Ani's Raw Food Essentials - Ani Phyo [24]
Use spring water; avoid distilled or reverse osmosis water, as the brew needs the trace minerals in the water. Use a wide-topped glass, china, or enamel bowl to brew; this will allow for good breathing of the culture, plus it’ll be easier to remove the mother culture later. Or, use a wide-mouthe gallon jug. Avoid using metal bowls or spoons when making this recipe, as it will damage the culture.
The longer kombucha is left, the more sour and vinegary the taste, and the less sugar it will contain. Factors such as not using enough starter, poor hygiene, cigarette smoke, sunlight, contact with metal, and water without minerals can spoil a culture. A dead culture will darken and sink to the bottom.
Order kombucha mushrooms online at www.stichingtime.com. You can start with the stringy culture found in a bottle of kombucha drink, but it will take much longer to brew that way because of the small amount of bacteria and yeast. Remember, whereas it takes about two weeks when you start from a mother, it will take about a month when starting from scratch.
2½ quarts spring water
¼ cup loose tea leaves, or 6 regular tea bags
1 cup raw sugar, Sucanat, or turbinado sugar
Kombucha mushroom culture from the previous brew, about the size of a saucer
1½ cups kombucha from the previous brew, or ½ cup white vinegar as a starter substitute
Boil your water for at least 5 minutes, then turn off the heat. Add the tea and sugar, and let steep until completely cool before removing the leaves or bags. Remember, the sugar is for the culture to eat and will help grow a new baby culture on top of the tea, creating enzymes and other beneficial properties. Although I’ve not had much success with these, you can try to use agave or honey, but their bacterial contaminants may degrade the culture over time.
Pour 2½ quarts of your room-temperature tea into a 1-gallon wide-mouthed glass jar, or a glass or ceramic bowl. Make sure to leave air on the surface, not filling your container completely.
Add the mushroom and the starter. Taste once with a clean spoon to make sure it tastes slightly tart. If not, add ¼ cup of white vinegar to prevent mold.
Cover the jar with a new coffee filter and secure it with a rubber band. A fine cloth won’t keep fruit flies out, and towels are too thick. Place the brew away from sunlight in a stable environment where it will never be moved. Select a place with a temperature between 68° and 83°F.
A clear or translucent film will begin forming on top of the liquid within a few days and will smell fermented. After seven to twelve days, the new mushroom culture baby on top of the liquid will be about a ¼- to ⅜-inch thick, which tells you it’s ready to drink. The culture may be gray, cream, or peach in color.
When ready to bottle your brew, first transfer the baby culture that’s grown on the top and the original to a clean bowl, as the starter for your next batch.
Stir up the sediment that formed on the bottom of the bowl, and bottle your brew in glass bottles, tightly capped. The sediment contains the yeast that will make it fizzy, and it will need another day or two after bottling at room temperature to build up enough pressure to make a fizz.
Will keep for up to thirty days in the fridge.
Your kombucha should taste a bit tart, and a little sweet, with slight effervescence. Each recipe will be different. As your culture multiplies, you can place both into one jar, or give one to a friend with some starter tea to start his or her own brew.
The easiest way I like to flavor my kombucha is by mixing fruit juices with the kombucha before drinking. A good ratio to start at is about 5 to 10 percent juice to 90 to 95 percent kombucha. Adjust to your liking.
REJUVELAC
Rejuvelac is the fermented drink of choice for Dr. Ann Wigmore,