Kombucha tea is known worldwide. This strange tangy drink is literally grown from a mushroom. In some parts of China and Japan a Kombucha starter was given to a new bride on her wedding day as a gift.
Growing Kombucha is easy, and starts with a piece of Kombucha. Thoroughly clean a gallon ceramic or glass jar, and add to it a tea mix made from two liters of boiling water, one cup of sugar, and 4 tea bags. Let the tea bags sit in the water as it naturally cools to room temperature. You are then ready to add your Kombucha start along with one cup of the fermented Kombucha brew.
Now you are ready to introduce your Kombucha mushroom to its new tea blend. Make sure your hands are clean, and use a sprinkling of Kombucha tea on your hands to adjust the PH before you touch your mushroom. You can cut the mushroom with a plastic knife, never with metal. Cover your Kombucha blend with a paper towel or cloth and secure it in place to keep away bugs. Store this blend in a dark place to ferment.
It only takes a week or so for the blend to ferment. Now you can strain off all but about a cup of the blend and bottle it. Store your fermented tea in the fridge to slow further growing. Mix a new batch of sugar tea as you had before to replace what you strained off. Now you can put the jar back in its dark storage space for another week.
With your new batch of Kombucha tea ready to drink it is recommended that you start slowly. Drink about a quarter cup in the morning and the evening. You can increase this amount as you feel comfortable. This tea is very good for your digestion and is very calming as well.
About once a month you will need to clean the jar. You can start another gallon supply as you had with your earlier batches. The oldest bottom layer of mushroom can be taking out at this time. You can bury bits of the mushroom in the soil for your house plants, or under a tree in the garden as a supplemental nutritional treat.
Don’t forget your friends! Kombucha makes a great gift. Give away the extra layers along with a little of the tea, and your friends can enjoy this same healthy drink. You can also keep those layers in the fridge or freezer, they keep for months.
Tags: Food, Food
