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What is wilson silverleaf? We're organitarians; it's best for our bodies and the planet. We cloth diapered Nina for the same reason. We drive a hybrid car & wish we could afford solar panels on our house. I'm a strong advocate for homebirth, full-time mom, & also a movie junkie. We don't have a tv though; we watch dvds on our computer. We love contradancing. I garden & knit; Larry's a puzzle lover & plays fantasy football.

Thursday, October 23, 2008

beginning of the lasts (kombucha)

For some reason I cannot get these pics to load in the order I want them to...

We have a week and a day left here, so it's the beginning of the "lasts," as in the last time I will bottle my homemade kombucha here (it takes about a week or so to brew so it doesn't make sense for me to brew any more).

It's so delicious and bubbly I just had to share some pics with you.

Keep reading, I'm gonna give you a recipe so you can make it too if you want to.

You need a few things to start with:

  • A jar; the top should be as wide as the bottom. I use this one.
  • A culture, either in the form of a scoby or a bottle of unpasteurized, unflavored kombucha (my favorite to use to make a scoby is GT Dave's).
  • A largeish pot
  • A piece of cloth that is tightly woven enough to keep away fruit flies and bigger than the lip of the jar
  • 5 teabags organic plain black tea or you can use loose (about 5 tbs), I have also been adding one of these, I think it is what makes all those great bubbles.
  • A rubber band that will fit around the lip of the jar
  • Fill container with filtered water but leave 2 inches below the shoulders of the jar and then pour into pot (this is solely to make sure the amount of water corresponds to the amount that will fit into the jar).

  • Boil water

  • Turn off heat and add organic black tea (5 teabags) or loose, plain is best (probably 4 or 5 tbsp)

  • Add a cup of organic sugar, stir until dissolved

  • Cool to room temperature, covered

  • Remove tea bags and pour tea into jar, then add mushroom or bottle of GT Dave's and 1 cup (or whatever you have) of kombucha (if you have used loose tea, strain it; you dont want tea leaves in your brew)

  • Cover with cloth (but not cheesecloth, its too loosely woven) and place a rubber band or twist tie around the lip of the jar; dont use glass lid

  • Let brew in a dark place with even temperature for 7 to 10 days. If you are using bottled kombucha to make your own culture, the first scoby that you get will be thin and may take more like 14 days to form.

  • Start all over again.

I would love to hear about it if you make kombucha from my recipe, questions are also welcomed.

4 comments:

Unknown said...

Dude. I feel stupid. You can grow your own scoby? How did I never pick up on this? And why did I spend like $3.99 a day for kombucha at People's in the days before kids?

My questions are rhetorical. I'm totally going to go make my own.

Word.

lola coca-cola said...

Or I could just give you a scoby when I get home...or Elaine can or Natalie. No need to make your own!

denise said...

i was just telling elaine i SO want to do this but for some reason it feels overwhelming right now...will check in with you when i have the time/energy to gather the supplies and make this happen cuz i love this drink!!! thanks for the detailed instructions...d

Takoda Rain said...

Thank you for this link! Im gonna make some.