Kombucha

I was visiting with relatives recently and the conversation turned to Kombucha.  My nephew and his wife make it regularly and drink it daily. I had never heard of it. I was interested in giving it a try and planned to look it up as soon as I got back home. The day after I returned, I received a newsletter from the food co-op I belong to, The Granary Food Co-op in Ortonville, MN. They announced they were having a class on making Kombucha.

I talked about this class with members of my knitting group that afternoon.  One member said she had been making and drinking Kombucha for several months and could even supply me with my own SCOBY! She also gave me detailed instructions on making it. A day later, I started my first batch.

This is my first jug of brew! You can see the SCOBY floating at the top. It is not unusual for it to float, lay sideways, or move around the jar. The jug is covered with a flour sack dish towel and sealed with a rubber band. You want the mixture to breath, but you must protect it from dirt, bugs, and other contaminants.

Kombucha is a mixture of black tea, sugar and water that is fermented using a SCOBY instead of yeast. A SCOBY (an acronym for symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast) is what causes the mixture to ferment. It is very much like the 'mother' used to ferment vinegar. Other kinds tea can be added for flavor, but you have to add the black tea. I use a decaf tea. Also, you need to add a cup of sugar. This is non-negotiable. It has to be sugar, not Splenda, Stevia, or any other substitute.  Good quality water and the SCOBY are the only other ingredients necessary. You can add fruit, juice, ginger, or other things for taste as you become more familiar with the beverage.

Kombucha is rich in probiotics. There are numerous other health claims about it, but few have actually been proven. It is generally thought of as a healthy drink. (There are some websites listed below for more information). There is a very small amount of alcohol in the finished product, but very little. However, if you are sensitive to alcohol you should probably avoid Kombucha.

This is my SCOBY after making two batches of Kombucha. It is ready to split the baby off the mother. (Remove the bottom layer from the top).

After removing the SCOBY from the jar, I strained the liquid into a gallon plastic jar. I put the cover on and let it sit a day or so on the counter until the container was obviously "bloated". That adds some 'fizz' to the finished product. I then chill it and keep it in the fridge and enjoy until it is gone. By then I hopefully have another batch ready! I was amazed at how good it tastes! I had no idea what I was in for, but I am hooked.

Here are a few good links with brewing information, health information, etc.
    http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-kombucha-tea-at-home-173858
    http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/truth-about-kombucha
    http://wellnessmama.com/8638/continuous-brew-kombucha/

I hope you will try this and enjoy it as much as I do! It looks a bit odd, smells a bit odd, but is delicious!

What's Up Wednesday...

It has been a while since I have posted anything.
I thought I would catch up. We went camping over the July 4th weekend. We visited family up near Bemidji, MN. Carolyn, my sister-in-law,  and I always take to the back roads and woods to see what's going on. These Lady Slippers were found in a ditch north of Bemidji, MN. There were hundreds of them!

We also found several meadows that were full of Yarrow, Birds Foot Treefoil and pink clover.
I took some video sweeps of the meadows. They were amazing to see.

Carolyn is also a gardener. She has an herb garden with a large amount of Comfrey, which she offered me a piece of, as well as leaves and stems to dye with. She also has some beautiful Hyssop that was in full bloom.




My nephew, John, and his wife Katy were there with their new baby, James. Here he is in a sweater I designed and knit from some hand spun alpaca/wool blend.

John and Katy live and teach school in a small village in Alaska. John brought me a box of moose antler to play with. I see buttons and who knows what else in that box!!!

On the home front, I have been busy spinning. I have several new yarns including the black alpaca spun with colored mohair locks. There is only a small amount, but it will work well with plain black to set it off.








I have also been blending dyed wool on the drum carder and creating some beautiful blended yarns. This latest is a base of walnut hull dyed wool with bits of other colors blended in. The neighbor boy, Nathan who is eight years old helped blend the
colors.


.