Kombucha

My wife, Wendy, is a master kombucha maker. She brews a gallon per day and our family loves it. And we’re healthy for it!

Kombucha is a sweetened and fermented tea made from special yeast cultures that can be purchased separately. The recipe was published in our first cookbook (now out of print, unfortunately). But here it is, just for you:

• 3 quarts filtered water
• 1 cup sugar
• 4 black OR white OR green tea bags
• 2 flavored tea bags (personal choice)
• Yeast culture starter
• 4 oz freshly harvested kombucha tea

In a glass or enamel large pan (kombucha should not come in contact with metal), pour water. Set to boil. Add sugar. Boil for 5 minutes. Add tea bags and steep for 10 minutes. Remove tea bags with wooden spoon. Let cool.

Transfer liquid to a 1-gallon glass container. Add yeast cultures and kombucha tea. It is very important to add starter when the liquid is cold, or the yeast will die. Also, it is important to use glass jars or containers; lead crystal, enamel, plastic and pottery are not suitable for fermenting.

Place a napkin on top of jar with rubber band, date it, and place it in dark cupboard for seven days till the day of harvest. On the seventh day, begin your work by removing rings from your fingers. Take the starter organism out of the jar and place it in a glass dish. Pour your kombucha into glass storage container. Keep containers in refrigerator. Drink over ice. It is recommended you drink 4 ounces, three times a day.

This video is quite old, but the recipe still holds true. Check it out…