pear & apple kombucha.

Sweet, ripe apples & pears, fermented together make for a very enjoyable, fizzy beverage. Use whatever in-season fruit is available to you, this is just a baseline recipe.

Ingredients:

  • 1000g fresh abate fetel pear juice, any sweet, juicy pear will work here.

  • 250g fresh granny smith apple juice, any crispy, sour apple will work here.

  • 1 scoby, can be purchased online or home-brewery shops.

  • 125g unpasteurized kombucha.

Equipment:

  • 2L food-safe jug/container

  • funnel

  • juicer.

Yield:

  • ~1.5L kombucha.

  • 1 scoby.

Execution:

  1. sanitize.

  • Sanitize your equipment, including your chopping board, juicer and container using a specified food-safe sanitizing agent or distilled white vinegar and dish soap.

2. process, ferment.

  • Pour the apple and pear juice, raw unpasteurized kombucha, into your fermentation vessel. While wearing gloves place your scoby into the mixture.

  • Cover the top of the container with a breathable kitchen/paper towel or cheesecloth and wrap with a rubber band.

  • Allow to ferment in a slight above room temperature environment for around 7-10 days. Continue to taste the kombucha after a few days to ensure that the scoby is healthy and the fermentation is going well. It should become slightly effervescent and lose some of its sweetness in place of acidity.

  • Once the kombucha has reached your desired flavor, remove the scoby from the liquid and place into a separate container and cover with around 1 cup of kombucha and store in the fridge until you’re ready to brew another batch.

  • Strain the kombucha through a chinois/strainer lined with cheesecloth and consume immediately, store in the fridge for 1-2 weeks, or freeze in zip top bags for 1-3 months.

3. bottling (optional).

  • Transfer the kombucha to a bottle with an airtight-lid, close the lid and allow to ferment for another couple days until your desired carbonation and acidity levels are reached.

  • Consume immediately or store in the fridge and consume within 1-2 weeks.

tips.

  • If any odd/undesirable odours or tastes pop-up in your kombucha throughout the process, toss it or reduce it to make a kombucha syrup.

  • If any pink, green or black mold appears on top of your scoby, your base liquid was not acidic enough from the start, toss it.