Kombucha tea is a fermented drink that is easily produced and may have many health benefits. Selena and I have been drinking it for a couple years now. The #1 health benefit for us is that we don't drink Diet Coke anymore. I could also say that it has eliminated former cravings for "soft drinks", candy and other high fructose corn syrup products, but that may also be due to other dietary changes we've made (switching to a whole foods diet). For me it's been a great aid for digestion and a great thirst quencher when I've been working outside in the garden. Some claim the following health benefits:Relief of "arthritis pains, intestinal problems, digestive disorders, kidney stones, high cholesterol, chronic fatigue, asthma, bronchitis, migraine, eczema, headaches, constipation, diabetes, rheumatism, anxiety, dizziness and insomnia. Problems associated with advancing years, such as high blood pressure, poor eye sight, arteriosclerosis and gout may also be helped by Kombucha's anti-aging properties." (http://www.gokombucha.com/health_benefits.html)
I've noticed that the tea is sold in many Food Coops but it is expensive, especially when you can make it at home for the cost of tea bags and sugar. If you don't appreciate the fizzy taste of kombucha you can add fruit juice. A kombucha/juice combination makes it taste something like High-C, or one of the other "fructosed" drinks that is successfully marketed to children. But usually we just add raw ginger to the finished kombucha and let it sit in the refrigerator for a couple days. That's quite a punch!
If you'd like to try making it the process is incredibly simple. However, you need a kombucha mushroom (a mother culture) and preferably some starter tea to get you going. (Contact me and I'll get you some!)
Below: A group of mushrooms; lovely little creatures! With every batch of kombucha they grow and reproduce themselves.
KOMBUCHA RECIPE:
The simple version first:
1.Boil the water.
2. Remove from stove. Dissolve organic sugar in water. Add tea bags and cover. Let the tea steep for half an hour.
3. Remove tea bags and pour into one gallon glass jar (pickle jar). Let cool until water 90 degrees or cooler. I usually do this in the evening so that I can let it cool overnight.
4. Add one mushroom and about 1/2 cup starter .
5. Cover the jar with a coffee filter and rubber band. Basically you want ample air for the fermentation but don't want dust and bugs in the drink.
6. Let it ferment for a week or two. In the summer it will only take a week, in the winter (in Minnesota!) about 2 weeks. **Keep the jar in a dark place. The cupboard is a good place.
7. How do you know it's done? Take a taste test. If it still tastes like black tea then it's not done. If it's fizzy and vinegary, it's done.
8. If it's ready, take out the mushroom and store it in a glass jar in the refrigerator. Make sure and save a cup of starter for the next batch.
Below: A gallon jar of tea. The kombucha mushroom is floating on top.
This is one of my jars of kombucha mushrooms that I keep in the refrigerator. My friends and relatives have generously accepted these mushrooms, or "scobys" in their homes.
A view from the top!
My collection of fermenting kombucha.
This batch is ready for consumption. For a real ZIP add raw ginger. I've also added strawberry pieces or other fruit which ends up tasting a little like sangria. (kinda...)
