I know, I know, it’s August. But it’s all I can do not to pull out my witch earrings and start wearing them! Witch’s Brew in our family means apple cider heated on the stove with spices in it. When the children would arrive home from school on October 1st, I would be at the stove with my witch hat on, stirring the pot of “witch’s brew.” This apple spiced kombucha is reminiscent of that and is just delicious.

Years ago, I posted how to make kombucha (click here to see original post) after my friend, Alli, invited us and another couple over to learn how. We had great fun and it was the beginning of my scoby addiction. Since then I have simplified the process, which I’m going to share with you.

I told you in the last post that in order to save money and to be more sustainable, I look at my grocery list and see if there is something I can make from scratch. Since I gave up my daily glass of wine, I started on a daily glass of kombucha. Those glass bottles add up and they are every bit as expensive as a bottle of wine! When my daughter told me she had received a SCOBY from a local coffee shop, I went and peeled a piece off to take home. I don’t like kombucha too fermented. I like it milder, so I never do the second fermentation. It’s okay with me if it’s not fizzy and vinegary. I also love apple and spice, so I make the whole batch Witch’s Brew. I use one bottle of apple kombucha from Synergy and add chai tea to the mix.

In a quart jar, add three large black tea bags, a couple tablespoons of chai tea, a cinnamon stick, and 1 cup of sugar. Pour boiling water over and stir with a chop stick as sugar dissolves. Let cool on the counter for a few hours then remove tea bags.

In a gallon jug (you can also halve this recipe and just use a two quart jar), pour in 10 cups of cold filtered water. Pour in the bottle of kombucha (this is optional if you already have the mother (another name for scoby), I just want the apple flavor) and then the quart of strained tea. Add the scoby to the top and cover jar with cheesecloth and a rubber band. Keep at room temperature for 4-5 days.

At this point, most people do their second fermentation. This is about where I like the taste. I have learned that you can stick the whole gallon jar in the fridge to slow the fermentation. The mother does just fine in the fridge. Pour it directly into a glass with a cinnamon stick in it. Witch hat optional.

• If you do not have a scoby, you can make your own with the bottle of kombucha you poured in. Add two more cups of water or an additional bottle of kombucha into the gallon mix. After a few weeks the SCOBY will form at the top. Every once in awhile, peel off layers of the mother and give it to friends.

• To make a new batch, save 2 cups of current kombucha to add to new batch, take out the mother, then start the above recipe over. You can use a new bottle of apple kombucha to keep the flavor going. In total, you need 8-10 cups of water, and 2-4 cups of kombucha equaling 12 cups of liquid for your gallon jug.