There’s something satisfying about rethinking sweetness—not cutting it out, but choosing it more intentionally. Instead of reaching for overly processed, sugar-heavy drinks, many people are turning to naturally fermented options like kombucha and water kefir. These lightly fizzy, tangy beverages offer a different kind of sweetness—one that comes from real ingredients, and a simple fermentation process. They invite creativity, too: fresh fruit, herbs, and juices, transform them into refreshing carbonated drinks that feel just as indulgent, but far more balanced. Drunk on their own, just perfect, but they also pair so well as gut-friendly foundational options for smoothies, and other sweet treats. In the heat of summer especially, they become an easy, feel-good way to enjoy something sweet while making choices that support your overall well-being.

Kombucha and Water Kefir

Kombucha isn’t just a tangy health drink—it’s a surprisingly versatile base for refreshing, sweet summer beverages. This gut-friendly drink is made from tea (I use a green tea base), cane sugar, and SCOBY (Symbiotic Colony of Bacteria and Yeast), and “some” of the previous batch liquid. When brewed correctly, the result is a delicious beverage that contains live and active cultures that offer several health benefits. With its natural fizz, subtle acidity, and hint of fermented tea flavour, kombucha pairs beautifully with fresh fruits, herbs, and juices. By blending, or infusing it, with ingredients like berries, citrus, mint, or honey, you can easily transform plain kombucha into vibrant, thirst-quenching drinks, perfect for hot days. You can experiment with different flavour combinations, adjust the sweetness to your liking, and even create mocktail-style drinks that feel a bit more special than your average iced tea, or soda. If you’re looking for a healthier alternative to sugary drinks, kombucha offers a refreshing, creative starting point for summer sipping.

Water kefir is a lightly fermented drink made by culturing sugar water with translucent “grains” that are a symbiotic mix of beneficial bacteria and yeast. After a day or two of fermentation, the result is a gently fizzy, slightly sweet beverage with a clean, refreshing taste—less tangy than kombucha and easy to flavour. Because the grains feed on sugar, much of it is consumed during fermentation (similar as with the kombucha SCOBY, and the sweet tea), leaving behind a drink that feels sweet, but is often lighter than typical sodas.

What makes water kefir especially appealing is how versatile it is. During a second fermentation, you can add fruit, juice, herbs, or spices to create naturally carbonated drinks in flavours like berry citrus, ginger lime, or peach mint. It also blends beautifully into smoothies, adding a subtle sparkle and a boost of probiotics, without overpowering other ingredients. Whether you’re bottling it into homemade sodas, or using it as a lively smoothie base, water kefir makes it easy to create refreshing, customizable drinks that feel both fun and nourishing. We really like to cut our flavoured kombucha with a ½ base of the plain water kefir—makes it crazy bubbly!

The Future is Agrarian!

Inspired by what grows close to home, Saskatchewan’s local fares offer some great ingredients for vibrant smoothies, slushies, simple syrups, homemade gut-healthy juices, freezies, and more. Considered a superfood, Saskatoon berries bring a rich, almond-like sweetness, while tart haskap berries add a deep, refreshing punch of flavour. Seasonal strawberries, raspberries, and even wild blueberries can be blended fresh, or frozen, with kombucha/water kefir bases, or poured into molds for frozen treats that capture the taste of summer. Picking from your kitchen garden, herbs like mint, sage, and lemon balm are perfect to dry and make your own homemade tea infusions. Let your creativity go wild with infused teas and simple syrups, to create unique and delicious flavourings for your gut-healthy drink bases. Using local ingredients not only supports regional growers and builds community, but also makes each sweet treat feel more connected to the landscape—fresh, simple, and full of prairie-grown goodness.

Healthy Gut, Healthy You

Gut health plays a much bigger role in overall well-being than most people expect—it’s closely tied to both brain function and the immune system, through what scientists call the gut-brain axis. This is a two-way communication network linking your digestive system and your brain. The trillions of microbes living in your gut help produce neurotransmitters like serotonin (often called the “feel-good” chemical), which influence mood, stress levels, and even sleep. When your gut microbiome is balanced, it can support clearer thinking and more stable emotions; when it’s disrupted, it’s been linked to issues like brain fog, anxiety, and low mood.

Your gut is also a central player in immunity. In fact, a large portion of your immune system is housed in the digestive tract. The beneficial bacteria in your microbiome help train immune cells to recognize what’s harmful, and what isn’t, reducing unnecessary inflammation, while still defending against pathogens. A healthy gut lining acts as a barrier, preventing harmful substances from entering the bloodstream—a process tied to what’s sometimes referred to as intestinal permeability when compromised.

Because of these connections, supporting gut health—through things like fibre-rich foods, fermented drinks such as kombucha or water kefir, and a balanced diet—can have ripple effects that benefit both your mind and your body’s ability to fight off illness.

Brew it at Home!

The global market for kombucha drinks has been exploding in last 10 years, or so; in the billions! (especially for organic). You can purchase these yummies in the refrigerated beverage section at major grocery stores and natural food stores/grocery stores. (I just googled a brand that you can order on Amazon, and it doesn’t need to be refrigerated. Apparently, the original sugar to “ferment” the drink has been completely brewed out—wild!). When I’m travelling, I love the convenience of going into a Co-op, or whatever, grabbing a sandwich and a cold bubbly kombucha. Water kefir flavoured beverages aren’t marketed to the extent that kombucha seems to be, but they too, are on the rise (more so in U.S. vs. Canada). Anyways, I’m sharing this so if you haven’t heard of, or tried these before, you can go out and try some brands and see what you think. When you are ready to take the plunge and start brewing your own, I’m sure you can find someone local on your “Marketplace” to help you out! If you’re in Yorkton and area, go to the end of this article for my contact info and send me a message! Find me on Facebook, Garden Therapy Yorkton. Brewing kombucha and/or water kefir isn’t really that hard—but like anything, has a learning curve. I sell live kits that I call Starter Kits, that come with everything you need to get started. As I work in payroll full-time, I don’t teach as often either, but keep your eye out on my Facebook events for upcoming Fermentation Workshops.  

