Cultured Beverages
One of the most refreshing sources of active probiotics and herbal nutrition is an artisanal, lactofermented beverage. From slightly sweet and fruity, to salty and slightly sour, our Kombuchas, Kefirs, Juns, Kvasses and Cabbage Tonics offer something for every palate. To support a healthy microbiome, drink at least 4 ounces a day.
For this very special shrub, we infused calcium-rich herbs in vinegar for several weeks to extract their bone-building minerals. Then we strained the vinegar and mixed it with nectar from local pears and raw honey. This shrub can be used to make a delicious beverage by diluting it 4:1 with bubbly or still water, a sprig of mint or a squeeze of lime (or both).
Ingredients: pears*, raw unfiltered honey, Bernie's Best raw apple cider vinegar* infused with herbs (dandelion*, elderflower*, parsley*, nettles*, mustard greens*) (* = organic)
Recipe is gluten-free, dairy-free, and GAPS-diet friendly.
Preserve the taste of summer! A shrub is an old fashioned traditional fruit concentrate, like a syrup, preserved with vinegar and used to make or flavor beverages. A few ounces with bubbly water and a makes a fabulous drink all on its own, and there's no reason you couldn't use it as a cocktail mixer if that's your thing! Shrubs can also add zing to jam or salad dressing, and make a wonderful glaze for grilled meats. We use raw, unfiltered honey and raw apple cider vinegar for an extra-vital cultured beverage! This one infuses rosemary from in the vinegar and combines that with nectar made in-house from fresh quince.
Ingredients: steam-juiced apples* & quince*, raw apple cider vinegar* infused with rosemary*, raw unfiltered honey* (* = organic)
Recipe is gluten-free, dairy-free, and GAPS-diet friendly.
Beets are sliced and cultured in water with yogurt whey and Celtic sea salt to make this traditional tonic drink. Sally Fallon Morell describes this drink as being "valuable for its medicinal qualities and as a digestive aid. Beets are just loaded with nutrients. One 4-ounce glass, morning and night, is an excellent blood tonic, promotes regularity, aids digestion, alkalizes the blood, cleanses the liver and is a good treatment for kidney stones and other ailments..." (Nourishing Traditions, page 608)
Ingredients: beets,* yogurt whey,* Celtic sea salt (* = organic)
Recipe is gluten-free.
This delicious seasonal offering of cabbage tonic features anti-inflammatory turmeric and ginger to keep us limber in the cooler seasons.
Ingredients: filtered water, green cabbage*, turmeric root*, ginger root*, Celtic sea salt (* = organic)
Recipe is gluten-free, dairy-free, and GAPS Diet-friendly.
Finally a truly nutritious, real-food sports drink you can trust and enjoy. And it's probiotic! This sports drink uses only raw local honey as a sweetener and fresh squeezed lime juice with yogurt whey from Straus grassfed yogurt for tang. Celtic sea salt, harvested from isolated North Atantic waters and slowly sun-dried, contains a host of trace electrolyte-rich minerals in bioavailable form. Now in larger 750 ml bottles to last through any workout.
Ingredients: filtered water, whey (from Strauss whole milk organic yogurt)*, lime juice*, raw local honey, Celtic sea salt (* = organic)
Recipe is gluten-free, nightshade-free, black pepper-free and contains dairy in the form of whey.
Organic yerba mate tea and unrefined sugar are cultured with a SCOBY (symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast), and then flavored with pineapple and turmeric juice to produce a dry, crisp and slightly herbaceous beverage. Yerba mate tea is the national drink of Argentina. Kombucha, a traditional probiotic beverage, is considered by many to have a detoxifying effect on the body.
Ingredients: filtered water, yerba mate*, pineapple juice*, turmeric root*, cane sugar* (* = organic)
Here's a grownup orange pop, sweetened with carrot and infused with the complex flavors of orange zest. Organic white tea and unrefined sugar are cultured with a SCOBY (symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast), and then flavored carrot juice and orange zest. This lovely, artisanal probiotic drink is less effervescent than many of our kombuchas.
