I've been scanning the internet this morning for instructions on brewing our own kombucha. I'd long heard about its probiotic properties and decided to try it for myself. Like many people I imagine, my first response was more or less "ick!". But it's an acquired taste and I guess I acquired it. Then I really got to like it. It's kind of like drinking a soda, but without the sweetness, and it's great for digestion and overall health.
Now of course Wayne and Mackenzie also became addicted to the stuff, so we're buying several expensive glass bottles of the stuff a week now. We especially like the Gingerberry flavor from Synergy. Time to make our own! I think I'm going to order this kombucha starter kit from The Happy Herbalist to get us started. You can't complain when your kids beg to drink something this healthy. Even if your daughter has been heard to say "Eeeeewwww, You're Drinking Fermented FUNGUS again???"
4 comments:
What is kombucha? Wikipedia tells me that "Kombucha is the Western name for sweetened tea or tisane that has been fermented using a macroscopic solid mass of microorganisms called a kombucha colony" but I don't really understand....
Is it like the regular black tea with this colony? Are the micros like open-air yeast in sourdough?
It's tea that's fermented with a weird mushroom thing. In flavor, it tastes slightly like hard cider mixed with tea mixed with vinegar. Like I said, an acquired taste. It's very very fizzy.
Kombucha has become very popular down here in our unschooling group -- everyone's got a little piece of the same mother and and it's sooo good. Even my boys love it!
Have fun making it -- my next step is to try to ferment my own vinegar using the same process (different mother).
It's technically a SCOBY rather than a mushroom, making it a yeast culture and not a fungus. *bwg* Though no matter what you call it, it looks like some bizarre and slightly disturbing science experiment. Then, if you put it into canning jars like I do, it's even worse. *lol*
I swear by the stuff, but my husband calls it my witch's brew. I'm the only one in my house who drinks it.
SCOBY stands for symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast.
I like to drink mine in a wine glass, as the dry, sourness reminds me of wine. Homemade doesn't tend to be as fizzy, I don't think, as store bought versions, and the type of tea used can affect the fizziness. Black tea produces more fizz than green tea in general.
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