Happy Holidays! I hope you are enjoying the dawn of that wintry mix of parties, family and too much good food. Writing a fermentation cookbook has been very exciting. It has also been very, very time-consuming, so this is definitely a year when I would not mind having access to a jolly old elf/personal shopper to provide perfect gifts for all of my friends and loved ones. The good news, though, is that giving quality, last-minute gifts can be pretty easy when you’re a fermenter, especially if you make cultured ferments.
Here are a few last minute gifts that an active fermenter could give to a new kid on the block. I guarantee they’ll be very grateful and for you it will be cost-effective and simple.
KOMBUCHA GIFT KIT
If you currently make kombucha, there’s a good chance you’re overwhelmed by the number of SCOBYs that brewing booch produces. Here’s your chance to surprise a DIY type with a great gift while getting rid of something you really don’t want.
What you need:
1 SCOBY – Take a spare SCOBY and put it in a small ziploc bag with a little bit of finished kombucha. Seal the bag tightly.
9 tea bags or 2 tablespoons loose tea – Include a box of your favorite kombucha tea. I like a blend of oolong and sencha. Loose or bagged tea is fine, just make sure that you include enough for at least one batch of kombucha. If you have them, linen or cotton tea bags make a nice addition. Small jars or baggies also work wonderfully.
1 cup of sugar – I have best results with plain cane sugar, although I do use an organic, fair trade brand.
2 cups of finished kombucha – Give the gift of starter tea. You can put this in nice pint jar or in a decorative bottle. Anything that fits inside your larger jar will do. Recycle condiment jars often make great options. More on Last Minute DIY Gifts