Impractical Eating
DIY Kombucha!
- DIY Kombucha (feedpeoplenotdumpsters.)
A new study finally proves what an old Russian taxi driver once told me: Soda makes you weaker. (Seems the ingredients in your typical cola actually disturb the potassium levels in your blood, and can weaken muscles.) This is, of course, why alt beverages are big these days, and especially trendy probiotic drinks like Kombucha, a fermented tea that's got all the fizz of a soda but actually shows some health benefits. Kombucha helps the good bacteria in your gut to thrive, improving digestion, and may also help to relieve joint or muscle pain. AT $4 a bottle, however, you can quickly go broke if you drink alot. [Eds Note: It's true. We've seen Manhattan moms strap their children into car seats and hit the road to find bulk Kombucha discounts not available at local Whole Foods.]
There's a better way: Try making your own. The following may seem a bit like a high school biology class, but it's easy to do, gives excellent results, and is eco friendly and very easy on the wallet. (There's even a whole Flickr community dedicated to the DIY kombooch.) Without further ado, the first step is to grow your own living SCOBY (i.e. Symbiotic Colony of Bacteria and Yeast)...
- Set a half bottle of a commercial kombucha, like GT, on your counter for one week. Cover with a cheesecloth. A thick "mushroom" like culture will grow on the top. That's your living SCOBY!
- Brew four green or black teabags in about three quarts of water. Add one cup of sugar and let it cool in a glass mason jar.
- Gently add the SCOBY and half a cup of the original, bottled kombucha. Now, rest the concoction (covered in cheesecloth) in a dark, warm place (around 78 degrees) for two weeks.
Et voila! You're now ready to drink your homebrew batch of kombucha. By the way, you can reuse the SCOBY you've cultivated over and over.
- Erinn B.'s blog
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Comments
I can't tell you how much money I spend on G.T. Dave's Kombucha. I HAVE to have at least one a day!!
Submitted by michlny on 05.20.09 at 03:12.
Genevieve writes that you can get "the SCOBYs off of Craigslist instead of growing one from a GT culture." She says they're about $10 per SCOBY.
This sounds cool, and very edge-y. Legal notice to those who buy SCOBY off craigslist: Social Workout hereby indeminifies itself and all of its ancestors, and otherwise limits its liability, with regard to such purchases.
Submitted by Oliver on 05.21.09 at 08:41.
the SCOBY is also called "the mother", which is freaky.
Kombucha is the grossest thing I have ever craved. So weird!
Submitted by bess on 05.21.09 at 12:46.
On a recent flight a woman raved about Kombucha as a cure for hangovers. At a very cool Austin, TX museum called The Museum of Ephemerata I learned all I know about Kombucha. It now looks as if their thriving SCOBY collection caught a cold and died. http://www.mnae.org/krs/
Submitted by SlipperSpurge on 06.02.09 at 10:51.
I love Kombucha, and love making it. So many friends have been curious I now have a small brewing crew.
Anyone ho needs a SCOBY in the greater Little Rock area, lemme know. We have plenty.\
Any tips on how to flavor this stuff? I like the plain old regular kind, but change is good.
Submitted by Skp505 on 11.27.09 at 02:53.
I got a scoby for free off of Freecycle. People who brew often frequently post "Free Scoby" because you can only brew so much, but the scoby keeps on growing.
Brewing starts tomorrow!
Submitted by sadie on 07.10.10 at 10:35.