My Kombucha with blueberry floating in it
Do you like fizzy, refreshing, yummy Kombucha? Me too, I LOVE it. But I DON'T love the price! Kombucha is also very, very good for you. When I had a relapse of Irritable Bowel Syndrome after nearly 20 years of being symptom free my doctor recommended Kombucha. But I would need to drink it every day and I couldn't afford that. So, I got Wild Fermentation by Sandor Ellix Katz for a simple, basic recipe. I am happy to report that I am completely cured of IBS now.
Here is the info that got me going then I'll tell you how I perfected it :)
FIRST FERMENTATION
This is the basic recipe I adapted after experimentation I still use: “INGREDIENTS (for 1 quart - I usually make about 8 quarts at a time)
1 quart water
¼ cup sugar
2 tablespoon loose black or green tea or 4 teabags (I use half black and half green)
mature acidic kombucha (or the sediment on the bottom of any store bought kombucha such as GT's or any other brand)
Kombucha mother (**see my note below)
PROCESS:
Mix water and sugar and bring to a boil
Turn off the heat; add tea, cover, and steep until cool
Strain the tea into a glass or plastic container. It’s best to use something wide; kombucha needs adequate surface area and works best if the diameter of the container is greater than the depth of the liquid. I use those plastic greens containers that salad mixes come in...you can close the top to keep flies out without it being air tight no cloth needed.
Add the mature acidic kombucha. When you obtain a culture, it will be stored in this liquid. Save a portion of subsequent batches for this purpose. 5. Place the kombucha mother in the liquid, with the firm, opaque side up.
Cover with a cloth and store in a warm spot, ideally 70° to 85°F (21° to 29°C).
After a few days to 1 week, depending on temperature, you will notice a skin forming on the surface of the kombucha. Taste the liquid. It will probably still be sweet.
Once it reaches the acidity you like, start a new batch and store your mature kombucha in the refrigerator.
"You now have two mothers, the original one you started with, and a new one, the skin that formed on your first batch. Use either the new or the old mother in your new batch, and pass the other one on to a friend (or the compost). Each generation will give birth to a new mother, and the old mother will thicken.” ~Excerpt From: Sandor Ellix Katz. “Wild Fermentation: The Flavor, Nutrition, and Craft of Live-Culture Foods.” iBooks.
**My note: A mother is also known as a SCOBY – Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast. You do not need a fully formed mother to start. I started with a bottle of GT's Kombucha and made 2 batches. Half a bottle in each batch and make sure that each batch gets a bit of the sediment that forms on the bottom of the bottle and you will be in business and grow your first mother.
SECOND FERMENTATION
This is how I do it & this is where the magic happens ~
Get plastic bottles that the cap has a lot of thread, so taller the cap the better. This is to lock the air in. Plastic also allows to to squeeze the bottle so you can tell that it is expanding with carbonation. I also use double the tea with half being green tea & the other half black tea. I use the cheapest tea I can find. It's going to ferment.
I put blueberries (sometimes along with ginger) in the 2nd ferment. The natural sugars in the blueberries helps the 2nd ferment do the work of carbonation. Takes 3-5 days more usually. Be VERY careful when opening! Let a tiny bit of air out at a time. It could explode like champagne.
That's it! Have fun :) Let me know if you have any questions.