Recipes

(makes about 8 ounces)

Ideal for cocktails, mocktails, soda, or drizzling over pancakes (one of my favourites for flavouring kombucha: aka making a 2nd ferment).

4 cups chopped rhubarb
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup water

Combine 4 cups chopped rhubarb, 1 cup granulated sugar, and 1 cup water in a heavy-bottomed saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer and cook gently, stirring occasionally, until the fruit is soft and the liquid has thickened slightly, about 20 minutes.

Set a fine-mesh strainer (or a coarse strainer lined with cheesecloth) over a large bowl. Pour the rhubarb through the strainer until most of the liquid is in the bowl. Press the solids a little with the back of a spoon to extract more syrup.

Carefully pour the syrup into a clean bottle. Cover or cork the bottle and refrigerate.

Storage: Rhubarb simple syrup will keep for up to 2 weeks stored in a glass container in the refrigerator.

Rhubarb Simple Syrup Variations

• Rhubarb-ginger syrup: Add a few coins of ginger to the rhubarb at the start of the cooking time.
  
• Rhubarb-orange syrup: Add a few large pieces of orange peel to the rhubarb at the start of the cooking time.
  
• Rhubarb-basil syrup: Toward the end of the simmering time, add a small handful of rough chopped basil.
  
• Rhubarb-thyme syrup: Toward the end of the simmering time, add several sprigs of thyme.
  
• Rhubarb-rose syrup: Stir a few tsp of rose water into the finished syrup.
  
• Rhubarb spruce tip syrup (try this! You’ll be wowed by the citrus).

1 cup freshly foraged, cleaned spruce tips, plus more to garnish  
4 cups chopped rhubarb
1 1/2 cup water
3/4 cup granulated sugar
Peel of one lemon
2 tbsp peeled fresh ginger chunks
Club soda  (but for purpose of this article, use kombucha or kefir)

Raspberry Slushie

(makes about 2 cups)

Inspired by the Raspberry Green Tea Slushie from the book Power Blender Revolution.

1 cup plain green tea kombucha
1 ½ cups frozen red raspberries
Squeeze of fresh lemon
1 tbsp raw honey

Add the kombucha, raspberries, lemon juice, and honey to your blender, (we’d use our vitamix for this).
Blend on high till combined but still icy. Don’t over blend and serve immediately in a tall glass with a spoon.

Kombucha Popsicles

Popsicle molds are convenient, but muffin tins, or yogurt containers, can work in a pinch! You can buy disposable, or reusable, sticks. Homemade kombucha popsicles are easy, healthy, and hydrating, made by freezing kombucha with real fruit, herbs, or fruit juice in molds for 2–6 hours. Popular combinations in our family include lemon/ginger, and watermelon/mint. These treats can be made even sweeter by adding raw honey, or creamy with the addition of coconut milk or yogurt. Stay hydrated and cool this summer by mixing things up with some kombucha popsicles!

Tress Tips for Success

Prevent Over-flowing: Leave a little space at the top of the mold for the liquid to expand when freezing.

Easier Removal: Run the mold under warm water for a few seconds to easily release the popsicles.

Sweetener: If the kombucha is too tart, add 1–2 tbsp of honey, or maple syrup, to the mix.

Texture: For a smoother texture, blend the fruit and kombucha together. For a textured, “fruitier” popsicle, add chunks directly to the mold.

Recipes

Homemade Rhubarb Simple Syrup Recipe | The Kitchn (webpage)

Dillon, N. (2023, May 31). Spruce Tip & Rhubarb Springtime Mocktail —Nattie Up North. https://nattieupnorth.com

References

Carabotti, M., Scirocco, A., Maselli, M. A., & Severi, C. (2015, June 1). The Gut-brain Axis: Interactions between Enteric Microbiota, Central and Enteric Nervous Systems.  https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Childs, E., & Childs, J. (2013). Kombucha!: The Amazing Probiotic Tea that Cleanses, Heals, Energizes, and Detoxifies. Penguin.

Christensen, E. (2013). True Brews: How to Craft Fermented Cider, Beer, Wine, Sake, Soda, Mead, Kefir, and Kombucha at Home. Ten Speed Press.

Simkins, V. (2018). Power Blender Revolution: More Than 300 Healthy & Amazing Recipes that Unlock the Full Potential of Your Vitamix, Blendtec, Ninja, or Other High-Speed, High-Power Blender. Harvard Common Press.

Stacey Tress lives in Rhein, SK, with her husband and two daughters. Owner of Garden Therapy Yorkton, which offers active fermentation kits for purchase (Kombucha, Sourdough, Water Kefir), and fermentation workshops. She is a Holistic Nutritional Therapist (HNT), Young Living Essential Oils Member (#2282633), Permaculture Educator, and holds a Payroll Compliance Professional Designation. To learn more, call 306-641-4239, email: stacey.gardentherapy@gmail.com, www.gardentherapyyorkton.ca, or on Facebook, “Garden Therapy Yorkton.” Also see the display ad on page 9 of the 32.2 Summer 2026 issue of the WHOLifE Journal.