do you ever... drink kombucha?

this summer,

i learned to love

:: kombucha ::

i also learned how to make it.

kombucha is a fermented, 

naturally carbonated, 

probiotic drink
that starts out as tea.

you can buy it at the store for $4.00 a bottle,

{i love this kind}

or you can make it for almost nothing.

the taste is very distinct.

mildly sweet and vinegar-y... in a good way.

very cleansing & refreshing.

watch this video to see folks have their first taste

{their faces tell the story}

so...

first, learn to like it.

then, learn to make it.

to make it, you will need

a few things that are easy to find:

1. jar

1 gallon clear glass jar

plus a clean towel & a rubber band to cover the jar

2. tea

4 tea bags {or bulk equivalent & muslin tea bag} 

unflavored tea, can be black, green, white,

but just pure tea {camellia sinensis}

and clean boiling water

3. sugar

1 cup of pure unrefined sugar

{in bulk at most health food groceries}

& one thing that can be tricky to find:

1. scoby

{rhymes with Toby}

s.c.o.b.y. stands for:

symbiotic culture of bacteria & yeast,

but i like to call it the

mysterious magical alien jellyfish mushroom.

here is some scoby math for you:

it takes ONE scoby to start a batch of kombucha,

but you will have TWO scobys

when your batch has finished brewing.

the one you start with is the mother.

the one that is created is the daughter.

{the daughter forms at the top of the jar}

most often,

you can acquire a scoby from someone you know.

like me : )

mine was given to me by a fellow earthly delights csa member.

they can also be ordered online from reputable sources.

what you do:

1. make tea

{remove tea bags}

2. add sugar

3. allow to cool

4. add scoby

5. add one cup of kombucha

{that the scoby was resting in}

6. cover with a clean cloth

{rubberband it securely}

7. place in a warm, safe spot

8. wait 10 days - 2 weeks

the baby scoby should be at least 1/8 inch thick

and the kombucha should taste "done"

i'm still experimenting

with secondary bottle fermentation

to enhance taste and carbonation.

i'm basically bottling the kombucha,

then letting it ferment in the bottles

before i store it in the fridge.

i recommend ez-cap bottles like these.

a couple informative videos for you
{the background music is awesome}

♥