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Making kombucha: Like vinegar, but more low-key?

Sunset's editors have been lately spotted toting bottles of kombucha, fermented tea sold at Whole Foods Markets and natural foods stores....

Sunset

Sunset’s editors have been lately spotted toting bottles of kombucha, fermentedtea sold at Whole Foods Markets and natural foods stores. (So you’renot surprised if you try it: It smells like vinegar, but get past thatand it’s tasty. Plus, it has an aura of good health.) However, at $4 abottle, I’m drinking away my salary.

Which is why I was excited to readon the ApartmentTherapy blog Re-Nest that you can make your own. From reading their description, it’s less complicated than making vinegar; it only takes 10 days from putting a batch together to drinking a batch you made yourself.

Now all I need is a “scoby,” a symbiotic culture of bacteria andyeast that works like the mother in vinegar-making. Oh, no, wait: Thank goodness forthe Internet. According to the Love Your Mother blog (love the name), I can make my own.

Any DIY-kombucha drinkers out there? I’d love to hear about your experiences.

by Elizabeth Jardina, Sunset researcher