Monday, July 15, 2013

Kombucha Tea at Home!

I am tea lover. I love all the varieties, especially the herbal and medicinal teas. For the past 7 years, I have been drinking the popular kombucha tea elixir, and I just started making it at home! I experimented once before years ago, but it didn’t taste right. My first batch this time was a hit! I am now waiting for the second batch to finish, so hopefully that one is as great as the first.

I wanted to share the recipe and show you how easy it is to make kombucha at home.

Kombucha tea is an ancient Chinese health elixir that is known to detoxify the liver, provide vital nutrients and probiotics, promote weight loss and increase energy levels. It is so economical and easy to make it at home. Kombucha is made with a starter SCOBY (Symbiotic Culture of Yeast and Bacteria). Lots of people mistaken the SCOBY as a mushroom, but it is actually yeast and bacteria. The SCOBY is also called a “mother” because it grows a new “baby” after each batch. If you know of someone who brews their own kombucha, they might have a mother to share, or you can purchase one online for a reasonable price.

What You Need To Brew Kombucha at Home:
 • 2 gallons of sweetened tea (8-10 tea bags, black, green, white, etc. plus 2 cups sugar)
 • 1 kombucha starter(AKA SCOBY, mushroom or mother)
 • 2 large 1 gallon glass jars
• 1 thin kitchen towel • 6 quart sized jars with lids (enough jars or bottles to hold the liquid)

First, boil 2 gallons of filtered water on stovetop. Remove from stove and add tea bags. I let the tea cool before removing tea bags and then add sugar, which can take a few hours. (I have always been a bit skeptical about making my own kombucha tea because of the cane sugar that is used, we usually only use honey and fruits as sweeteners. But the sugar is actually eaten by the yeast and the sugar content of the finished kombucha drink is very low.)

After the tea has cooled, pour into glass containers. Then add 2 cups of sugar.
Next, add the kombucha starter. Cover containers with a light cotton cloth and rubber band. Let the tea sit in a dark, cool place like in a cabinet or closet. After about 10-14 days, you can use a straw to extract a small amount of tea to try. If the kombucha tastes too sweet, then let it sit a few more days. If the taste of vinegar is too strong, then you may want to remove it earlier next time. Now you will have your very own kombucha tea! I  also like to double ferment my tea, so I place the finished tea in air-tight bottles for 48 hours and then move it to the refrigerator. The result is a refreshing, bubbly elixir! Delicious!

Wednesday, July 3, 2013

I'm back!

Phew! It has been a while since I have been on here! We have had a busy six months! Our youngest daughter, Ayla, was born on January 4th, and she will be 6 months tomorrow! Time passes so quickly, and I am starting to get excited again about sharing our journey about how we are trying to living as naturally and healthy as possible! I am hoping to get some videos uploaded soon. I started making my own kombucha and it is so delicious and economical! I can't wait to share the recipe with all of you! We are also planning to start homeschooling this August with our older daughter Noa, who is four. I am planning on doing things at a very slow pace to start. I hope to share a few videos about our journey with homeschooling as well! Looking forward to connecting with all of you again! See you soon!