Thursday, March 3, 2011

Kombucha

Kombucha is not photogenic. The kombucha mother is especially unattractive, but I thought I'd post about this anyway--partially because I can't help but feel a certain sense of pride for this grown-up kombucha mother. You see the thick, firm white layer? You see the nicely active fermentation bubbles? I grew this kombucha mother using a bottle of GT's kombucha, some tea and sugar.

I first heard about kombucha a few years ago, when I was eating raw for a week while Matt was away at Louisville, and I decided to try it, despite its price. I can't say that I loved it immediately, but there was something intriguing about the taste, and it reminded me of kvass--something that I used to drink during my childhood in the former USSR. So I kept coming back to it, buying it occasionally, as a little boost for a crummy day, or just because. On one of these casual acquisitions, a cashier at Whole Foods turned to me, just as I was leaving, and said, "You know, you can make this stuff yourself. It's not that hard."

I, of course, took that as a challenge, and became determined to make my own kombucha. I started reading about it, obsessing about it, looking up reputable dealers of the mother culture...and actually didn't do anything about it for over a year. I kept telling myself that I didn't have enough time to tend to kombucha, that I would somehow ruin it and let it mold, that I wasn't a fit parent. And then what?

Jars came along. I've written a little bit about how canning has changed the way I look at food; but it's not just about canning. Jars have changed the way I look at food. We buy more bulk items because I love storing them in jars. And once I acquired a few half-gallon jars, I just had to put them to use. One of them holds the granola that I make almost weekly, a few of them hold the mellowing liquors, and one of them is a dedicated kombucha jar. It wasn't until I had the proper vessel that I decided to brave the kombucha-making experience.
To grow the beautiful mother that you see, I bought a bottle of kombucha, dumped it into a sterilized half-gallon jar, and added two cups of strong black tea sweetened with a half-cup of sugar. Because I started the growing in the winter, it took about a month for the liquid to form a thin, but cohesive film layer. I added a few tablespoons of sugar every few weeks, to feed the baby culture, and two months later, I had a mother culture that was barely over an eighth of an inch thick, floating smugly atop the vinegary-smelling tea ferment. I may have rushed things a bit, but at that point, I started the production of kombucha--I poured off about 3/4 of the finished kombucha, then brewed about 6 cups of tea, sweetened it with half a cup of sugar (waited until it was at room temperature), and added it to the jar. And thus, every week for a couple months, now. I've even flavored small batches of kombucha with ginger-syrup! I'm glad that I gave it a try. If you would like, ask me in a couple months (when the mother culture is stronger yet,) and I can share a little baby SCOBY with you, too.

10 comments:

JB said...

I'm so glad to read that you cultivated your own "mother." I've been wanting to start making kombucha, but wasn't sure whether I could just start with a store-bought culture. Can't wait to give it a whirl!

zemmely said...

Be sure to use GT's kombucha, as I actually failed using a different brand. Look for a cloudy sediment or little stringy masses on the bottom of the bottle, as that indicates the presence of a living culture that's ready to feed. Good luck in your endeavors!

Skippy said...

I bought some GT kombucha today to try this. Hope it works! Thanks for explaining it so well, you made it sound totally doable :o)

zemmely said...

Every time I revisit the post, I feel like I didn't describe it enough! Glad it helps you out; keep me updated on the progress, and let me know if you have any questions.

That SCOBY is now up to a gallon of kombucha a week!

Skippy said...

little mama is growing, I do believe! I was terribly afraid it had mildew on it, but when I gently rocked the jar back and forth, I realized it was just little white bubbles. I am seriously so excited about it. Thanks so much for the idea :o)

zemmely said...

I am always afraid of mildew, too! Sometimes, when some of the loose tea leaves make it into the brew, they look pretty gross, and I worry --but everything turns out fine. Like I said, SCOBY isn't pretty in the conventional way...
Keep growing, little SCOBY!

Skippy said...

How will I know if/when I should add more sugar? The scoby is about the size of my thumb and the whole thing smells rather vinegary....not sure if that is any indication? It's in a half gallon jar and I used the same ratio of tea/sugar that you did when I started it a week ago.

zemmely said...

Gently lower a spoon into the liquid (avoiding the SCOBY), and taste the kombucha. If it smells vinegary, it'll probably taste vinegary. This is definitely a good sign, as what the live culture is doing is converting the sugars into vinegar--which is all part of the benefits of kombucha.
Mix a little more tea (half a cup or so) with a third of a cup of sugar, and "feed" it. I think when I was making it, I was just sprinkling the sugar in, but it will absorb it better if it's diluted. Keep doing this for a couple weeks. Keep in mind that the very first batch of kombucha that you pour off when the SCOBY gets stronger will be VERY! vinegary. This is normal--you can make your next batch just the way you like.

radioactivegan said...

I'm finally starting my kombucha journey today. it took me a while to track down a suitable jar, but I am super excited! Thanks for the easy-to-follow instructions. Is this one still producing?

zemmely said...

It is certainly alive and well! It slowed down production in the winter, and I've also been neglecting it--feeding it every three weeks, sometimes. But the SCOBY remains healthy, so I'm not too worried. Best of luck in your fermentation endeavors.