Ginger Archives - The Booch Witch

a variety of washed violet and pansy flowers are scattered on a paper towel to dry.

Crystal Visions Kombucha

We know April showers bring May flowers – let’s utilize springtime edible flowers like pansies and violets to make a truly special kombucha! When grown and harvested without fertilizers, these flowers are edible and fun to implement in kombucha.

Add these homegrown petals to this special recipe; they lend a deep, sweet flavor. A small chunk of crystallized ginger is the hidden star of this very special kombucha. Utilize frozen fruits like strawberries and cherries in this homemade kombucha to round out the flavor as you make room for the incoming harvest ahead 🤩

Violets and/or pansies – dried (1 flower)
Crystallized ginger – 1 chunk, about the size of the tip of your pinky finger
Strawberry – fresh, or frozen and thawed (1 tbsp)
Cherry – fresh, or frozen and thawed (1 tbsp)
Dried, culinary rose petals (1 tbsp – optional)

More on Violets and Pansies

Pansies and violets are said to be natural protectors of a garden. I like to plant some pots around my garden’s perimeter to keep negative spirits away. I habitually place pots of violets and pansies in cool patches. The pots help me ensure they aren’t affected by fertilizers, and flowers pop up annually in a vast array of blues and purples.

When the blossoms are full, pop off the heads at the base with your thumb.

Place flowers in a colander and rinse off thoroughly.

Arrange flowers in a single layer on a dry paper towel and place them in an undisturbed area, allowing the petals to dry fully.

As a note, violet and pansy roots are not edible!

Violets and pansies leaves can be used raw – add them to salads and charcuterie boards! I prefer to add dried leaves to kombucha and hot tea 😃

Handwritten recipe shown in bright daylight. Thawing frozen raspberries in a jar, a scattering of juniper berries, fresh ginger, and dehydrated wheatgrass are featured.

The Star Bull Kombucha

Taurus Season is April 20-May 20, and this Earth sign loves Mother Nature. My own sun sign, of course, I’m going to share the grounded and earthy flavor of The Star Bull Kombucha. Enjoy the unique flavor of this recipe from my heart on behalf of the most reliable and loyal signs. Uncorking and sipping outdoors, barefoot, is preferred😁

It might be a little different than other kombuchas ❤

Raspberry is a star of The Star Bull Kombucha, with complements of other essential Earth flavors like wheatgrass, juniper berries, fresh ginger, and lemongrass. Matcha tea powder gives an energy and down-to-earth caffeine kick! I usually purchase these ingredients at Wisconsin co-ops like Basics in Janesville and the Viroqua Food co-op. With each sip, your tastebuds will be taken on the journey of Zeus’ creation of the Taurus constellation 🤩

Wheatgrass – fresh stalks, juice, or powdered (½ tbsp.)
Juniper berry – dried and crushed to release the magic (one or two berries)
Matcha tea – dried powder (1 tsp.)
Ginger – fresh, powdered, or crystallized (small chunk, about ½ tbsp.)
Raspberry – 1 tbsp., frozen and thawed
Lemongrass – optional – dried or fresh

More on Taurus

According to Greek mythology, Zeus disguised himself as a beautiful white bull to seduce Europa. While she was petting him, he whisked her off to the island of Crete and romantically and sexually ravished her (*), producing three sons, one being Minos. Minos became a King and Zeus was happy enough with the results. Therefore, he produced the Taurus constellation in the night sky! 👀🌠

*In rose-colored glasses, this was consensual for Europa.

Would you like to look for the Taurus constellation in the night sky? I use Orion’s Belt as a guide and then seek out the bright red star Aldebaran, which represents the Bull’s fiery eye.

Orion’s Belt

Image by PublicDomainPictures from Pixabay

Orion and Taurus are partners, visible during the fall through spring in the Northern Hemisphere.

More on wheatgrass

This recipe calls for fresh wheatgrass, which can be purchased at any natural food store, as mentioned above. Just give the grass a fresh rinse, and cut it with clean scissors.

Wheatgrass is also a rewarding and easy grass to grow indoors any time of year. Sprinkle seeds in a well-draining shallow pot with potting soil, and you will have wheatgrass for two+ cuttings (mine usually go through three before I start over). Seeing fresh grass growing indoors is a treat any time of year.

Make your own protein-packed smoothies at home by blending the fresh wheatgrass cuttings, yogurt, spinach or kale, and your favorite frozen fruit. So healthier, quicker, and wayyyy cheaper to make at home 🙂

Smart Smoothies: DIY & Save

A fresh lemon sits next to thawed strawberries in a shallow dish. A green grolsch bottle sits in the background with a fresh ginger root and a natural stone with small fossilized areas.

Arnold Booch Palmer Kombucha

An Arnold Palmer is a personal favorite, a reliably refreshing mixture of lemonade and iced tea. The drink is coined after legendary golfer Arnold Palmer, who was the first person to earn $1 million playing golf.

Arnold Booch Palmer Kombucha tees up an equally refreshing kombucha. Bring a bottle on the greens and uncork anytime – who’s going to stop you?

