Usually even those who know nothing of health and nutrition will admit they know sodas are "bad for them" (this phrase bugs me for many reasons but that's a whole other blog post). So for the sake of your time I won't go into all the reasons, research, and horror stories, unless you want me to ;). And no one is saying that water itself is not refreshing and nourishing. It's wonderfully refreshing! But here is a little something to add to your beverage repertoire.
Kombucha! Many of you have heard of it. Some of you have tried it. But do you have some growing on your counter at home? It's easy breezy.
First of all let's talk about what it is. Kombucha is a fermented tea originating from Russia. However, people all over the world have fermented tea for hundreds (maybe thousands but I can't remember for sure) of years for their health benefits. The main health benefits touted by kombucha enthusiasts are improved digestion and liver cleansing. Of course there is little if any scientific research out there to back this up. And for clarification let me say that the previous statement should in no way thought to be a negative one. The cave man did not need to evaluate 1,000 other cave men and then graph the data to determine if he should eat the mammouth. Intuition and culture told him that he must work with other to harvest a mammouth so they will have food and supplies for survival. You may not need to harvest a kombucha mushroom for survival but you don't need a million dollar study to tell you if you feel good or bad after you consume the drink. Expensive studies are only paid for by big companies who stand to make a huge profit off a product. Therefore there are few studies on real and natural foods. There is much irony there but I will save that too for another blog post.
Due to kombucha's high acidity it is easily fermented at home. Such an acidic environment makes it difficult for bad bacteria to grow and yet the good microbes thrive. Be sure to always use clean containers and hands and your kombucha should go uncontaminated. If mold begins to grow on your scoby (or mushroom) then throw it out and start again.
This drink can become fizzy providing the perfect substitute for you recovering soda addicts. If the flavor is a little too vinegary for you, try adding fruit to it once you move it to the fridge. My family prefers stronger flavors so we drink it plain. This is what my 5 year old asks me to pack in her lunch every day. Who needs Capri Sun?!!! This is healthier, cheaper, has less impact on the environment, and doesn't create as much trash.
Start with white sugar...
and organic black tea. For the record the white sugar in our house is usually reserved for making hummingbird food and there is only black tea in our house when Mark's family comes over for Thanksgiving. I really had to move out of my comfort zone for this one! But here is the deal, the yeast and microbes will consume the sugar and caffeine. That's how they grow. I am extremely caffeine sensitive and I can attest to the fact that there is little if any caffeine left once it is fermented.
Make 1 gallon of sweet tea. Embarrassingly enough I had to ask someone how to do this. I had no idea of the ratio of tea bags to sugar to water. Just don't tell anyone or I will get kicked out of the south and they will make me move north of the Mason Dixon!
Here is what a scoby looks like. You can get one from a friend or order them online. I keep 2 jars of kombucha going on the counter and one ready in the fridge. And even with 2 scobys going mine never gets very big because I keep sharing it. And I will be happy to keep sharing it so let me know if you want a scoby. This is what is looks like.
Once your tea has cooled some (boiling hot tea will kill your microbes) pour it into a clean glass container (always use glass! Contaminants will leach into your kombucha due to the acidity if you use plastic!)with your scoby and kombucha you received from your friend. It's always wise to pass your scoby along in some kombucha to help get the acidic environment going.
Cover with a clean cloth and hold it in place with a rubber band.
Let sit on the counter at room temperature for about 10 days. At the end of 10 days you will notice the tea has lightened in color and you scoby will look something like this. Next I ladle out almost all of the kombucha and store it in a glass container in the fridge. I then get my next batch going and add it to the scoby and a little of the kombucha I left in my jar.
Hope this helps you soda addicts out!
