keep trying it! I think it’s SO delicious now.
Second ferment in Grolsch bottles works great for my kombucha. Fizzy and sooo satisfying. I’d really like to try water kefir, for the quickness factor. If you end up with a huge surplus of grains as they grow, would you share if I pay shipping? 😉
We are eating arugula babies and looking forward to peas and other earlies from our way up north garden; I think of you often! 🙂
I would love to share! I’ll research how to ship them… I think I have to dehydrate them. Also, I would love to pay shipping. Send me your address! <3
All sorts of new things to me today. I only tried kombucha once but I couldn’t do it. I will definitely have to try kefir soda.
And I’m assuming that garlic scapes are the green plants of which the garlic is the bulb? At what point do you harvest those?
Garlic scapes are this little curly part on the top of the garlic plant, they are the immature flower stalk. They look like this: http://www.revolutiongardens.com/?p=569
Some people claim that harvesting these reinvests the plant’s energy into the bulb rather than creating seed. Makes sense to me, although I’m not sure how true it is. All I know is, garlic scapes are a first taste of lovely fresh garlic that you wouldn’t get otherwise, with no negative impact to your garlic harvest. So good!
And thanks to you, I learn a new thing. And because I had seen the word before, when I saw it as an option on my CSA box, I got some. I will see how they taste on Sunday!