Kombucha!!!

Monday, September 3, 2012

What are these weird things on top of my bookcases? 


Kombucha! Yay!! Don't be scared! It is awesome and we absolutely love it! 


Yes, it does look a little freaky. I'll give you that one :) 

Kombucha is a fermented tea that is full of probiotics and is so good for you! Here is a great post by the Food Renegade on the health benefits of kombucha. 


I follow the directions laid out by The Healthy Home Economist in her video blogs. If you are interested in making kombucha, I definitely recommend that you watch her videos and follow her directions! If you need a starter let me know and I will give you one! We love it so much that we have 4 batches going at all times! 

I won't get into the steps for how to make the kombucha in this post because The Healthy Home Economist's video blogs cover it really well. Not covered in her videos though is what is called "the second fermentation" which is what I do to make our kombucha fruit flavored.

I let my kombucha brew for 2 weeks then I remove the starters and place them each in a glass bowl with 3/4 cup finished kombucha and save them for later to start my next batch. I then pour the finished kombucha in glass quart jars. {It is important that the kombucha does not come into contact with metal and it also needs to be stored in clear glass jars.}  


After the finished kombucha is in jars, I add some fruit to each jar and then tightly close the jars and let them sit out on the counter for 24 hours. I have found that 1 container of strawberries sliced up is the perfect amount for 3 quart jars. We are super excited that blackberries are coming into season because that means free flavoring for our kombucha! 

Flavors we have tried include: Strawberry, Raspberry, Strawberry-Raspberry, Strawberry-Kiwi, Strawberry-Blueberry, Apple, and Blackberry. 


24 hours later... Super yummy fruit flavored kombucha! 


It is important to use a plastic or ideally wooden spoon to remove the fruit from the jars.


Keep the discarded fruit! Just the leftover fruit and some ice cubes makes for a super yummy smoothie! 


After the fruit is removed from the jars, place the jars in the fridge and drink as you would like! I have been liking adding chia seeds to my glasses of kombucha lately for that extra boost of omega-3's and a fun texture! 

I would say that kombucha is an acquired taste but it doesn't take too long to fall in love with it! 

Brian is totally hooked on it and is always asking me when the next batches of kombucha will be ready so that he can drink tons of it! 

1 comment:

Emily said...

Something else I can't wait to try! ha

 
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