KOMBUCHA
Kombucha has hit the mainstream market and you may have heard about the benefits and are bringing this drink into your weekly repertoire. Did you know that you can make this product from home with kitchen equipment that you most likely have already. With the addition of a glass container and some bottles to put your finished product in, you have everything to make this only 4 ingredient drink. Time consuming? Not so, with just a little pre planning you can sit back and let the fermenting process do most of the work.
Here’s the scoop:
1 Gallon non-chlorinated water,
1c. cane sugar,
4 tea bags of black tea or 4t.of loose black tea,
2 c. already made kombucha (simply buy one at your local strore)
A scobi from an online source www.gemcultures.com or community friend.
Bring water to boil and add sugar to dissolve. Add tea bags and let cool. Remove tea bags and add premade kombucha and scobi. Place in glass jar with a muslin cloth over the top for a lid and let sit for 6-10 days at room temperature. Remove scobi and 2 cups of liquid to save for next batch. Bottle liquid and let sit in bottles for a few day and then place in fridge. To make a new batch combine the 2 c. of your homemade kombucha and your previous scobi and start the process again. When not fermenting, you can store your kombucha and scobi in the fridge or cool location.
NOTES:
The slippery pad (called a scobi) is a symbiotic mixture of yeasts and Bacterium xylinium. When the pad is new, it’s translucent and floats on the surface of your tea and will grow to the size in diameter of container. With age, it will thicken or attach another pad to itself and turn tan from the tannin in the tea. As it get thick or forms pads, you can remove the bottom one and compost or give to a friend.
By adding the aged kombucha, it will acidify the fresh tea and help to inhibit unwanted molds that may be in the environment.
If you forget about your kombucha and it ferments a little too long, the scobi won’t be harmed and you can use the liquid the same way you would use vinegar.
ENJOY!!