Don’t get me wrong, there is plenty of room in a healthy diet to enjoy a handcrafted natural soda. The kind without all of the chemicals and preservatives, that is fun and easy to make.
Kombucha is what I lovingly refer to as grown-up soda, although we do let our kids drink it in small quantities. The benefit of drinking kombucha is that it contains probiotics that help your gut bacteria stay healthy.
What is Kombucha?
Kombucha is produced by fermenting sweet tea using a “symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast”, often referred to as a SCOBY. A kombucha ferment is a ferment that has both bacteria and yeast. So it’s a kind of mixed ferment, since other ferments usually rely on either yeast OR bacteria – this is what makes it different than wine or beer. However, kombucha can contain a small amount of alcohol (usually less than 0.5%). But if you brew your own that amount can fluctuate some so taste it to be sure before giving it to kids.
What is a SCOBY?
A SCOBY kind of looks like a white blob, although it can be dark in color too. It’s a gelatinous, cellulose-based film that forms where the air meets the liquid. When making kombucha it’s helpful to add a SCOBY from another brew to speed up your brew but it’s not 100% necessary.
A SCOBY is sometimes called a mother culture.
Let’s brew some kombucha with a SCOBY and a bit of starter.
All you need is a 1 or 2 gallon glass container. If you want to use a crock that’s fine, but you don’t need to. This recipe is for 2 gallons.
2 gallon glass jar
6 quarts of purified water
2 cup sugar
10 black tea bags
1-2 cups starter liquid
1 SCOBY
Cloth and a rubber band to cover the brewing jar
You can add more than one SCOBY if you’d like to speed up the process, or if you want to keep more than one SCOBY as a backup you can add more than one to your brew. I would not recommend doing this on the first brew, but after you’ve been brewing for a while and get the hang of it you can easily do it.
What if the SCOBY won’t fit?
It’s not a big deal if the SCOBY you are starting with does not float on the top. The new SCOBY will take the shape of the container you’re brewing in.
So How Do You Know Your Kombucha Is Done?
The number one way that I figure out whether my kombucha is done is taste it. Does it taste too sweet, too sour, or just right? If there is a nice mixture of both then it’s done. You can test to see if it’s done with a ph meter. The meter should have a pH of 3 or lower (remember, with pH the lower the number the more acidic).
Now It’s Time For The Second Ferment
Once you get that really nice balance between sweet and sour then it’s time for the second ferment. This is where the fun flavors come in. You can flavor your kombucha with fruit juice, fresh fruit, candied fruit, frozen fruit, or dried fruit. You’ll need to grab some bottles suitable for fermenting.
Fill up your bottles with ¼ cup to ½ cup of juice or fruit and then fill the rest of the way with Kombucha. Let it ferment for 3 to 4 days – longer if you have a cold house – and then refrigerate and enjoy.
Be sure to put the bottles in a separate bin while they ferment in case they over-carbonate. Mine rarely do but every few years I might get one that breaks. Then move them to your refrigerator to slow down the ferment. I usually burp my bottles before putting them in the refrigerator because they will continue to ferment.
Be sure to visit the show notes
http://selfreliantlife.tv/050
Helpful Links
FREE Video Series:http://selfreliantschool.com/free-video-membership/
Website: http://selfreliantschool.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SelfReliantSchool/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/selfreliantschool/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SReliantSchool
Catch The Self Reliant Living Show right here on YouTube LIVE every Thursday 1pm Eastern/10am Pacific. Be sure to subscribe.