If you know how to make Kombucha, you'll be able to enjoy years of healthful beverage for the cost of sweet tea. This B-vitamin and probiotic-rich drink has been used for centuries, and many think that it's close to the elixir of life. The FDA doesn't endorse this cultured tea, but you'll see hundreds of testimonials online.
The beverage is sold commercially as a drink, but it's easy to make at home. To grow your own, assemble a large glass bowl or jar, a piece of cheesecloth or cotton for a cover, black or green tea bags, one gallon of water, and two cups of granulated sugar. You'll also need a 'starter', which can be bought or borrowed from a friend.
For optimum benefit, use organic tea and sugar. The culture, however, does fine with conventional teabags and sugar right off the grocery shelf. Using identified cane sugar avoids the beet variety, which is probably genetically engineered. This culture is called a mushroom because of the appearance of the colony, which is flat and covers the surface of the container it grows in.
It's best to follow the basic recipe before experimenting with other sweeteners and flavorings. You'll love the vinegary-smelling but sweetish drink, which will be light and sparkling if the culture is really happy in its environment. The fermentation process transforms vitamin and mineral-deficient white sugar so it's no longer the non-food many try to avoid.
Brew a gallon of tea using five teabags. Sun tea seems to work OK. Stir in two cups of sugar and let cool. Add the starter (with a cup of finished tea if you have it), and cover so the mixture is protected from dust but can breathe.
A forgotten cup of tea will grow a perfect little mushroom, so you can try using a cup as a starter if you can't find a friend with a mushroom to give you. If the culture is happy, the result will be clear, sweet-tasting, and effervescent. It's great alone or with food when served cold, A new mushroom is formed with each batch and should be whitish-tan and slick.
It's like a sourdough starter; sometimes it's more active than others, and many feel that it responds to the phases of the moon. Find the spot where it's happiest by trying various locations. A cupboard is fine, so no light is necessary, but the back of a counter is good, as well. Choose a place where the tea can be undisturbed for the week or so it takes to make a mature mushroom, and try to locate it away from electrical appliances. Use common sense to evaluate whether the culture is growing or has failed. An unhappy mushroom will sort of fade away over several batches, giving you time to try new areas in your home.
If all goes well and you've learned how to make Kombucha, you'll end up with two mushrooms. You can start over with one or both for next week's supply of enhanced tea. You can also use one and give the other to your goats, to the earthworms in your garden, or to a neighbor.
The beverage is sold commercially as a drink, but it's easy to make at home. To grow your own, assemble a large glass bowl or jar, a piece of cheesecloth or cotton for a cover, black or green tea bags, one gallon of water, and two cups of granulated sugar. You'll also need a 'starter', which can be bought or borrowed from a friend.
For optimum benefit, use organic tea and sugar. The culture, however, does fine with conventional teabags and sugar right off the grocery shelf. Using identified cane sugar avoids the beet variety, which is probably genetically engineered. This culture is called a mushroom because of the appearance of the colony, which is flat and covers the surface of the container it grows in.
It's best to follow the basic recipe before experimenting with other sweeteners and flavorings. You'll love the vinegary-smelling but sweetish drink, which will be light and sparkling if the culture is really happy in its environment. The fermentation process transforms vitamin and mineral-deficient white sugar so it's no longer the non-food many try to avoid.
Brew a gallon of tea using five teabags. Sun tea seems to work OK. Stir in two cups of sugar and let cool. Add the starter (with a cup of finished tea if you have it), and cover so the mixture is protected from dust but can breathe.
A forgotten cup of tea will grow a perfect little mushroom, so you can try using a cup as a starter if you can't find a friend with a mushroom to give you. If the culture is happy, the result will be clear, sweet-tasting, and effervescent. It's great alone or with food when served cold, A new mushroom is formed with each batch and should be whitish-tan and slick.
It's like a sourdough starter; sometimes it's more active than others, and many feel that it responds to the phases of the moon. Find the spot where it's happiest by trying various locations. A cupboard is fine, so no light is necessary, but the back of a counter is good, as well. Choose a place where the tea can be undisturbed for the week or so it takes to make a mature mushroom, and try to locate it away from electrical appliances. Use common sense to evaluate whether the culture is growing or has failed. An unhappy mushroom will sort of fade away over several batches, giving you time to try new areas in your home.
If all goes well and you've learned how to make Kombucha, you'll end up with two mushrooms. You can start over with one or both for next week's supply of enhanced tea. You can also use one and give the other to your goats, to the earthworms in your garden, or to a neighbor.
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