Bottled Roses Kombucha

Today I have a guest post from my friend Angie Meara. Angie has been developing some new kombucha flavors and her lucky friends get to try out the results! This was the first flavor of Angie’s that I tried and it is my favorite.

My family really likes plain kombucha and doing a secondary ferment is just “one more thing” that I have avoided until now. Tasting this Bottled Roses Kombucha has caused me to reconsider my stance. It really is quite special. I love the romantic twist that Angie has given to this delightful flavor in her post below. I hope you will try it and that you enjoy it as much as I do!

-PattyLA

This time of the year always reminds me of traveling to the Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City with my then serious boyfriend (now husband) and my mother. You might think it was an awkward arrangement, but we all really wanted to go and sharing the expense made this memorable adventure feasible. I recall stopping somewhere about halfway through Colorado to check in at a hotel, eat, and knock out the remainder of the drive the next day. After dinner that night, we returned to our shared suite to find not one but two bouquets of roses wishing me and my mom “Happy Valentine’s Day.” What an utterly sweet and surprising gesture. My mom and I were touched that Sean conceived such an idea.

There is something very special about receiving roses and something equally thoughtful when you take an idea to the next level. If you’re like me and want to mix it up this holiday, or any time, think about bottling rose hips. Perhaps you’re already brewing kombucha at home, but this month how about taking it a step further and allow your healthy fermented beverage to hang out with dried rose hips and some fresh (or more likely frozen) strawberries. The visual beauty of this fermented tea in a clear swing-top bottle will make a splash. “Bottled Roses,” as I like to call it, will set the tone and touch your sweetie on that special day. It’s winter here in St. Louis, Missouri, so brewing my kombucha takes roughly 12-18 days.

The day before my kombucha is done with its first ferment, I’ll begin sending enough water through the Big Berkey to make my next batch of sweet tea. I will also line up all my 32 oz. jars and measure out the ingredients for my second ferments.

Once I remove my SCOBY (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast) from the brewing vessel, I fill all the 32 oz. jars allowing about 2 inches of neck space. The reason I add my ingredients in the jar first is it allows me to judge the neck space better when I’m pouring the kombucha over the ingredients and they begin to expand. These jars are perfect for the second ferment. I secure the cap to the jars and store them in a warm spot inside cardboard boxes, so that when our kids are playing, they don’t accidentally disturb the fermenting process. These boxes double as a place to store my empty jars when they’re not in use.

After two days of the second ferment, I strain the kombucha with a plastic strainer into a large Pyrex mixing bowl with a spout. I like the plastic strainer because it allows me to squeeze and press out any color or flavor inside the fruit, leaves, pods, and seeds.

I feed the leftovers to our backyard chickens, but you could compost it or even freeze it to use in smoothies. After straining, I pour the completed goodness into a swing-top liter glass bottle and refrigerate.

Prior to drinking, especially if it’s been a week or so, I strain the kombucha and return it to the same bottle to avoid any visible yeast strands or mini scobys that may have formed. It’s best to do this a day or two before drinking, because you will release effervescence, and you may want some of it to build up again.

May “Bottled Roses” be tasty enough that you make it for yourself, too!

Bottled Roses Kombucha
Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp. - Rose Hips, Organic, Dried
• 1/3-1/4 Cup - Strawberries, Organic, Frozen or Fresh (about 5-6 one-inch sized berries)
• Aprox. 4 cups of kombucha
• 32 oz. glass jar with lid (I re-use juice jars from the grocery store)

Place rose hips and strawberries into 32 oz jar. Pour in kombucha until the jar is filled to 2 inches from the top. Set in a dark warm place for about 2 days. Strain into flip top bottles and move to the fridge. If desired strain again a day before consuming to remove any new scobys that may have formed.

 

Angie Meara was raised by a mother and grandmother who taught her to trust her body’s ability to heal. She continued this tradition with her own children by communicating through stories of “Workers” inside their bodies. These imaginary “Workers” need the building blocks gained from healthy foods to make the children strong and healthy.

She believes in sourcing her food locally and supplementing it with homegrown vegetables and herbs along with eggs from her backyard chickens. Angie feels closest to her food when applying traditional cooking practices. It is her goal to maximize the nutritional value of food to provide better family health.

Currently, she is facilitating in-home demonstrations of fermented foods and traditional cooking practices. Angie intends to open a business one day selling fermented beverages directly to consumers, local markets and restaurants. She has been actively testing her products incorporating local/seasonal ingredients to gain insight on the popular blends and flavors.

Angie considers herself an aspiring urban homesteader living in a century home in St. Louis City.

You can find her on Facebook as Angie Fach Meara or at angiemeara@gmail.com.