Probiotic Drinks at Home: Make Your Own Seriously Delicious Gut-Friendly Fermented Beverages

252 Pages·2018·7.44 MB·English

by  Felicity Evans

FERMENTED PROBIOTIC DRINKS AT HOME: Make Your Own Kombucha, Kefir, Ginger Bug, Jun,
Pineapple Tepache, Honey Mead, Beet Kvass, and More
Text copyright © Felicity Evans 2017, 2018
Design copyright © Murdoch Books 2017
Photography © Rob Palmer 2017
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in any retrieval system or
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without the prior written permission of The Publisher.
Originally published as Probiotic Drinks at Home by Murdoch Books in Australia in 2017 and in the UK in
2018.
First published in North America by The Experiment, LLC, in 2018.
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data available upon request
Ebook ISBN 978-1-61519449-0
Cover design by Sarah Smith
Text design by Murdoch Books
Cover photographs by Rob Palmer
Manufactured in China
Distributed by Workman Publishing Company, Inc.
Distributed simultaneously in Canada by the University of Toronto Press
CONTENTS
1. Preface
2. GOOD HEALTH STARTS IN THE GUT

1. Introduction
2. Methods of fermentation
3. The how and why of fermentation
4. Healthy fermentation
5. The fermentation kitchen
6. 10 ways to add superfoods to your drinks
3. Section One: FERMENTATION USING A CULTURE
1. Introduction
2. 1. Water kefir and coconut water kefir
3. 2. Milk kefir
4. 3. Kombucha
5. 4. Jun
4. Section Two: WILD FERMENTATION
1. Introduction
2. 5. Beet kvass
3. 6. Pineapple tepache
4. 7. Ginger bug
5. 8. Honey mead
5. GLOSSARY
6. INDEX
7. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

PREFACE
—————
Probiotic drinks have ancient roots but they are a relative newcomer to the
healthy drinks menu. They provide an amazing source of energy, can aid in
detoxification and boost overall health, and their true benefits are only just
coming to light. The brilliant news is that you can create these elixirs in your
kitchen.
My journey with fermentation and probiotic drinks has had an incredible
impact on both my health and my family life. When I first started making
probiotic drinks at home, I did so purely out of necessity. Having traveled the
world with my husband on many amazing adventures, I battled with a string of
diseases, including glandular fever, chronic fatigue and malaria. These left me
bedridden and lethargic, and I was propped up by antibiotics.
After the birth of my second daughter, I suffered long-term chronic mastitis,
requiring many rounds of antibiotics, and my overall health went well and truly
downhill. I started to ask questions: What grinch stole my mojo? Why I am so
unwell when I eat so well? Will I ever feel normal again? And, most crucially,
what can I do to get my energy back?
I recalled an encounter with Guatemalan locals six years earlier where I tasted
a sacred probiotic beverage – water kefir – known for its life-giving properties. It
was fresh, slightly sparkling and not too sweet. And it made me feel amazing.
So, with a young baby strapped to my chest and a toddler at my heels, I began
my kitchen fermentation trials, hoping to re-create that magical probiotic elixir I
had been blessed to receive all those years ago. These early trials gave me an
interesting taste of the highs and lows of fermentation, but overall the highs
outweighed the lows. After a slow and steady start, my energy soon returned and
I saw the positive effects on my health.
It was incredible to see my health being transformed from day to day. I fell in
love with the fermentation process – the delight in hearing the bubbling and
hissing, tasting the beautiful elixirs, the fizz on the tongue and the acidic zing –
transforming the spices, herbs and berries into life-giving probiotic drinks
through sheer alchemy. It was an exciting gateway into a new world.
Affectionately dubbed “Queen Alchemist,” I realized I had a knack for the
fermentation process, particularly with water kefir. I was invited to stock my
water kefirs in a local health food store and from there Imbibe Living, my
company, was born.
Fermentation is so special to me. It’s like finding diamond treasures in your
own home that you never knew existed. Through patience, trial and error, and
the utmost of respect for ancient cultures, I’ve taught myself fermentation
techniques and created these recipes that I’m delighted to share with you. By
mixing some water, sugar and fresh ginger together you can create a refreshing,
probiotic-rich, old-fashioned ginger beer. By stirring some honey and water
together you can make your very own alcoholic honey mead.