better than beer - kombucha
as promised the topic “fermented” continues, however not with food – but with a great healthdrink: kombucha! a tangy drink rich with probiotics and beneficial acids, also known as a detoxifier.
at home we drink it because it tastes great! and remember who states this… (a Bavaria born beer enthusiast!) it’s dead simple to make kombucha, all you need is tea, sugar, a scoby and some weeks waiting time…. (a SCOBY is a symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast which ferment the sugar, so no worries, there is no sugar left at the end of the experiment)
here a recipe for plain kombucha to start, then you can create your own flavor combinations for the second fermentation (to get more carbonation). I came up with frizzy-delicious tastes like ginger, blueberry or lime…
ingredients: 1 SCOBY (order online, get at your next health store or if you live close by I can share some) 2 tbsp green or black tea leaves 1 dl sugar (I used organic granulated brown sugar) about 1 dl of ready kombucha to keep the right acidity level 3 l water a three liter glass jar
boil the water in a large pot, add the tea and allow to steep for 20 minutes. remove the tea leaves. add the sugar and stir with clean utensils until its resolved let the mixture cool down to under 42 degrees, stir in the 1 dl of ready kombucha and pour everything into your very clean jar. carefully and with clean hands place the scoby in the jar, cover the jar with a cloth and secure with a rubber band. after a while the scoby shoud float on the surface.
now let kombucha ferment in a dark place for 7-14 days. the fermentation time will vary depending on your location, your SCOBY and how sweet or sour you want the kombucha. taste by moving the SCOBY aside and taking a little liquid out with a clean spoon. after this time, your tea may be slightly carbonated and will only be tea-flavored. You may drink the homemade kombucha tea then or to do a second fermentation with different fruits for flavor and to get more carbonation:
carefully take out the scoby and safe 1 dl of kombucha for your next batch. then filter the kombucha and fill it into sealable glass bottles, add some pieces of ginger or fruit if you wish to flavor it and let it sit in outside your fridge for another 4 days, then place it in the fridge for another couple of days. if you are not thirsty, this drink lasts in your fridge “forever”.
just left to mention that while kombucha is fizzy and can get you kind of on a “high” (at least me ;) ) there is very little to no alcohol in it, so it’s absolutely fine for children to drink as well.
cheers!
