Page 92 - Summer 2017 Journal

RECIPE
Ingredients:
• 1 kombucha SCOBY in 1 cup of kombucha • 4 teabags (or 4 teaspoons loose tea)
• 1 cup cane sugar (preferably GMO- and
glyphosate-free)
• 3 quarts filtered water (or tap water that
has sat out)
Equipment:
• Two one-gallon jars (don’t use “spouted” jars because the little strands will clog the spout)
• A small strainer (non-metal is preferable)
• A funnel
• An unbleached coffee filter and/or a piece
of cheesecloth (I prefer unbleached filters because I want to be as chemical-free as possible)
• Bottles or jars: Grolsch-style flip-top bottles are nice (available online at Cul- tures for Health), or you can use quart-size mason jars—but these will not produce the same fizz.
Week One:
Bring the water to a boil (twenty minutes). Add the sugar, stir and turn off the heat. Add the teabags or tea ball and let the tea steep for ten minutes. (Set a timer to avoid steeping it for too long.)
Remove the teabags or tea ball. Cool to room temperature, which will take at least a couple of hours.
Pour the cooled tea through a strainer into a gallon jar that contains the SCOBY and one cup of the kombucha in which you are storing the SCOBY. Cover with an unbleached coffee filter and/or the cheesecloth with a rubber band. (I actually double-cover my kombucha with both the filter and cheesecloth.)
Let sit in a warmish area for one week. If it is winter and you keep your house on the cool side, your kombucha may need a temperature boost. I keep mine on a heating pad on a cookie sheet all winter, which works well.
Week Two:
After one week, I do not feel that the kom- bucha is strong, flavored or carbonated enough,
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so I do a second ferment. I like the delightful carbonation that results from a second ferment, and I like to experiment with different flavors.
Pour the kombucha into flip-top bottles (typically three) or mason jars, using a strainer over a funnel. Add a few pieces of fresh or frozen fruit of your choice. Because I’m a frugal person, I use the core of a fresh pineapple (cut up in small pieces and frozen) for my pineapple kombucha. I also make blueberry and raspberry flavors. I take the fruit right out of the freezer and place it in the bottles. Tighten the tops or jar lids and let the bottles or jars sit out for another week.
Meanwhile, transfer the SCOBY and one cup of kombucha into an- other gallon jar. Start the whole process over again. You will now have several bottles of kombucha undergoing a secondary ferment while a new gallon of kombucha is brewing.
Week Three:
Refrigerate the bottles after a week (or “to taste”). Open bottles only after they have been refrigerated. Kombucha can be wonderfully fizzy, but you may want to open the bottles over a bowl or the sink so that you do not lose any or end up with a mess to clean up! Meanwhile, proceed as specified for week two, bottling one batch and starting a new batch.
MY EIGHT KOMBUCHA LESSONS
1. Just because you do not like one flavor of kombucha does not mean
that you will not like other flavors.
2. If you are going to sample store-bought kombucha, remember that
each brand is different, as is each flavor in the brand’s product line. 3. Keep reading about and studying the old ways of food preservation. 4. When thinking about food safety, remember that our ancestors
thrived even in the absence of refrigeration.
5. Do not expect to love kombucha the very first time you try it. You
may have to search for your favorite flavor but do not give up. The
benefits are too great.
6. Bad food habits can be left behind. It may be a gradual process, but
when it happens you will experience the joys of a healthier life. 7. Experiment! Get the kids involved and have fun.
8. Keep an open mind—I’ve come a long way and so can you!
Elaine Michaels, nutritional therapist and certified healing foods special- ist, is the Weston A. Price Foundation chapter leader for Cedar Rapids/ Iowa City. Her business is called Nature Will Nurture Nutrition.
REFERENCES
1. Beecher C. Fermenting veggies at home: follow food safety ABCs. Food Safety
News, March 11, 2014.
2. Legendre BL, Gravois KA, Bischoff KB, Griffin JL. Use of glyphosate to
enhance sugar production in Louisiana. LSU Ag Center, July 9, 2008.
3. Shilhavy B. Alert: certified organic food grown in U.S. found contaminated
with glyphosate herbicide. GreenMedInfo, September 12, 2015.
Wise Traditions SUMMER 2017