If the look and feel of kombucha scooby scares you, and if kefir grains are unavailable, then here is an easy way to make a fruit-flavored, frizzy probiotic-rich, gut-friendly drink recipe! You must be already aware that about 75% of our innate immune system is primarily present in our gut, hence the importance of keeping our gut microbiome balanced is nowadays of utmost relevance for our primed immunity. Moreover, everyone will love this drink at home including your kids. So let me show you how to make it.

Preparation Time : 10 minutes

Making Time : 2 – 3 days depending on the weather. Warm weather speeds up the fermentation process

Yields : 3-4 servings

Ingredients

1. 1 cup of chopped ripe fruit of your choice. Strawberries, berries, peaches, pineapples, apples, etc
2. ¼ cup of coarsely grated ginger
3. 2-3 thin slices of lemon and mint leaves etc for flavoring
4. 1-1½ tbsp on raw honey or 1-1½ tbsp of cane sugar
5. 1 -2 multi-strain probiotic capsules (without the probiotics the whole fermentation process will take much longer)
6. 1 750 ml or 1-liter glass jar

Directions

1. Put the chopped fruits into the clean glass jar
2. Pour honey or the cane sugar into the jar. Sour fruits need more sugar, sweet fruits need less sugar
3. Open the probiotic capsule and pour the contents into the jar
4. Pour filtered water into the jar leaving about one or two inches of free space at the top
5. With a clean dry plastic or wooden spatula mix all together
6. Twice a day shake the container
7. If the lid is swelling up burp the bottle, means just open and close the lid again
8. After two days with a clean dry plastic or wooden spoon, taste to see if ready. The taste must be tangy, the sweetness must not be present
9. Seeing bubbles present at the top of the liquid is also a sign that it is ready
10. Depending on the weather and the fruit used, once it is ready, keep it in the fridge to stop further fermentation
11. With a plastic strainer strain out the liquid and enjoy your drink cool and refreshing
12. The fruit in the container may be further used. Another batch for the same flavor can be prepared by adding more ingredients to the container and repeating the fermentation process
13. For different flavors, you can start afresh with a new set of fruits
14. For the first try, my friends and family were a bit unsure, but with time they all mastered the process and they say it’s part of their daily drink and kids love it

Notes

There is no end to creating new flavors. Use local and seasonal fruits. This is a budget-friendly, easy, and natural way to keep the probiotics (friendly bacteria) present in our gut in balance which supports good digestion and contributes to strong immunity. If you like the above recipe please feel free to share it with your friends and family.