How to Make Kombucha for Beginners

To Start

You do not need any special supplies to start making home brewed Kombucha. All you need is a few basic pantry ingredients and a SCOBY with some starter liquid. First, let me explain the SCOBY acronym.

• S- Symbiotic
• C-Culture
• O-of
• B-Bacteria
• Y-Yeast

Kombucha is a probiotic that produces healthy  bacteria and introduces it to your gut. Here is a great article to give you all the particulars of how the bacteria is produced. All you really need to know is that the Mother Culture (SCOBY) introduces the bacteria to the tea. The yeast feeds the bacteria and in order to feed the yeast you need sugar. Easy, right?

Supplies

• Gallon glass/ceramic jar, sterilized in dishwasher or with boiling water or vinegar
• white sugar (works best), use 1 cup per gallon of water
• tea of choice, loose or bags
• filtered water, 1 gallon
• SCOBY and 1-2 cups of starter liquid

The Process

Hot Tea in Brewing Vessel

1. Begin by boiling your water. Add sugar to your brewing vessel and then pour in hot water and tea bags/leaves.
2. Allow hot tea to cool to ROOM temperature before adding your SCOBY and starter liquid. High temperatures will kill the culture and your brew will be unsuccessful.
3. Once liquid has cooled, add SCOBY and 1-2 cups of starter liquid. Not enough liquid can cause your brew to mold so a little more is always better. NOTE: Before touching the SCOBY with your hands, run hands under very hot water. This will kill any bacteria on your hand that could contaminate the culture. Also, do NOT use any anti-bacterial soap on your hands or supplies as this could kill the culture. Some prefer to rinse their hands with vinegar.
4. Cover the vessel with a paper towel, cheese cloth or coffee filter and rubber band. You want to keep out all pests, especially fruit flies.
5. Place in a warm spot for anywhere from 7 days to 1 month.
6. You can taste the brew everyday until it reaches the desired taste. The longer it goes the more vinegar-like it will taste. To taste, insert a straw, gently, underneath the newly formed SCOBY. Use one finger to cover the hole of the straw and create suction. Still being gentle, lift the straw out of the vessel.

2nd Fermentation and Bottling Your Booch

If you wish to do a second fermentation you need to remove the SCOBY and some starter liquid for your next batch. If carbonation is your objective you will need to use and a air  tight container to trap the carbon dioxide. Here are a few suggestions for bottling.

• 16 Ounce Grolsch Bottles with EZ Caps
• Chef’s Star CASE OF 6 – 16 oz. EASY CAP Beer Bottles

1. Add the fruit or other ingredients for 2nd ferment to the bottle and fill the rest of the way with kombucha.
2. Put the cap on and place in a covered area for 2-7 days, depending on how you like it. The longer you leave it the more vinegar-like it gets because it will continue to ferment.I put mine in a cabinet in case the bottles decide to explode. I only do 2 days because we like ours on the sweet side.
3. After achieving your desired taste, place the Kombucha in the fridge to stall fermentation.

Bottling after 1st fermentation

If you decide to skip the 2nd fermentation, then follow the same steps as above with the exception of leaving the bottle out of the fridge.

Healthy SCOBY

Our favorite types of fruit to add to Kombucha are strawberries and peaches. I have tried several different combinations but have yet to come up with my own ‘unique’ concoction. Just play around and have fun!

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My Trader Joe’s Style Sauerkraut: Recipe and Some Fermentation Tips

Left- My Sauerkraut   Right- Trader Joe’s

The Comparison

Well, my sauerkraut is finally done and it didn’t take me quite as long as I thought it would. I estimated it would take about 4-6 weeks on the counter but I tasted it at 3 weeks and I am happy with the outcome. I compared the taste of the two different sauerkrauts and mine is not as crisp as the Trader Joe’s but it has a very nice flavor. I could definitely taste the garlic and I loved the addition of the cucumbers.

I think next time I may omit the pounding of the cabbage and just allow it to sit and macerate. This in turn will keep the cabbage leaves crisper.

