How to Make Kombucha At Home
I’m not gonna lie: when I first decided to learn how to make kombucha at home, I was feeling pretty intimidated.
I had never done any fermenting before and, just like with learning any new skill, I feared I would mess it up or make my family sick.
But as it turns out, making kombucha at home is actually one of the quickest and easiest things that I now DIY on a regular basis. It takes very little hands-on time to brew a batch and virtually no special skills or equipment to get started. All you need is some water, sugar, tea, a SCOBY (which we’ll talk more about in just a minute), a glass jar and some bottles.
Oh, and it’s nearly impossible to mess it up or make anybody sick with homemade kombucha. In fact, quite the opposite: kombucha is one of the healthiest drinks you can consume besides water!
Cool. But what is kombucha, exactly?
Kombucha is a bubbly fermented drink made from black or green sweet tea.
To make it, all you need to do is brew some tea, mix it with sugar, let it cool and then add your SCOBY and some starter liquid and then let it sit on your counter and ferment at room temperature for a few days. Once it’s fermented, your kombucha will be ready to flavour and bottle, and then a few days later it will be bubbly and delicious and ready to drink!
Health benefits of kombucha
Kombucha is a fizzy, carbonated drink that can be flavoured in a myriad of ways using fruits, herbs and spices. But unlike soda and other carbonated beverages that are loaded with sugar and flavoured with artificial flavours, kombucha is all natural and is actually very low in sugar. This is because, even though kombucha is made with sugar, the SCOBY actually feeds on the sugar during the fermentation process. (See “What is a SCOBY?” below for more info.)
The longer kombucha is left to ferment, the less sugar remains, and by the time it’s ready to consume, there is typically very little sugar left. It also feeds on the caffeine in the tea, leaving very little caffeine too:) Since it is fermented, “living” food, (err, drink), kombucha is also very beneficial for gut health and for supporting a healthy microbiome.
As we are becoming more and more aware, our overall health and immunity is intrinsically tied to our gut health, and fermented foods and the probiotics they contain are one of the best possible things to consume to support a healthy gut!
How much does it cost to make kombucha at home?
Making your own kombucha is WAAAY cheaper than buying it from the store. Like, insanely cheaper.
Like anything, there will likely be a few start-up costs at the beginning (although they are very minimal), but overall making your own homemade kombucha is extremely economical.
Case in point: I can make about a gallon of kombucha at home for literal pennies. Okay, maybe it might cost me up to a buck or two for a gallon depending on the exact ingredients I use to flavour it. But that’s even a bit of a stretch.
Compare this to store-bought kombucha, which can cost anywhere from about $5 to $10 for a 16oz bottle. I’ve priced it out before, and for roughly the same amount as I make at home in a gallon batch, it would cost me roughly $40 to $60 to buy it ready-made from the store!
But financial savings aren’t the only reason to make your own kombucha at home…
Other reasons to make kombucha at home
By making your own homemade kombucha, you also have total control over the flavour, as well as the sugar content.
When it comes to flavouring kombucha, you can get as creative as you like! I’ll talk more about some of my favourite ways to flavour kombucha and favourite flavour combinations further on in this blog post, but for now just know that there really are no rules when it comes to flavouring your homemade kombucha.
Finally, while you do need to use sugar to start a fresh batch of kombucha, the fermentation process essentially consumes the sugar for you so that there’s much less sugar in the finished product by the time you’re ready to drink it.
The longer you allow your kombucha to ferment, the less sugar there will be in the end. In fact, if you ferment kombucha long enough, there will be almost no sugar left at all, and in this case kombucha is even allowed on reduced sugar or keto diets!
However when you’re purchasing it from the store, the sugar levels vary depending on the brand and the batch, so you definitely have much more control over how much sugar is in your kombucha when you brew your own at home.
What is a SCOBY??
The acronym SCOBY stands for Symbiotic Culture Of Bacteria and Yeast.
You use an existing SCOBY to start each new batch of kombucha and then a new SCOBY forms as a thin layer on the surface of the batch when it’s fermenting. It eventually grows into a thick, gelatinous disc that looks a bit like a large mushroom or an alien sea creature of some kind. I’m not gonna lie, it can definitely be a little confronting the first time you lay eyes on one! (Just ask my friends who gasp and ask “dear God what is that thing?!” When they see it floating in a gallon of kombucha on my counter!)
