FERMENTING THINGS (kombucha)

Now that I am retired I have the time to perfect my skills at fermentation.  Here are my latest “ferments” (left to right) Kombucha, milk kefir, water kefir.

I have to admit it takes some time and patience to keep these things going but after a while you get it down to a system.  In reality, I only keep two of these ferments going on a regular basis (the kombucha and the milk kefir).  I tried water kefir just long enough to say “I did it” and then I decided it was just too much to keep it up along with my other ferments. So I stopped the water kefir. 

A few years ago I would never have had the courage to give any of these a try.  But then I attended a Weston Price Foundation conference in Dallas and was able to purchase a kombucha starter (a “SCOBY”).  The kombucha is a fermentation of sweet black tea using a SCOBY.  A SCOBY is a “Symbiotic Culture Of Bacteria and Yeast”.  Basically it is a cellulose/gelatinous mat that forms at the top of the tea, where the fermentation happens.  The fermentation is a process using lactic acid bacteria, acetic acid bacteria, and yeast.  Here is a picture of the SCOBY on my current brew –

The SCOBY is usable over and over again, as it is pretty tough.  As long as you “feed” it with some sweet tea it will last a long time.  I have had mine for at least 10 months now.  When you float the SCOBY on the top of a jar of fresh brewed, cooled sweet black tea it gathers up the sugar and ferments it.  You keep the jar covered with a light cloth to allow air to enter. This is an aerobic process.

After about 7-14 days of fermenting you get a nice bubbly, tart drink. The bubbles are carbon dioxide.  The SCOBY then becomes thicker as it “grows”.  You can let it ferment as long as you like until you get the nice sour taste that is satisfactory to you.  You then scoop the SCOBY off and put it on a fresh jar of sweet tea.  The process starts all over again.  The kombucha that you just fermented can be flavored by adding chunks of fruit to the jar, covering it with a lid and setting it sit out for a couple more days.  I flavor my kombucha with apple pieces.  It is like an apple cider when it is done!

If you want to try kombucha without having to make one on your own, just go to a health food store or even a well-stocked grocery store and look for a finished bottle such as this-

There are many brands.  I find that the store bought ones are too strong for my taste and I like my own brew better.

If you want to find a SCOBY and brew your own kombucha, ask around your neighborhood to see if a friend might have one. Ask a nearby health food store. If that does not work, you can try this website. I have even seen a SCOBY on the Walmart website!