Hi from Cape Cod! I've been here all week with the Chicory-sters as we kayak, swim, grill steaks, and drink just enough beers after dinner. The amount that makes a wholesome game of charades ever so slightly more fun, but never weird. They're a good group.

Also, the Kennedys were right. Cape Cod is fkin BEAUTIFUL. We went to a couple different beaches. At one, we swam in a huge lake/pond and then took kayaks out exploring. We found a tiny creek that opened up into a smaller pond, where a fallen tree laid decoratively on its side in the water and literal lily pads and water lillies dotted the surface. It was almost identical to the sha-la-la-la kiss de girl scene in The Little Mermaid, except for instead of, like, a romantic moment, we screamed and laughed and threw lily pads at each other and jumped out of the boats, etc.

At another beach, we sat in Adirondack chairs along the shoreline while Joey hunted for clams. We watched sailboats whisk by on their sides since it was so perfectly windy. We wore shorts with long sleeves because the sun was hidden behind clouds and the air temperature was that absolutely perfect temperature that gives you slight goosebumps when the breeze hits the spots on your feet where you dipped your toes in the ripply water. Then we talked to a guy who "doesn't go into the office on Fridays because he doesn't like crossing the bridge." Instead, he hunts clams and makes a few hundred dollars to make up for money lost not sitting in the office.

Can I just say right now: if I can ever not work on Fridays because I don't feel like crossing a bridge...and I can also own a sailboat and wear shorts with long sleeved sweaters most months of the year...I will die a happy woman, mk?

Sigh. Or I could become a kombucha maker full time? We started making kombucha a few weeks ago at home. Danny does most of the work. I take pictures and wait to drink the kombucha. At five-ish dollars a bottle retail, we have definitely made our money back by making this at home. Try it yourself! You just have to buy a couple things. A big glass jar, bottles with caps--we like the swing caps! Aaaand a scoby. Listen, our scoby has grown to, like, 4x its original size and it's producing kombucha at an alarming rate. If you want to make some of your own, holler before you buy one. Maybe me and D can mail you a piece of ours!

Enjoy this. It's super good. And super good for you. And will make your boring life a little bit better until you can retire to Cape Cod and hunt clams on Fridays.

Ginger Lemon Kombucha

3 black tea bags
2 green tea bags
2 cups sugar
1 scoby
2 lemons
1 big ginger root (approx 1 tsp freshly ground ginger per bottle)
Cooking Directions
Boil 1 gallon of water. Cool to roughly 130 to 170 degrees and then add the tea bags (cooling the water prevents the tea from being bitter). Steep for 30 minutes.
Remove tea bags and stir in sugar. Keep stirring until it's all dissolved! Let tea continue to cool until about room temperature. Place in a clean fermenter (like a glass gallon-sized jar). Add SCOBY and give it a stir. Cover the top of the jar/fermenter with cheese cloth or paper towel. Secure with a rubber band.
Let tea ferment for 10 to 14 days--the longer it goes, the more sour and bubbly (and less sweet) it will get!
When it's time to bottle, sterilize your bottles. Remove mother from the kombucha and place in a clean ziplock bag or tupperware with a bit of the tea to keep it moist. Add flavorings to bottles (a squeeze of lemon juice and about 1 teaspoon of freshly ground ginger). Ladle out kombucha and add to bottles using a funnel to keep things tidy.
Place bottles in a cool, dry, dark place away from sunlight for another 2 to 3 days while they carbonate. Refrigerate and enjoy! (You may wish to strain kombucha before drinking to filter out ginger chunks!)