But I assure you, there’s nothing threatening or alien about SCOBYs. They’re a perfectly natural part of the sweet tea fermentation process, and they’re an essential ingredient when it comes to brewing your own kombucha at home.
Where do I get a SCOBY from?
If you’re ready to get started making your own kombucha, you’ll need a SCOBY to get started. You can either ask around locally and see if you can get one through a friend or through Facebook marketplace, etc., or you can buy one online.
I got my first SCOBY for free from a friend and have never had to get another one because they multiply every time you brew a fresh batch!
* If you happen to live in the Comox Valley send me a message and I will happily give you one of my SCOBYs free of charge:)
But even if it costs you a few bucks for your first SCOBY, so long as you keep brewing kombucha somewhat regularly and store your SCOBYs correctly (see below), you’ll never have to buy one again, and you could even potentially sell extra SCOBYs to other people in your area!
Where to order a SCOBY online
If you’re opting to order a SCOBY online, there are a couple places you can get one from. You can order a SCOBY right here from Farmhouse Teas (which I highly recommend as you’ll also be supporting a small, family-run business).
Or, as with all things, you can order a SCOBY from Amazon.
Can I make my own SCOBY?
Technically, you can grow your own SCOBY simply by mixing brewed tea, sugar and some starter liquid (kombucha). Eventually a new SCOBY will form, but it typically takes a lot longer to create a SCOBY from scratch this way and your kombucha will be susceptible to being taken over by bad bacteria while you wait as part of the SCOBY’s job is to populate your kombucha with enough good bacteria that bad bacteria can’t thrive.
I’ve never personally made my own SCOBY from scratch and don’t really recommend it, but technically it’s possible if you wanna get really scrappy.
What else do I need to make kombucha at home?
Aside from a SCOBY, you’ll need a few other basic ingredients and tools to get started making kombucha at home.
You’ll need…
- A SCOBY (see above)
- Tea (you can use any black, green or white tea, bagged or looseleaf. But make sure it’s organic! I like Farmhouse Teas (affiliate link) and highly recommend their superior organic teas!
- Sugar (I prefer organic cane sugar. I’ve also used coconut sugar with success).
- Water (tap water is fine, just make sure it’s filtered or non-chlorinated. If it’s chlorinated, make sure to boil it first to remove the chlorine).
- A glass vessel (glass gallon jars are my favourite, but you can use half gallons or even quart jars for small batches)
- Bottles (I like using swing-top bottles like this, but I also use old (clean) growlers and howlers that I’ve picked up at local breweries, etc.)
- Flavouring (this is optional, but recommended. You can use fruit, juice, herbs, spices or herbal tea blends to flavour your kombucha)
Alternatively, you can get everything you need to get started making kombucha at home –minus the glass vessel– with this starter kit from my friend and affiliate partner, CeAnne at Farmhouse Teas.
The Homestead Kombucha Bundle is available for a limited time, and has everything you need to get started brewing kombucha at home, including Farmhouse Teas’ Three Sisters black kombucha tea blend, a starter SCOBY, a bag of organic cane sugar and three of my favourite flavour packs, including Farmhouse Teas’ Strawberry Mojito, Rose Berry and Rosemary Citrus herbal tea blends. Plus you’l get a stainless steel strainer, a 30+ page kombucha brewing eBook and more, including a bonus kombucha brewing video course (among other sweet bonuses).
AND, until March 10th, you can save an additional 20% off all kombucha products from Farmhouse Teas, including flavouring teas, SCOBYs and the Homestead Kombucha Bundle.
* Use code KOMBUCHA20 at checkout to get your discount.
How to make homemade kombucha
Once you’ve got your SCOBY, tea, sugar and fermenting vessel, you’re ready to get started making your own kombucha at home!
First you’ll need to know how much of each ingredient to use. This will depend on the size of your fermenting vessel.
