There has been an increase in popularity of the sweet tangy fermented beverage known as kombucha. Seeing row upon row of new labels lining the self-serve refrigerators at my local groceries, I started to wonder if people knew just how easy and cheap kombucha is to make. Kombucha is made by fermenting caffeinated tea, using a blend of yeast and bacteria that form a surface plate-like structure often called a SCOBY (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast). The starter SCOBY continuously multiplies, creating new surface colonies which can be separated to start new batches or passed along to friends to make their own when you run out of fermenting space. It is a fine marriage of two things I like a lot: tea and fermented beverages, but it need not be another luxury budget breaker, like your midday latte habit. I think komubucha is a perfectly healthy alternative for anyone interested in brewing, but finds the commitment, time and equipment involved in making cider, beer and wine intimidating.
Kombucha Recipe
1) Find a friend, neighbor or generous citizen who will give you a SCOBY
2) Heat large stainless steel pot with 3 quarts clean water
3) Add 1 cup white granulated sugar
4) Boil 7 minutes
5) Add 4 to 5 tea bags, place lid on pot and turn off heat
6) Let cool ( I usually leave over night never opening lid)
7) Pour tea into suitable fermentor container ensuring tea bags are kept out
8) Wash hands
9) Float SCOBY on top of tea with a few ounces of previous kombucha batch
10) Place clean white cotton hanky over top and secure with rubber-band
11) Place in dark, ventilated, undisturbed location at room temperature for 10-14 days
12) Start process over at harvest.
13) Pour harvested kombucha through cloth strainer into glass container for refrigeration.
I personally enjoy using Oolong or Darjeeling (the champagne of teas), though I have also tried green teas, white teas, and other black mixtures. Though many recipes warrant strict adherence to one recipe without deviation for good reason, sometimes I’ll add things like rose petals during the tea boiling step, or make post fermentation blends with juices and honey. I use a rubber-band and clean cotton handkerchief cover system instead of cheese cloth and have several wide clear glass cookie jars. In San Francisco the weather can vary a bit, so fermentation duration might be shorter or longer depending on your personal tastes and temperature affecting growth rate. By observing certain principles of aseptic technique, it is pretty easy to control contaminations that would be harmful. No need for sterility, but proper cleaning and processing is key to avoiding mold spores. Also, apple cider vinegar can be a useful solution to help keep a SCOBY moist and alive during transportation. So there you have it, a surprisingly refreshing mix of vinegar, B vitamins and microbial chemical compounds that you can make and enjoy from your own kitchen.
A quick alternative when the thought of a canning production line in your kitchen is too much. Here is an easy way to save and enjoy a tart treat of your garden-plot harvest. We can thank the lactic acid bacteria found in your backyard for anaerobically fermenting our simple brine filled jar.
1) Select, wash and chop some crunchy vegetables: carrots, cauliflower, green beans, cabbage, cucumber, whatever you like. Add some garlic cloves, peppers, and herbs to spice things up if you want. Place chopped pieces in a clean jar.
2) Make your brine (salty water) solution at a dilution of 3 tablespoons of salt per quart of water. Mix up enough to fully submerge all your veggies. Don’t use chlorinated water though, reach for the distilled water if you live in the city. You can also add a little vinegar or lemon juice to lower the pH a bit, but I don’t see the use in adding whey for the microbes I want to encourage in the mix.
3) Pour the brine into your jar. It is very important to make sure all your bits are covered. I like to place a folded up leaf of cabbage to take up the headroom in the jar.
4) Seal and leave in a cool dark cabinet for 4-6 days, then place in the fridge for an additional week.
Enjoy!
Design by Simon Fletcher. Powered by Tumblr.
© Copyright 2010