I really like our homemade kombucha. I like everything about it: The giant crocks visibly fermenting in the kitchen, the routine of bottling and refreshing the tea weekly/bi-weekly, drinking a cold one every night and feeling that good bacteria work its magic, and my favorite part of all, experimenting with different flavors for the second ferment. Especially if the flavors are seasonal.
This spring, I just happened to stumble into what I can safely say is my newest favorite flavor for bottling: strawberry-rhubarb.
We just happen to have a rhubarb plant growing in a container in our backyard, and a very small, somewhat neglected patch of strawberries growing in a shady spot near the property line between us and our neighbors. So as I was puttering outside in the backyard with my kids a few weeks ago, getting inspired by all the plants that were popping up in the yard, it clicked to me to try this quintessential spring flavor combination with my kombucha, and it did not disappoint.
I tried it and immediately had to share it with my husband and daughter. And my friends. And they loved it too, and said I could sell this stuff at the store. But I really can’t, because it’s too good not to guzzle down myself. So here’s the recipe. Go forth and make your own.
Strawberry-Rhubarb Kombucha
One of our favorite ways to second-ferment homemade kombucha.
- Prep Time: 30
- Cook Time: 15
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Category: kombucha, ferments
Ingredients
1 cup chopped rhubarb
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
1-2 cups strawberries, fresh or frozen
kombucha
Instructions
- Make a rhubarb simple syrup: Place the chopped rhubarb, water and sugar in a saucepan. Turn to medium high and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally to help dissolve the sugar. Remove from heat and let sit until it comes to room temperature. Pour into a mason jar (including the bits of rhubarb) and store in the refrigerator until ready to use. It should keep for up to a week.
- Make a strawberry-rhubarb puree: Place all your rhubarb simple syrup in a blender with the strawberries. Add kombucha and blend just until smooth. Add a bit more kombucha if your mixture is too thick.
- Bottle: Pour 2-3 oz of the strawberry-rhubarb puree into each brewing bottle. Top off with kombucha until it fills just the bottom 1/3rd of the neck. Pop on your snaplock lids to seal, and keep out of direct sunlight for 3-7 days, making sure to burp your bottles daily.
Keywords: kombucha, fermenting
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What is kombucha and where do I find it..Thank you 🥰
Kombucha can be brewed at home using a SCOBY (symbiotic culture bacteria and yeast) and fermenting tea. Amazon sells SCOBY’s. Lots of literature online for starting and brewing. Good luck!
You can buy it in grocery stores to try it as well, usually with the organic and natural things in the refrigerated section.
What kind of crocks are those you are using? The ones with the spigot?
Hi, thanks so much for posting this recipe! I’ve got my plain kombucha and rhubarb simple syrup ready to go and I have a couple quick questions – when you blend the strawberries and the simple syrup, do you also add kombucha to the mixture in the blender? Roughly how much? I have a nutri-bullet blender, the kind that doesn’t let air escape as you blend, so worried that this may cause issues (read: explosion). Have you ever had issues with this? Also wondering how you know if the mixture is "too thick" – should it be a thin liquid, or more slushy/smoothie-like? Thanks so much!