For a quart-size jar, use
- ½ Tablespoon loose leaf tea or 2 tea bags
- ¼ cup sugar
- ½ cup starter tea
For a half gallon, use
- 1 Tablespoon loose leaf tea or 4 tea bags
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 cup starter tea
For a gallon, use
- 2 Tablespoons loose leaf tea or 8 tea bags
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 cups starter tea
Step 1 – First Ferment
The first part of the kombucha-making process is called the First Ferment. This is the part where you actually get your batch going and get it started fermenting.
Watch: How to Make Kombucha At Home – First Ferment
Here’s what you do:
1. Bring a kettle of water to a boil. Place your tea into a tea pot or other similar vessel to steep in (you could also use a pot or a glass jar or bowl). Make sure that loose leaf tea is contained in a tea bag or strainer.
2. Once your water has boiled, pour it over your tea and allow tea to steep for about 5 minutes.
3. Strain tea or remove tea bags and then transfer tea to your fermenting vessel (make sure to leave space for your starter tea!). Add sugar and stir until dissolved.
4. If there’s lots of extra room in your fermenting vessel (ie. in a large, gallon jar), top with cool water until your vessel is about ⅔ of the way full.
5. Allow tea to cool to at least 85 degrees Fahrenheit or cooler (room temperature to tepid, lukewarm water is ideal) before adding your starter tea and your SCOBY.
* DO NOT add your SCOBY to hot tea! If the liquid is too hot, -it will kill your SCOBY! Liquid should also be at least room temperature and not refrigerated when doing your first ferment as refrigeration slows the fermentation process.
6. Once your tea has cooled down, add you starter tea and your SCOBY. Then place a coffee filter over the jar opening and secure with an elastic band. Set kombucha aside on your counter at room temperature but out of direct sunlight, and leave it to ferment for at least 5 to 7 days and up to about 2 weeks.
* The time it takes for your kombucha to ferment depends on the temperature (warmer temps = faster fermentation and cooler temps = slower fermentation), as well as your personal preferences (if you prefer it sweeter, bottle it sooner. If you prefer less sugar, wait a little longer to bottle it).
Step 2 – Second Ferment
The second ferment is when the real fun begins! This is when you get to add your flavourings and bottle your kombucha!
Watch: How to Make Kombucha At Home – Second Ferment
You’ll need…
- Bottles (use glass bottles with airtight lids to bottle your kombucha and allow it to build up carbonation. I like to use swing-top bottles or glass growlers for mine).
- Flavourings (fresh, frozen or dried fruits, fruit juices, herbs and spices work great for flavouring kombucha! I especially like using the herbal tea blends from Farmhouse Teas to flavour my kombucha. My favourite flavours are Rose Berry, Strawberry Mojito, Apple Pie and Turmeric Ginger Peach… Okay, who am I kidding. I like them all!)
Add your flavouring(s)
Start by adding your flavourings to your bottle. If using fruit, you can either pop it in the bottle whole, chopped up, or blend it up first with a tablespoon or two of kombucha and then add it to the bottle. If adding herbal tea, herbs or spices, just add them in loose. You can strain them out later.
As for how much to add, I sort of eyeball it, but on average I’ll add about one tablespoon of herbal tea to a 34 oz. swing-top bottle, or about ¼ cup of fresh or frozen fruit. If adding spices (cinnamon, ginger, turmeric, etc.) I add about ½ teaspoon dried, ground spices or 1 teaspoon fresh (ie. ginger, turmeric, etc.).
This is where you get to play around with the different flavours and amounts and find what works for you. There are no hard and fast rules about flavouring kombucha like there are when you’re doing your initial ferment, so have fun! I’ve personally never made a bottle of kombucha I didn’t like, but if you do happen to make a bottle too strong or you don’t like the flavour combination, it won’t hurt you. Just chalk it up to experience and adjust your flavouring next time:)
The sky’s pretty much the limit when it comes to flavouring kombucha. I love using the herbal flavouring packs from Farmhouse Teas because they’re delicious, 100% organic and already blended for me, but here are some of my other favourite flavours and combinations…
Kombucha flavour combo ideas
- Strawberry Mint
- Strawberry Basil
- Strawberry Rhubarb
- Blueberry Lemon/Lime
- Lemon Ginger
- Pineapple Ginger
- Mango Pineapple
- Blackberry Ginger
- Apple Cinnamon
- Raspberry Cherry
- Raspberry Lemon
- Watermelon Mint
- Cherry Lime
- Cranberry Orange
- Lemon Rosemary
- Blackberry Cherry
- Blackberry Mint
- Pear Ginger
- Tripleberry (Blackberry Blueberry & Raspberry or Strawberry)
Bottle your kombucha
Once you’ve added your flavourings to the bottle, use a funnel to pour in your kombucha (remove the SCOBYs first!). Fill the bottles up to the top, leaving about an inch to ½ inch headspace. Seal the bottles with the lid and set it aside on the counter out of direct sunlight once more.
