Kombucha

So we’ve all heard about probiotics and that we need them to stay healthy, but probiotics are nothing new. In fact, probiotics is just a term for the bacteria that have been used to ferment foods all through history. One of our favorite probiotic foods is known as kombucha. What is kombucha? It is simply fermented sweet tea.

Kombucha tea starts with what’s known as a “mother”. The kombucha “mother” is a SCOBY – a Symbiotic Colony of Bacteria and Yeast that looks and feels like a leathery pancake. Every SCOBY is different, but all are loaded with micro-organisms that are beneficial to the gut. The characteristic tang and fizz of kombucha comes from its wide variety of other nutrients, acids, and esters.

Only a glass container and five ingredients are needed to make kombucha at home. Those ingredients are: the kombucha mother (SCOBY), starter tea, water, sugar, and freshly brewed tea. Kombucha SCOBY is available for purchase online, but it’s best to get one from a friend or a relative. The starter tea is simply reserved from the last batch of finished kombucha tea. For water, use only pure that is low in minerals and without the chemicals that would hurt the SCOBY; distilled or reverse osmosis waters are good choices. Though you can use white cane sugar, we prefer to use turbinado cane sugar or pure cane syrup to feed our SCOBY, and as always, organic is best. Lastly, the best varieties of tea to choose from are organic black, green, oolong, pekoe, or Darjeeling teas. White tea and red Rooibos teas are fine, but should be mixed with at least 25% black tea. Avoid herbal teas or teas flavored with oils such as peppermint or earl grey as the oils become rancid and can ruin your SCOBY.

Follow the directions you get with your SCOBY and in 7 to 30 days you’ll be sitting on your porch sipping a glass of iced delicious kombucha. To your health!
To learn even more about homesteading, join us at Grace Heritage Ranch for our Saturday morning tours. We are located just 30 minutes northeast of Harlingen, TX near Santa Monica. Please visit us at www.GraceHeritageRanch.com or www.Facebook.com/VisitGHR. For a recorded message, please call 1-855-447-8687. We offer both public and private tours.