Remember, a little bit of lemon juice goes a long way in kombucha. Too much, and the brew gets sour. The natural strawberry syrup created from thawed frozen fruit gives the magic touch to add a more robust, sweet flavor to your kombucha.

Lemon – juice (1 tsp)
Fresh ginger – a dime to penny-sized slice (1 tbsp)
Honey – local honey, squirt (1 tsp)
Strawberry – juice of frozen, thawed strawberries (1 tsp)
Black Tea – one bag

Place the entire tea bag into the bottle during the flavoring process.

Remove the tea bag when ready to drink, post-fridge.

Dried rosehips and fresh rosemary lay on a white plate. A juicy, sliced orange is in the center with a polished rose and smoky quartz.

Jupiter’s Kiss Kombucha

Jupiter’s Kiss is my kombucha flavor blend of orange, rosemary, and rosehip Much like oranges, rosehips are rich in Vitamin C And, rosehip’s belly-like fruits are said to belong to Jupiter. Did you know Jupiter has between 80 and 95 moons?

For Jupiter’s Kiss, and any kombucha flavor involving rosehips, I crush the dried bellies with a spoon to expose the sweet, floral fruit to the kombucha flavor.

Oranges are readily available any time of year. When combined with the earthly taste of rosemary, a dash of local maple syrup, and a squirt of local maple syrup, a robust kombucha results!

Fresh navel orange – Peeled (3 sections cut into bottle-size pieces)
Rosemary – Dried or fresh (3 tiny leaves)
Rosehip – Dried, crushed (1)
Fresh ginger – a dime to penny-sized slice (1 tbsp)
Maple Syrup – (1 squirt)

💘 Rosehips can also be used as a charm to attract health and ward against nightmares. Keep this in mind during the flavoring process of your special kombucha.

Local honey, dried elderberries, candied ginger, anise are shown on a mantle featuring natural druzy quartz in stone.

Immunity Boost Kombucha

Make an immunity-boosting kombucha, and your future self will thank you! I am a big proponent of the regular consumption of elderberry syrup to improve immunity. Elderberries are full of vitamin C and are a good source of antioxidants. You can even make one kombucha bottle of this during your regular flavor process.

Simply throw a few dried berries into your kombucha bottle during the flavoring process. Be sure to add a little sweet support from ginger and honey to aid in the fermentation process. Personalize this with a clove, candied ginger (as shown in the photo), anise, lemon juice …let your imagination run wild!

Elderberry – dried berries (6)
Fresh ginger – a dime to penny-sized slice (1 tbsp)
Local honey (1 squirt)

You may want to skim this one before drinking – the elderberries aren’t the tastiest to eat 🫢

Interested in learning more about elderberries? Make sure you’ve looked at my DIY elderberry syrup recipe.

Elderberry Syrup Recipe

Just like kombucha: When you make elderberry syrup at home, you can really customize it to your tastes. For example, sometimes, I omit the cinnamon and add rosehips, lavender, dried lemon balm, or lemon verbena from my garden 💚

Pisces Pour Kombucha

Pisces Season is February 19-March 20. As a water sign, the twin fish born during this period have a keen ability to express their creativity and artistic ability like no one else. Pisces, the last sign of the astrological new year, are ruled by Neptune, which governs ingenuity and dreams.

Boundless imagination come together in Pisces Pour for a sweet and not-at-all-basic kombucha. Consider the Pisces in your own life and reflect upon the beauty they bring to the world while effortlessly adapting to their surroundings when brewing this recipe.

Fresh, frozen, or even dehydrated peaches give kombucha a sensual and sweet flavor. Introduce a little fresh, frozen, dehydrated pineapple, or even a splash of pineapple juice, and this brew will strike a chord during the intuitive Pisces season.

Peach – thawed frozen, fresh (2 tbsp)
Pineapple – fresh, frozen, or juice (juice is shown) (1 tbsp)
Fresh ginger – a dime to penny-sized slice (1 tbsp)
Lemon verbena – one dried (or fresh) leaf

Venus Mango Kombucha

If you like the naturally sweet taste of raspberries, you will enjoy raspberry-flavored kombucha. In the winter (and year-round, really 😅), I rely on frozen fruit to flavor my kombucha.

When thawed, frozen raspberries produce a magical, juicy mix of berry pulp. The concoction is perfect for kombucha. Both raspberry and mango, as featured in Venus Mango Kombucha, are readily available in your local co-op or grocer’s frozen section.

In astrology, the planet Venus rules all things love, romance and courtship in a person’s life. Where the planet was positioned at your time of birth determines some of these indulgent traits. Raspberry is ruled by the planet Venus, giving honor to this delicious, refreshing brew and love, beauty, pleasure… things like that ❤

Enjoy my Venus Mango recipe, which is nearly guaranteed to give you a dramatic fizzy opening. Small sips are known to help alleviate minor headaches and even hangovers!

Mango – thawed, frozen mango (1+ tbsp)
Raspberry – thawed, frozen raspberries (1 tbsp)
Ginger – fresh, one dime to nickel slices per bottle (powdered or crystalized ginger may be substituted)

To prepare the fruit, I typically fill a small glass jar with the amount of frozen fruit I need the evening before I flavor kombucha. Most fruit will thaw in 6-8 hours.