Allow the bottles to sit and do their second ferment for about two or three days. Then transfer to the fridge to chill before serving!
Allowing your bottled kombucha to sit on the counter for a few days allows it to continue fermenting and helps build carbonation. Putting it in the fridge helps slow the carbonation so it doesn’t get too bubbly.
I recommend chilling it before opening it up, both because cold kombucha (like cold beer) just tastes better, and because I once opened a warm bottle of blackberry kombucha in my friend’s kitchen and it EXPLODED all over their ceiling, walls, clothes… Not my finest hour.
To be fair, we had been travelling and I had it jumbling around in my backpack, and I’ve never had a problem with chilled kombucha! Still, you might want to open it over the sink (or outside) just in case;)
How to store homemade kombucha
Store kombucha in the fridge. If you store bottled kombucha at room temperature for a long time it will build up a lot of carbonation and could start to leak or even explode all over. Storing it in the fridge will slow the carbonation and keep it longer.
Kombucha is fermented, so it won’t technically go bad. But once opened, it can lose carbonation within about a week or so.
If left to ferment for too long, it will also start to taste more like vinegar than a refreshing drink. If this happens, simply use it as a base for homemade salad dressing!
Is Kombucha safe for kids?
Due to the fermentation process, there is sometimes trace amounts of alcohol in kombucha, but nowhere near enough to cause any sort or effects. Still, this is something you might want to consider when giving kombucha to young children.
I definitely wouldn’t give it to babies under one year old as they are still developing their digestive systems. But our almost five-year-old LOVES kombucha and drinks it regularly (and has been drinking it since she was three). She doesn’t even know to ask for soda, but she asks for kombucha on almost a daily basis!
Storing your SCOBYs in a SCOBY hotel
Every time you brew a new batch of kombucha, a new SCOBY will form. Before long, you’ll no doubt end up with quite a few of them! And they all need a safe place to live when you’re not actively using them to make a fresh batch of kombucha.
Enter the SCOBY hotel…
SCOBY hotels are essentially just glass jars where you store your SCOBYs along with some of the fermented tea from previous batches of kombucha. I store my SCOBYs in a gallon-sized glass jar and I always add about two cups of starter liquid back to it along with my SCOBYs after I’m finished with my first ferment (before bottling and flavouring). This will keep your SCOBYs alive and healthy until the next time you go to use them.
Store your SCOBY hotel in a dark, room temperature place. I store mine in our pantry. I’ve stored SCOBYs without using them for up to about two months or so before and they’ve always been fine, but to keep them strong and healthy, you should brew a fresh batch at least once a month or so and then add some of the starter liquid from your fresh batch back into your SCOBY hotel so they have more sugar and caffeine to feed on.
If you go too long without “feeding” them some fresh starter liquid, they could starve to death. Although from my own experience, they’re pretty hardy little creatures and seem to survive just fine for quite a long time!
What to do with extra SCOBYs
At some point, you’ll find yourself with more SCOBYs than you need or than you have room for in your SCOBY hotel. Not to mention, SCOBYs do get old and very thick as they continue to grow. Here are some ideas for what to do with extra SCOBYs you no longer need…
- Sell them (or give them away!)
- Feed them to your chickens (our chickens LOVE when I chop up a SCOBY or two, and it’s just as healthy for them as it is for us humans!)
- Compost them
- Blend them up and add them to your smoothie (ok, I haven’t personally done this, but I know of people who have, and it’s extra probiotics for you! Yum! ??)
Download your FREE Kombucha eBook!
