Whole30 Day12 Kombucha? Kombu-cha!

One of the things that I miss while eating paleo, besides chips, bread and cheese (which I admit, I have been admitting and paying for it dearly), I miss ginger ale. I grew up in Michigan in a small city outside of Detroit, spending weekends at the park or driving down with my family to Cedar Point to ride my favorite roller coaster the Screwdriver or eating a hani with coleslaw and a side of chili cheese fries. Never had a hani?..oh dear me- it definitely is not paleo but check out the National Coney Island site to gaze upon it's greatness. Getting side tracked...

Ginger Ale. For me I expect a very specific taste- a carmel, vanilla flavor, highly carbonated and very gold in color. Vernors. It's a Michigan thing that turned into a Midwest thing that is very rarely found in the PNW.  Vernors is the oldest surviving brand of ginger ale in the United States according to my internet searches. It's a one of a kind taste that is impossible to match. 

It may be the carbonation or maybe the intense ginger flavor that I miss Vernors. I have tried to just drink the Canadian Dry Ginger Ale, or even the organic "authentic" ginger ale from stores like Whole Foods or New Seasons- just not the same. 

One of the drinks that I have found that help curb my carbonated craving is kombucha. It has taken several tries and particular flavors for me to really enjoy kombucha. Kombucha? What is that?! It is black or green tea that is fermented with a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast, also known as as a SCOBY. GT's makes several different flavors and is one of my favorites but really expensive if you drink it every day, between $2.50-$4 a bottle. So we decided to brew our own.

Super simple and a great learning tool as you can watch your SCOBY grow! After your brew is done fermenting you can add fruit juices, fruit pieces and my favorite is fresh grated ginger.  With the ginger, I get closer and closer to that Vernors taste. My next attempt is trying for that creamy carbonated taste which I am not really sure how to achieve but the subtle ginger and gold color are there and do curb my ginger ale cravings...for now.

Tip for the Day: Kombucha isn't always Whole30 approved since it does have sugar or fruit juice. However, a nice substitute besides the flavored water I've talked about before or soda water! You get that carbonation and can add fresh lemons or limes and is much less expensive than a bottle of Pellegrino.