The Ingredients

• 1 large head of FRESH cabbage, about 2 LBS (I got mine at the local Asian Grocery)
• 1Lb of mini cucumbers
• 2-3 heads of garlic
• 1 Tbsp Himalayan Pink Sea Salt/Sea Salt
• Mason Jars
• Fermentation Kit (I have this Masontops Complete Mason Jar Fermentation Kit – Glass Weights, Vegetable Pounder and Silicone Airlocks – Wide Mouth)

The How To…

1. Wash outer leaves of cabbage and discard spotted leaves. Slice cabbage thinly. Toss cabbage with 1 tsp of salt and set aside (about 30minutes) to allow juices time to drain.
2. Slice cucumbers thinly and peel garlic cloves.
3. After 3o minutes – 1 hour, toss the cabbage again until you have extracted enough liquid from the cabbage. Some sources say this step could take anywhere from 1-3 days to create enough liquid. Just cover, and toss every now and then.
4. Next, I started layering my ingredients in the jars, packing in between layers to compress mixture and extract more liquid.
5. Once the jar was filled 2 inches from the very top I pounded once more to make sure there was enough liquid to cover the ingredients.
6. Place a weight to keep food submerged. Any food exposed to air increases the risk for mold.
7. Cover and set on the counter for a minimum of 3-4 weeks. (to keep the good bacteria breeding, it needs to be kept out of the fridge until all the stages of fermentation have been completed)

1st Day

3 Weeks

A Few Tips

I am sure some people have different tips that have worked for them during fermentaion but here are a few I have found from my reading and small amount of experience.

• Use fresh ingredients
• Make sure you have the right amount of salt
• Keep all food and floaties below the water line. Use a weight even if you don’t have a ‘fermentation weight’.Be creative (google fermentation weights)
• Don’t use tap water as the chemicals can interfere with fermentation
• Keep it covered and don’t touch it
• Wait patiently

Fermented Saurkraut: Trader Joe’s Style

My Version of Trader Joe’s Sauerkraut and Blueberry Kombucha

Sauerkraut and Kombucha

I don’t know if any of you are sauerkraut fans but this kind sold by Trader Joe’s is AMAZING! I can’t seem to get enough of it but for 5 dollars a container it will break my bank. My problem is I can’t stop at one teaspoon. I could literally eat the whole container in one sitting. So, I am making my own version and crossing my finger that this works. Aside from making Kombucha (fermented tea) every week, this will be my first ferment.

  If you have never made Kombucha or tried it, RUN to the store and get some. It has a  wonderful tart/ sweet flavor with fizzy soda-like qualities. Totally addicting and here is the kicker…it’s healthy! My husband and kids (okay, only one kid) love it. But seriously, it is a miracle that my husband is on board. He goes through a few boxes of movie theater candy a week. That is anywhere from 100-150 boxes of candy a year! He has a major sweet tooth!!

DAY 3: Look at those bubbles!! Bubbles equal fermentation.

Probiotics and Gut Health

  My Dr. has recommended I ‘eat’ my Probiotics instead of supplementing them. Fermented foods are an amazing way to build good gut health and fill your gut with healthy bacteria. Those healthy bacteria get bred during the process of fermentation. Not only do they aid in digestion, those little buggers also help build immunity. By eating only a tablespoon each of different strains of probiotics per day, I can  protect myself the same way, if not better, as if I was taking a store bought probiotic supplement.

My Probiotic Journey

I have autoimmune hypothyroid disease called Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis.I have battled with years of stomach and gastrointestinal problems (IBS), among a few other issues. I am a registered nurse and have seen the way pharmaceuticals have wreaked havoc on the health of our current society. I am convinced that going back to the old-fashioned way of preparing food and treating minor illnesses could alleviate obesity, many autoimmune disorders as well as the overuse of antibiotics that we are now experiencing. My personal goal is to lower my antibodies to where I can become drug-free and restore my gut health. I intend to share my journey with you and hopefully at the same time encourage you to implement some of these amazing foods into your daily lifestyle.

DAY 2: Homemade Sauerkraut: Cabbage, Garlic and Cucumbers