Once you make homemade kombucha a few times, it’ll likely become second nature. But you’ll probably want to refer back to the instructions a few times when you’re first getting started. To help with this I created a free Kombucha-making eBook that you can download from my Free Resource Library.
> Sign up here to get access to all of the resources in my (growing) library, and find my How to Make Kombucha At Home step-by-step printable guide under the Kitchen & Pantry Resources section of the library.
How to Make Kombucha At Home
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons looseleaf black or green tea (or 8 tea bags)
- 1 cup organic sugar
- 2 cups starter tea
- 1 SCOBY
- Your choice of fruit, juice, herbs, spices or herbal tea for flavour
Instructions
First Ferment
- Bring a kettle of water to a boil. Place your tea into a tea pot or other similar vessel to steep in (you could also use a pot or a glass jar or bowl). Make sure that loose leaf tea is contained in a tea bag or strainer.
- Once your water has boiled, pour it over your tea and allow tea to steep for about 5 minutes.
- Strain tea or remove tea bags and then transfer tea to a glass gallon jar (make sure to leave space for your starter tea!). Add sugar and stir until dissolved.
- If there’s lots of extra room in your jar, top with cool water until your vessel is about ⅔ of the way full.
- Allow tea to cool to at least 85 degrees Fahrenheit or cooler (room temperature to tepid, lukewarm water is ideal) before adding your starter tea and your SCOBY. * DO NOT add your SCOBY to hot tea! If the liquid is too hot, -it will kill your SCOBY! Liquid should also be at least room temperature and not refrigerated when doing your first ferment as refrigeration slows the fermentation process.
- Once your tea has cooled down, add you starter tea and your SCOBY. Then place a coffee filter over the jar opening and secure with an elastic band. Set kombucha aside on your counter at room temperature but out of direct sunlight, and leave it to ferment for at least 5 to 7 days and up to about 2 weeks. * Warmer temperature = faster fermentation and cooler temps = slower fermentation
Second Ferment
- Once your tea is fermented to your liking, it's time to flavour and bottle it. Start by adding your flavourings of choice to your bottle. If using fruit, you can either pop it in the bottle whole, chopped up, or blend it up first with a tablespoon or two of kombucha and then add it to the bottle. If adding herbal tea, herbs or spices, just add them in loose. You can strain them out later.
- How much flavouring you add is up to you, but on average I’ll add about one tablespoon of herbal tea to a 34 oz. swing-top bottle, or about ¼ cup of fresh or frozen fruit. If adding spices (cinnamon, ginger, turmeric, etc.) I add about ½ teaspoon dried, ground spices or 1 teaspoon fresh (ie. ginger, turmeric, etc.). Play around with different flavours and amounts and find what works for you.
- Once you’ve added your flavourings to the bottle it's time to add your kombucha tea. First remove the SCOBYs and place them in your SCOBY hotel. (If you don't yet have a SCOBY hotel, add them to a clean glass jar). Add at least two cups of tea to your SCOBY hotel to keep the SCOBYs hydrated and "fed."
- Using a funnel to pour your kombucha, fill the bottles up to the top leaving about an inch to ½ inch headspace. Seal the bottles with the lid and set aside on the counter out of direct sunlight once more. Allow the bottles to sit and do their second ferment for about two or three days. Then transfer to the fridge to chill before serving.
- Serve chilled or store your kombucha in the fridge.
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With all that's going on, I've been making a point to find my way back into the garden, which is not only needed to feed my family, but also for some personal spiritual nourishment.
I just want to take a minute to love on my favorite veggie today, Broccoli! 🥦 It's one we plant over-and-over and I'm leaning into its abundance this year.
Not only is it one of my favorites, but we've also found it's one of the easiest veggies to grow so if you haven't tried it or added it to your garden yet, there's no better time than the present.
I've got an entire post on How to Grow Broccoli from Seed here: https://thehouseandhomestead.com/how-to-grow-broccoli-from-seed/ if you're looking for any tips or tricks.
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Sometimes you've gotta take a step back and look at the life you've created for yourself and ask yourself "is this truly what I want?"
The other day I shared about losing two of our rabbits this week to Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease. The stress of losing them comes amidst a backdrop of heightened tensions around here...
