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.
If you eat organic foods, use certified organic tea. However, the mushroom (actually a dense, pancake-shaped culture as large as the surface of the container it grew in) grows well in conventional tea. As for the sugar, you should use cane sugar; almost all the sugar beets grown in the US are genetically engineered.
Once you're familiar with the one to two week growing process and the taste of the finished beverage, you can experiment with other sweeteners. However, regular white granules seem to satisfy the needs of the culture, and the fermenting action transforms this vitamin and mineral deficient food into a health booster.
Boil a gallon of water and steep five tea bags until the tea is cooler than lukewarm (sun tea works, too). Stir in sweetener until it dissolves. Slip in your starter. If you have a mushroom, it may sink to the bottom of the container. This is good, because when the brew is ready it will float to the top. However, the process works fine if the mushroom floats during the week or more that it takes to complete.
You can start the process with a cup of finished tea or with a test tube of culture bought from a dealer. People who've forgotten a cup of this fermented drink for a week or so have found a perfect little mushroom inside. If the culture's 'happy' in your home, it'll grow quickly, produce a slick, whitish-tan 'baby', and give you a slightly sweet, slightly effervescent drink that is delicious when chilled.
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.
If you eat organic foods, use certified organic tea. However, the mushroom (actually a dense, pancake-shaped culture as large as the surface of the container it grew in) grows well in conventional tea. As for the sugar, you should use cane sugar; almost all the sugar beets grown in the US are genetically engineered.
Once you're familiar with the one to two week growing process and the taste of the finished beverage, you can experiment with other sweeteners. However, regular white granules seem to satisfy the needs of the culture, and the fermenting action transforms this vitamin and mineral deficient food into a health booster.
Boil a gallon of water and steep five tea bags until the tea is cooler than lukewarm (sun tea works, too). Stir in sweetener until it dissolves. Slip in your starter. If you have a mushroom, it may sink to the bottom of the container. This is good, because when the brew is ready it will float to the top. However, the process works fine if the mushroom floats during the week or more that it takes to complete.
You can start the process with a cup of finished tea or with a test tube of culture bought from a dealer. People who've forgotten a cup of this fermented drink for a week or so have found a perfect little mushroom inside. If the culture's 'happy' in your home, it'll grow quickly, produce a slick, whitish-tan 'baby', and give you a slightly sweet, slightly effervescent drink that is delicious when chilled.
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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