The quest for health and wellness continues. Kombucha is an acquired taste. A few years back, I picked some up at my local health food store. I was totally tuned off. This past year, I tasted homemade Kombucha at my friend, Carrie’s. I was hooked.
I loved it so much that when I left her house, I was gifted a little glass jar filled with my very own Kombucha culture. The 93 mile drive home was done with a big smile on my face.
My little jar sat in the passenger seat; I had company. The next day I purchased the few ingredients I needed to concoct my own black tea, fizzy cocktail. I was in business.
After my visit to Carrie’s I made it endlessly. There was always a batch brewing. I had to ration out the kombucha in the fridge so it would last the entire week. I lost weight, my sweet tooth subsided, and I was addicted.
Then I took a break. You ask why? I cannot answer that.
I am back on the Kombucha bandwagon, coupled with juicing, exercising, eating only whole, fresh, and organic foods – I am determined to shed some pounds and get my kids to try at least 5 new ingredients each month. Kombucha is sweet, fizzy, and sassy. Making your own is easy, and a glass a day has wonderful health benefits.
Homemade Kombucha
Original recipe here
Ingredients:
3 quarts distilled or filtered water
1 cup organic, white sugar
4 organic black tea bags
1/2 cup kombucha (I buy mine at Whole Foods)
1 kombucha mushroom
Instructions:
1. In a large, heavy duty pot, bring the water to a boil. Add the sugar and mix until it dissolves.
2. Remove the pot from the heat and add the tea bags. Let steep on the counter until completely cooled.
3. Discard the tea bags. Pour cooled tea into a large, glass container (I use a big, 4 qt. ball jar).
4. Add the store bought kombucha and mix.
5. Place the mushroom on top.
6. Cover jar, loosely, with a cotton dish towel.
7. Store in a dark, warm place.
8. Let liquid rest for 7 days.
9. On the 7th day, remove the mushroom from the fizzy tea. The mushroom will have grown a “baby”. Detach the baby from the original mushroom and store in the fridge, in a glass container with a tight fitting lid (generally, I make a new batch of kombucha tea using the either the original mushroom or the baby).
10. Attach a funnel to a glass bottle (I use these) and pour the mixture almost to the top (you will need two glass bottles). Store in the fridge and enjoy!
Note: I dilute mine with a bit of water and add a squeeze of lemon
Susan Salzman writes The Urban Baker blog to explore her dedication to good food in the hope of adding beauty to the lives of her family and friends.