Kombucha is a sour tonic beverage. In Russia, where it has enjoyed long popularity, it’s referred to as “tea kvass”. Kombucha is sweetened by black tea and cultured with a “mother”, a gelatinous colony of bacteria and yeast. The mother ferments the sweet tea and reproduces itself, like kefir grains.
The trickiest part of making kombucha is finding a mother. If you live in the U.S., you can order one, along with a special kombucha fermentation vessel with a spigot, from HappyHerbalist.com. If you live elsewhere, try asking at a local health food store or check the Worldwide Kombucha Exchange (www.kombu.de) for a mother. G.E.M Cultures (gemcultures.com) also has them.
Most people are surprised to see sugar included in this recipe. However, keep in mind that the sugar will be consumed by the yeast and bacteria in the kombucha mother during the fermentation process, therefore very little remains within the finished product.
TIMEFRAME: about 7 to 10 days
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT:
- Quart-Size Glass Jar
- Plastic or Wooden Stirring Utensil
- Tight-Weave Cloth or Paper Coffee Filter
- Something to secure the cover to the jar (rubber band or canning jar rings work well)
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 quart/liter water
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon loose black tea, or 2 tea bags
- 1/2 cup mature acidic kombucha
- Kombucha mother
PROCESS:
- Mix water and sugar and bring to a boil in a small cooking pot.
- Turn off the heat; add tea, cover, and steep about 15 minutes.
- Strain the tea into a glass container. It’s best to use something with a wide bottom – kombucha needs adequate surface area and it’s best if the diameter of the container is greater than the depth of the liquid. Allow the tea to cool to body temperature.
- Add the mature acidic kombucha. When you obtain a culture, it will be stored in this liquid. Save a portion of subsequent batches for this purpose.
- Place the kombucha mother in the liquid, with the firm, opaque side up.
- Cover with a cloth and store in a warm spot, ideally 70 to 85 degrees F.
- After a few days to 1 week, depending on temperature, you will notice a skin forming on the surface of the kombucha. Taste the liquid. It will probably still be sweet. The longer it sits, the more acidic it will become.
- Once it reaches the acidity you like, start a new batch and store your mature kombucha mother in the refrigerator. You now have two mothers: the original one you started with, and the new one, the skin that formed on your first batch. Use either the new or old mother in your new batch, and pass the other one on to a friend (or the compost). Each generation will “give birth” to a new mother, and the old mother will thicken.
Source: Wild Fermentation
Beet Kvass
This drink is valuable for its medicinal qualities and as a digestive aid.
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT:
2 quart glass container with tightly fitting lid
INGREDIENTS:
- 3 large organic beetroot, peeled and chopped up coarsely
- 1/4 cup whey (if fresh whey is not available just add another tablespoon of sea salt)
- 1 1/2 tsp sea salt
- filtered water
PROCESS:
- Place beetroot, whey and salt in a 2-quart glass container.
- Add filtered water to fill the container to an inch or two below the top of the jar. Stir well and cover securely.
- Keep at room temperature for 2 to 3 days before transferring to refrigerator.
- When most of liquid has been drunk, you may fill up the container with water and keep at room temperature another 2 days. The resulting brew will be slightly less strong than the first. After the second brew, discard the beets and start again. You may, however, reserve some of the liquid and use this as your inoculant instead of the whey.
- Note: Do not use grated beetroot in the preparation of beet tonic. When grated, beets exude too much juice resulting in a too rapid fermentation that favors the production of alcohol rather than lactic acid.
Source: Nourished Magazine
