Elevating Life through Mastery: Kombucha Recipe
How to brew a gallon of Kombucha…
Items you will need:
Teabags or tea balls
Kettle
8x8 square cloth or cheese cloth
Rubber band
Long handled spoon
1 gallon glass jar
Measuring cup
Once upon a time I had the microwave mindset of wanting things yesterday and shortcuts seemed like the ticket to achieving quick success!
I spent a lot of time fighting it, but once I surrendered, I saw that there is no replacement for personal experience. Shortcuts just mean we are trying to take something that someone else learned and eliminate the process of learning how to crawl, then walk, to being strong and balanced enough to be able to run. The logical disconnect in thinking that we could master running without first learning to crawl makes no sense and I’ll be the first one to tell you that I have tried it. It is also the reason I’ve done my fair share of failures.
I once asked my mom what the secret was to a good pie crust, and her response was “practice”. Mastery hasn’t always been a strength of mine, but I am learning. Things like pie crusts, homemade bread and kombucha are simple examples: and the mastery of a pie crust is the difference between eating a leathery one, or a flaky butter- melt- in- your- mouth experience. The skill and knowledge we bring to life changes the quality of our life experience. The Creator's shortcut is working with nature, instead of against it.
One of the things I am mastering is kombucha. My last batch tells me I have a few things to learn, and I will! This bubbly- happy- belly beverage is quickly becoming my morning beverage of choice and has been added to my daily rituals for nourishment. I bought the scoby from a young Amish girl whose family owns a small country store. She also is the one who gave me this recipe and now I am sharing it with you.
Ingredients:
2 Tbsp tea - black, white, green, or Oolong
Starter scoby
4 cups boiling water
1 cup evaporated cane juice
Enough water to fill gallon jar
Step by Step
Heat 4 cups water to a simmer and pour over tea. let steep for 5 to 15 minutes, then remove the tea from water and pour tea in gallon jar.
Add cane juice (I use cane sugar) to the hot water. Stir till completely dissolved.
Pour enough cold water in jar to fill about 2/3 of jar. Check temperature-if warmer than lukewarm, set aside till it reaches that desired temperature.
Place the Scoby on top of solution then pour 1-2 cups starter liquid on top.
Cover the vessel with a breathable cloth and secure with a rubber band. Set in a warm area out of direct sunlight, ideally 75 to 85 degrees.
Allow to ferment 7 - 21 days. After 5 to 6 days, it is OK to taste the brew by inserting a straw under the layer of Scoby.
Once the brew is the right flavor it is ready to be bottled. The right flavor being once it reaches the preferred sweetness. Before bottling remove 2 cups of the liquid for starters and pour in a bowl. Remove the Scoby to the starter and cover with a clean towel.
The bottled Kombucha is now ready for drinking. If desired fresh fruit can be added to the bottles and let set in a warm area with the cap intact to further sweeten the brew and it will produce more fizz. After 1 to 2 days discard fruit and refrigerate the drink.
To start the next batch, use the Scoby from the previous batch with the starter liquid. It should have produced another small starter which can be used along with the original or stored in extra starter liquid for future use.
Happy Brewing!!
Resource: “The Big Book of Kombucha” by Hannah Crum and Alex LaGorv