From work pressures for Ryan to me trying to run a business and handle a very fussy, colicky 2-month-old (and a very busy 6-year-old), to things ramping up in the garden again and all of the other million things that need to get done (including multiple loads of laundry a day thanks to more spit up than I ever knew a baby was capable of producing), I finally felt like I was ready to crack this week.
Oh, not to mention we're doing this all on next to no sleep thanks again to our sweet boy.
I know this is all part of what we signed up for, but when it all happens at once, it can feel completely overwhelming. And when I'm completely overwhelmed and stressed out, that's exactly when I get sick too, which is exactly what happened a couple days ago.
Then yesterday (Saturday) I woke up feeling awful and decided to scroll Instagam as I nursed Noah. I saw other mothers with 6, 8 or even 10 kids somehow keeping it all together getting three square meals on the table every day while managing to keep a tidy kitchen and find time to Instagram about it.
I saw other homestead bloggers reaching new levels of success in their business that I can only dream about right now. And as I sat there in bed, covered in spit up with a ravenous baby nursing off me as I tried to console him, I felt sad for myself in that moment that I couldn't live up to the folks I was comparing myself to.
Later in the day I had to work, so Ryan took the kids to the beach and I stayed home. And I felt sad once again; Sad that I was missing out on yet another weekend with my family because I had created a life where I now have to work weekends just to keep up.
But the silver lining was that the work I had to do yesterday forced me out into the garden, and it was probably the most soothing thing I could have done for my soul.
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Sometime homesteading looks like homegrown vegetables and freshly laid eggs and sourdough rising on the counter.
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Ryan went out to feed the bunnies yesterday and Flopsy -our little black and white bunny- was laying dead in the pen. There was no blood, other than a little bit by her mouth. Seems like something internal happened. We’re not sure what.
Evelyn helped lay her to rest yesterday. It was a hard weekend for her. First she stayed with grandma and went with her to put her sick, 17-year-old cat down. Then she came home to the news that Flopsy was gone.
But I believe she’s more resilient because of it. We talked to her about how death is a part of all life, and allowed her to go through the stages of grief and process it however she felt she needed to.
Homesteading isn’t always sunshine and rainbows and snuggly barnyard animals. Homesteading teaches us hard lessons and helps us to become stronger and more resilient by challenging us daily.
Yesterday was a sad, hard day. But I’m glad we got to experience it together as a family.
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Theme of the Month: ADIDAS
No, not the textiles brand, it stands for: 𝗔𝗹𝗹 𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝗜 𝗗𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗦𝗲𝗲𝗱𝘀 because it's officially March and we are in full swing around here!
Before you just start throwing seeds in the ground or into red solo cups on your windowsill, it’s important to take some time to read your seed packets and get to know each crop’s specific needs.
Understanding the information on a seed packet is super important when it comes to gardening, especially if you want your plants to get a strong, healthy start and produce an abundance of food for you. And what gardener doesn’t want that?!
Set yourself up for success and take a minute to read through my 𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘰 𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘥 & 𝘜𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘚𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘗𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘵𝘴 𝘎𝘶𝘪𝘥𝘦, before your weekend gardening plans begin.
Grab the guide link in my bio, or get it here: https://thehouseandhomestead.com/how-to-read-seed-packets/
Happy Planting:) ✨
This all-natural homemade toothpaste recipe is made with just four simple ingredients that are good for both your body and your bank account!
I’m on a personal mission to replace every commercially-made, toxic product in our home with homemade, all-natural alternatives. One-by-one, I’m getting closer every day.
The benefit of making all-natural toothpaste at home is avoiding the unhealthy additives found in most commercial toothpastes by substituting ingredients with proven benefits for oral health.
So if you’re also on a mission to rid your own home of toxic products and replace them with healthy, all-natural versions that actually work, then I highly recommend whipping up a batch of this all-natural homemade toothpaste.
Wishing you health, wealth and squeaky clean teeth… The all-natural way;)
You can find the recipe here https://thehouseandhomestead.com/all-natural-homemade-toothpaste-recipe/ or at the link in my bio.
It's that time of year 🌱 seed starting season!
