It all started with a cough,
a bad one, all day, every day….
After 7 months of constant coughing, I ended up at a Bio-Environmental Stress Tester (get her contact details here) and after some tests, she suggested a list of foods – some was allowed, some I was to limit, and some to avoid completely. Within 3 days of following these guidelines, my cough stopped completely – a first in 7 months! After 3 weeks I had energy levels that I’ve not experienced since my early 20’s.
For the next 7 years I lived with food intolerance until I tried daily Milk Kefir dosages for the second time in 2016.
This time the habit stuck and I started taking Milk Kefir(I got my milk kefir grains from Earthbornlove.co.za) daily.
After a few months I had chocolate cake at a friend’s birthday with no wheat-cough afterwards… That night I was googling to find out why I’m not coughing anymore when I eat “wrong” foods. The only thing that changed since my last transgression(and subsequent coughing and other side-effects), was the daily Milk Kefir dosage. To my surprise I found that some people reported reduced symptoms from food intolerance because the Milk Kefir strengthened their immune system. That same night I read about Kombucha(I’ve heard about Kombucha a few years before, but back then I could not find any commercial Kombucha products in SA) and Water Kefir and my quest to find a Kombucha Scoby started in all earnest. I could not find a reputable fresh scoby supplier in Cape Town (all were dehydrated) and started researching alternatives. It was clear to me that I had to find Raw Kombucha. After a long search I found a health shop that stocked Organic Raw Unflavored Kombucha and my journey to home brewing Kombucha started. After a few weeks I had my own very first scoby!! Very excited I started brewing and added Kombucha to my daily probiotic intake.
In 2018 Franco from 42 On Sonneblom asked if I would supply Kombucha to the Deli.
Once I got used to the idea, it opened new doors and the Ferment Fairy was born. Since then I’ve also started brewing Water Kefir(grains source: Jeane from Cultured Kitchen) and then Jun Tea! (thanks to my friend Sanet who gifted me my first Jun scoby – also originally sourced from the Cultured Kitchen). My next project is a Ginger Bug 🙂
I still enjoy fermenting and I am of the opinion that everyone should have some form of fermentation at home. To promote this I sell starter cultures for all the fermentation variances that I do. To find out which one works best for your ailments, you will have to experiment – everyone is different, and what works for one person might not for the next. Ideally you should try and get a combination of all types of fermentation…
If you would like to start your own fermentation at home, head over to our Online Shop and see the Starter Cultures available or, if you are not inclined to make it yourself, head over to the Online Shop and browse the finished products that is on offer!
Happy Fermenting
The Fairy