Ingredients: filtered water, green earl grey tea*, carrots*, orange zest*, cane sugar* (* = organic)
This seasonal beverage features Yerba Santa, a California native plant that was valued by the First Peoples, that has historically been used to treat asthma and other respiratory issues. It is also known as Mountain Balm and the Concow people of northeastern California call it wä-sä-got’-o. The plant also has the reputation of clearing and moving grief, and is used in environmental restoration as it can restore damaged lands and overgrazed ranchland. The flavor of our beverage is citrusy and refreshing, with subtle herbal notes.
Ingredients: filtered water, organic white tea,* lime juice,* lemon juice,* lemon zest,* fresh thyme,* foraged yerba santa leaves, organic cane sugar* (* = organic)
Dairy-free water kefir. Water kefir grains, also called tibicos, are used to ferment a base of filtered water with unrefined cane sugar and just a touch of molasses. The sugars are metabolized by the kefir grains to produce a light but rich effervescent base. The brew is then flavored with apple juice and cranberry concentrate to produce a bubbly probiotic “soda.” Cranberries are rich in antioxidants and other nutrients, making this not only a delicious drink but a nourishing tonic as well.
Ingredients: filtered water, apple juice (apples,* ascorbic acid), cranberry concentrate*, cane sugar*, molasses* (* = organic)
Organic white tea and unrefined sugar are cultured with a SCOBY (symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast), and then flavored with fresh ginger and lime to produce a slightly tart and bold flavor. Kombucha is considered by many to have a detoxifying effect on the body.
Ingredients: filtered water, white tea*, cane sugar*, ginger root*, lime juice*, lime zest* (* = organic)
Organic white tea and unrefined sugar are cultured with a SCOBY (symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast), and then flavored with a cold infusion of hibiscus flowers for a slightly tart, slightly effervescent cultured beverage. Kombucha is considered by many to have a detoxifying effect on the body.
Ingredients: filtered water, white tea*, cane sugar*, hibiscus* (* = organic)
Organic gunpowder green tea and unrefined sugar are cultured with a SCOBY (symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast), and then flavored with an infusion of nettle leaves for an unusual, delicious, and nourishing fermented drink. Kombucha is considered by many to have a detoxifying effect on the body.
Ingredients: filtered water, gunpowder green tea*, cane sugar*, nettle leaves* (* = organic)
This kombucha is brewed almost 3 times as long as our other beverages, resulting in a distinct flavor profile. English Breakfast tea and unrefined sugar are cultured with a SCOBY (symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast), and that probiotic base is balanced by the addition of sweet apple juice and finished with a gentle kick of freshly juiced ginger. Sour apple with a punch!
Ingredients: filtered water, Darjeeling tea*, cane sugar*, apple juice (apples,* ascorbic acid), ginger* (* = organic)
Cherry and Chocolate marry beautifully for this Valentines' Day special beverage! Forgot to buy that box of chocolates? Raise your glasses with that special someone and toast to a healthy microbiome. Nothing says romance like vigorous gut flora! Rich and balanced with a vanilla bean background and a sophisticated cherry finish, you'll both fall in love with this combo.
Ingredients: filtered water, cane sugar, cherry juice, cacao nibs, vanilla bean, molasses, water kefir grains
Recipe is gluten-free and dairy-free.
A very floral and citrusy dairy-free water kefir. Water kefir grains, also called tibicos, are used to ferment a base of filtered water with unrefined cane sugar and just a touch of molasses. The sugars are metabolized by the kefir grains to produce a light but rich effervescent base. The brew is then flavored with hibiscus and rose to produce a bubbly probiotic “soda.”
Ingredients: filtered water, cane sugar*, molasses*, raw unfiltered honey, rose petals*, Meyer lemon zest* (*=organic)