I know you can feel it too. The transition from winter to spring is truly a special time. It’s when life begins again. It’s the very first taste of all that lies ahead.
So before you go just planting any and every seed you can get your hands on, I've got a list of 8 Things to Think About Before Starting Seeds, to get you off on the right food!
I will walk you through, planning, sowing, containers, watering, lighting and more, and if that's not enough you can download my Seed Starting Cheat Sheet at the end to lay it all out.
I hope you're as excited as I am for the beautiful Spring season that lies ahead:)
You can find the list here https://thehouseandhomestead.com/before-starting-seeds/ or at the link in my bio.
What are you planting this year? Anything new you've never tried before? Share with me in the comments!
Ever thought about growing mushrooms at home??
A great EASY way to get started is with one of these mushroom grow kits from @northsporemushrooms
All you need to do is cut open the pack, spray with a little water (the kits even come with a handy little spray bottle), and then sit back and watch the magic happen!
And seriously, watching mushrooms goes does feel a little like magic because they grow so fast you can practically see them growing, no time lapse necessary!
The mushrooms are ready for harvest in just a few days. No gardening experience or land necessary! Even a newbie homesteader in an apartment in the city can grow these babies!
This is a great way to dip your tow into the much bigger world of mushroom growing and harvesting, and to try out a few new varieties that you probably won’t find anywhere else.
I grew Pink Oyster Mushrooms, Lion’s Mane and Blue Oyster Mushrooms (all pictured here). I’ll be using the Pink Oyster Mushrooms in a rigatoni pasta for dinner tonight. I turned the Lion’s Mane into Lion’s Mane “crab cakes” and the Blue Oyster Mushrooms are delicious as part of a stir fry or sautéed in butter and spooned over sourdough toast.
If this reel intrigues you, you can grab your own mushroom grow kit (along with time of other mushroom related products, including fruiting blocks, outdoor log kits, medicinal tinctures, capsules and more) at northspore.com. Use code HOUSEANDHOMESTEAD for 10% off your order!
And if you haven’t yet, be sure to check out my interview with Louis Giller of North Spore Mushrooms in the winter issue of Modern Homesteading Magazine. You can also find my recipe for Lion’s Mane “Crab Cakes,” along with other delicious mushroom recipes and an in-depth feature on medicinal mushrooms including Lion’s Mane, Reishi, Chaga and Cordyceps in the winter issue.
Visit modernhomesteadingmagazine.com to subscribe or login to the library and read the current issue.
Mushrooms really are pure magic, don’t ya think? 🍄 ✨
#mushrooms #mushroomhead #shrooming #eatyourshrooms #mushroomsaremagic #modernhomesteading #urbanhomesteading #homegrown
If you’ve been following me for any length of time, it probably comes as no surprise that I don’t exactly love relying on the grocery store to provide for me and my family, and that sentiment is only getting stronger as time goes on.
Between supply chain issues, rising food costs and the plethora of unhealthy ingredients, chemicals and GMO foods on grocery store shelves, I’d rather toil in the garden and kitchen all year to grow and preserve my own food than have to rely 100% on grocery stores to provide for me.
But that being said, we are in no way 100% self-sufficient so when I do go to the grocery story, I haveI have some ingredient guidelines in mind that I use when shopping for my family.
Check out my shopping tips, what I do and don't buy, and where and who I like to buy from here at this link https://thehouseandhomestead.com/healthy-grocery-shopping-tips/ or at the link in my bio.
Usually by late February/early March, right about nowish, I’ve pretty much had enough of winter and the thought of enjoying a tropical fruit platter and a cold adult beverage on a sunny beach in *insert tropical vacation destination here* seems to be just about all I can think about...
But with a newborn at home that's about the last thing on our to-do list right now! So this year, I will be visiting my tropical escape via my favorite Low-Sugar Mango Jam recipe.
If you do have tropical vacation plans, have a piña colada for me 🙏🏼, but if you don't then this recipe may be just what you need to "escape" for a few minutes into that tropical paradise:) 🥭🍹
Check out the recipe here https://thehouseandhomestead.com/low-sugar-mango-jam-recipe/ or at the link in my bio.
Let me know how the recipe works for you, and if add in any additional fruits to change it up!
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