Kombucha is one beverage with many uses. It is a tasty, “healthy” soda – effervescent and probiotic. Kombucha can also be used in cooking and baking, adding a dollop of flavor to hot cereals, pancakes and even steamed vegetables.
Probiotic kombucha tastes great.
If you make your own kombucha, you’ll probably find a few more ways to use this healthful sparkling beverage.
I like kombucha without any flavoring, at all but I also like kombucha with everything from blueberries to juniper berries added during the final fermentation.
Combinations of herbs, spices, fruits, and juices that can add flavor to your kombucha are almost endless. Here are some of my favorite blends, but feel free to be creative and add whatever flavors you enjoy!
Easy combinations include:
- Blueberry/Vanilla – whole blueberries and vanilla to tast
- Tart Cherry Vanilla – organic tart cherry juice and vanilla
- Sweet Beet – organic beet juice
- Pomegranate – organic pomegranate juice
- Hibiscus flower – dried red hibiscus flowers (which I get from Mountain Rose Herbs)
Here are some more ideas for giving your kombucha that extra bit of flavor:
Elderberry, Rosehip, & Cinnamon
A standby, this is the blend that I make really enjoy. Sometimes, I’ll add Hibiscus flowers or use ginger root instead of cinnamon.
1/3 cup organic dried elderberries
1/4 cup organic dried rosehips
1 tsp organic cinnamon chips
Sparkling Ginger Pear
This recipe is simple, yet delicious. It’s a light, refreshing, and reminiscent of champagne. Use whichever fruit is in season: raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, apricots, and peaches are all tasty substitutes for pears.
1 Asian apple or regular pear
1 TBSP dried or fresh organic ginger root
Refreshing Herbal Medley
A perfect blend for the summertime! This medley is cooling, refreshing, and the addition of Yerba Mate offers a little energy boost.
½ cup organic dried hibiscus flowers
2 TBSP dried organic holy basil (Tulsi)
2 TBSP dried organic peppermint
1 TBSP dried organic ginger root
1 TBSP dried organic Yerba Mate
Flavorings your home brew are only limited by your imagination. Experiment, play and enjoy this wonderful fermented beverage for pennies on the dollar.
Grow So Easy Organic 
Hi Pat,
Great article!
I’ve only tried kombucha once, a commerical drink, and really hated it, but I’ll probably give it another try. Probably an acquired taste, and I know it has so many good health qualities.
By the way, if you ever want to share some already-published pieces on Flora’s Forum (from your extensive archives), as a regular feature, maybe once or twice a month, I’d love to have you as a “how-to” organic gardening expert.
Sandy
Sandra Knauf (719) 473-9237
Author of ZERA AND THE GREEN MAN (Meet the girl who just says “no” to GMOs.) Weekly posts on Flora’s Forum Follow me.
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Thanks Sandra, I am truly flattered! Shoot me an email and we can figure out what might work well for your audience. I love sharing what I have learned about organic gardening and would be proud to contribute to your forum. Wish you lived close enough to try some of my kombucha – it is delicious – sweet-tart and effervescent. Even my husband drinks it and that’s a big endorsement.
Now I know what kombucha is!
I absolutely love it. Great flavors and bubbles and it’s probiotic. I also love that one gallon of my home brew costs about as much as one bottle at the health food store! One more way for me to control what I eat and drink and have fun doing it.
Great saving!
And oh so tasty. Bottled a batch yesterday that was almost creamy! Yum!!