Kum-ba-WHAT??!!

we love ginger beer. now that hubby is off diet coke, ginger beer tends to be our treat. i was at a seminar a couple months ago when the speaker mentioned the bottle he was drinking was a ginger flavored kombucha and better than any ginger beer he had tasted.
i had heard about kombucha, but it went straight into the really extreme health freaks category. but i haven't been able to get his claim out of my head. since stewarts just discontinued our favorite, hubby has been talking about wanting to brew his own ginger beer.
so a couple weeks ago when i went to pick up my milk and eggs and there was a starter, i snatched it up, catapulting us into the world of kombucha.
here are the fast facts:

• aids in digestion
• detoxes the body
• good for constipation
• stimulates the metabolism
• combats aches and pains, headaches
• helps reduce anxiety
• helps lower blood pressure
  
• "good for all kinds of ailments"
  
• "contributes to life extension"
  

why WOULDN'T people want to try it? well, it is a bit tart, vinegary. it is expensive to buy, but its pretty easy, and inexpensive, to brew.
simply steep some unflavored green or black tea. add sugar, then the culture and let it sit for a week or so. then bottle it up, add the flavor of your choice, let it ferment a bit more and develop a carbonation, and drink up.
the results? hubby LOVES it! he tells anyone who comes into our home about it and offers them a drink - before he shows them what it looks like. good strategy. one of my friends thought i was marinating chicken - i guess i can understand why:
here is a look at our bottled brew. we'd like to get some flip top bottles that are a little stronger glass, but these work fine.

so i guess you can add us to the really extreme health freak category. now that we're here i don't feel so freaky :)