I would like to take a minute to share some kind words about my kombucha. Some of you may be wondering what sort of exotic thing I am referring to, and I will tell you. Kombucha is a wonderful, fizzy, tasty, fermented tea beverage originating from the Ural mountain region of Russia. It’s like healthy soda (at least that’s what I tell my kids). We have been making kombucha for more than a year now, and our family loves it!
It all begins with the kombucha “mushroom”. In Nourishing Traditions, Sally Fallon describes the kombucha “mushroom” as a symbiotic colony of yeast and bacteria which acts on sugar to produce acetic acid, lactic acid, and glucuronic acid. Glucuronic acid assists the liver in neutralizing toxins in the body, which aides in cleansing, boosting the immune system, and protecting against degenerative diseases. On top of that, it’s just plain tasty.
Here is a picture of a kombucha mushroom for you curious folks out there. I know, it isn’t pretty, but it does it’s job well.
Here is the Kombucha recipe from Nourishing Traditions that we have been using for the past year. Like the other recipes I’ve shared from this cookbook, it involves little effort and mostly time to do the work for you.
(makes about 2 quarts)
Boil 3 quarts water. Stir in sugar until it dissolves. Remove from heat, add tea and steep until cool. Remove tea bags, pour into a gallon glass jar and add 1/2 cup kombucha. Gently float “mushroom” on top of liquid. Cover top of jar with a cloth and secure with a rubber band. Place in a warm dark place for 7-10 days and voila! Tasty kombucha. You can start a new batch at this point with your new baby mushrooms and compost or give away the old ones. I feed them to our chickens. I figure it’s good for their overall health. You can store the mushroom in the fridge for quite some time before reusing. If it turns black, it’s no good anymore. If you are wondering where to find a mushroom, ask your friends. If no one you know has one, Nourishing Traditions suggests Laurel Farms at 941-351-2233, G.E.M. Cultures at 707-964-2922, and A.F. Kombucha at 1-877-566-2824.
Thanks for posting this! Such a good thing to share with the world, it's oh-so-yummy! 🙂
Yay, Kombucha! So easy, so good for you! I add ginger and lemon juice to my 2nd ferment…mmm..
-Erika
After reading your post I am ready to try my hand at kombucha again. Sounds yummy!
Is there a risk of too much pressure build up when doing the 2nd ferment in glass bottles?
I think it's fine as long as you put them in the fridge after a few days. If left forgotten, I think they could explode eventually, but for just a secondary fermentation I think it's ok.