How to Make One Half Gallon Kombucha (fermented tea)

To make fermented tea, you will need the following:

• SCOBY (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast) * If you don’t have a SCOBY see the bottom of this recipe.
• Filtered or spring water / de-chlorinated if from city or county sources
• ½ cup starter tea *If you don’t have starter tea, see the bottom of this recipe
• ½ cup sugar (not honey due to its antibacterial properties)
• 4 black or green tea bags or a combination (Black makes a stronger culture due to its high tannin content. (I use 2 black and 2 green OR 1 black, 2 hibiscuses, 1 green)
• A clean ½ gallon canning jar, a clean cloth or coffee filters, rubber bands or string

                            Brewing Method

Pour hot, boiled water into a ½ gallon canning jar, filling it to about half or so, add ½ cup sugar, stir to dissolve then immerse 4 teabags and lightly cover to keep steam in and dirt out of your jar. Steep the tea for at least 20 minutes. (I leave my tea bags in the jar all day or all night.) When cooled to room temp, add approximately ½ cup of starter tea* and your SCOBY (Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast) on top. It might sink, that's ok. Fill your jar with fresh water to the shoulder.  Cover securely with cloth or coffee filters (I use 2 filters together) and secure with a rubber band or string. The cover is important to keep bugs out, but it must let air in. Mark the date of brewing on top of the coffee filter, or use a piece of painter’s tape and a marker. Set aside in an undisturbed place out of direct sunlight and away from other cultures or any source of bacteria or mold.  

Fermenting (the first ferment)

In my kitchen, and at this time of year (fairly warm), I let the tea develop for about 7-10 days.  It will go longer in winter. You can test your tea simply by removing the cover, slipping a straw between the SCOBY and the side of your jar, cover the top of the straw with finger and draw out some tea (several times) to put in a small glass for tasting.  Finished tea will be lighter in color than your original brew.  It should not taste sweet. It will have natural carbonation and will taste something like cider/tea. The culture has eaten most of the sugar and has left behind a beautiful batch of probiotic-rich and tasty fermented tea.  Catch it before it turns vinegary (though even at the vinegar stage it is still safe and drinkable).  You can consume it now, refrigerate the rest, OR you can take your ferment to a new level (A SECOND FERMENT) with other flavors, described below.

Important!!!  Now is when you will want to start another batch.  So be sure to set aside your SCOBY and ½ cup starter tea and repeat the instructions above.  I save mine in a clean bowl covered with a small plate, up to a day while making the next batch.  Each brew will make a new SCOBY.  I leave the SCOBY stack together for several batches.  If it gets too thick, discard the bottom portions in compost, feed pieces to your pets, or share with a friend.

It is time to get creative with a second ferment!
Most kombucha drinkers enjoy the first ferment, above, but they also like flavored, bubbly Kombucha.  For a second ferment, you will need your choice of the following: canning jars with canning lids (not the plastic ones ), or quality kombucha bottles from kombucha you’ve purchased at the store, or QUALITY spring- top bottles. OR what I currently use -- glass juice bottles. They work great!

With the second ferment, you are feeding the brew again and you are holding in the carbonation. Whatever kind of glass jar you use, you need to be able to keep the air out and the bubbles in, so SECURE the lid!  You should also check your brew daily, relieving the pressure by unscrewing the lid briefly. Always leave plenty of space in the top of your jar and always open slowly and carefully due to internal pressure that is naturally building up inside

ADD Fresh or Frozen Fruit
Any fresh or frozen fruit will make a tasty brew.  Here are some ideas: Cover the bottom of your jar with any fresh or frozen fruit. Fresh grapes work wonderfully well. In fact, adding fresh grapes to any flavor will make it super fizzy. My current favorite is to put about ½ cup of frozen organic raspberries into a clean 32 oz.  glass juice bottle and fill it to the shoulder with your 1^st ferment. Secure the lid as tight as you can get it. Let it sit on your kitchen counter or shelf for a day or two or three --just long enough to get a big fizz when you carefully unscrew the top.  Then refrigerate and enjoy. 

Or use your favorite fruit juice. You can use any kind of fruit juice for this process.  Use  4-6 ounces of juice for each quart. The higher the sugar content the greater the bubbles will be. (Once again, most of the sugar will be eaten by the pro-bacteria.)  I have had great success with blueberry, apple, pear, and pomegranate.  You can also add spices. This is where experimentation comes in.  There are lots of recipes online as well.  One of my favorites is ½ cup organic pear juice with about a tablespoon diced candied ginger. 

Oh! and I also add a pinch of LOVE to all my recipes. 

NOTE: When you add your first ferment to your jar for a second ferment, you will want to strain the tea, using a mesh strainer and a funnel as there will be a few remnants of the SCOBY, the yeast strings in the tea. They are harmless and necessary, but most people find them unpleasant to have in their booch! 

Always mark your bottles with the brew date and the flavor and be sure to burp your bottles every few days. Gasses will build up quickly.  I let my tea second-ferment for about 3 days. Refrigerate and enjoy. 

Save your SCOBYs and at least ½ cup of starter for each half-gallon you want to make. Remove it with a clean tong.
* If you do not have starter tea (absolutely necessary) or a SCOBY, you can make your own. Buy some fresh kombucha from the store and use the brewing method above. Wait for a SCOBY to form. It might take several weeks.  Then use your SCOBY and ½ cup of the starter to follow the instructions above.

Oh! and I also add a pinch of LOVE to all my recipes.

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Cinnamon Mandarin Cranberry Holiday Kombucha

You will need: One quart finished 1^st ferment kombucha starter tea. (Our favorite kombucha ferment is made from 2 Organically Hip Hibiscus tea bags and 2 Paul Newman’s Organic Black tea bags to ½ cup sugar and ½ cup starter and ½ gallon filtered, de-chlorinated water, and one SCOBY.)  If you don’t have starter tea and a SCOBY, you can ask a friend or buy online.

Recipe: Decant 32 ounces of starter tea to a fermenting vessel of choice. We often use quality glass juice bottles, quality fermenting bottles or, canning jars with canning lids.  (It must be able to tightly seal out air).
Add 1 teaspoon quality cinnamon (We use 4 Ceylon Cinnamon capsules).  Peel and add 2 fresh mandarin oranges and 6 fresh or frozen cranberries, and one pinch of LOVE.

 Ferment for one or 2 days,  Chill, strain, and enjoy!

Yummy Fermented Cabbage and Carrot (Kraut)

We've learned to love fermented cabbage. This food is often referred to as kraut or sauerkraut but is very different from kraut in a can.  Fermented kraut is healthy, full of beneficial bacteria, enzymes, and vitamins.  Most importantly, it is delicious.

Below is my tried and true recipe.  It contains several tasty additions to basic kraut.

Materials needed:
1/2 gallon glass mason jar with canning lid
OR
Quart sized canning jars with canning lids
OR
1/2 gallon spring-top, Fido-style fermenting jar. (that is what I use now)

Optional but helpful:
2 glass weights from fermentools.com
Painter's tape and marker

Ingredients:
1 green cabbage
1 purple cabbage
4 peeled and shredded carrots
1/4 cup whey (I use kefir whey) You could also use whey from yogurt.
5 teaspoons Himalayan salt or Celtic Sea Salt (for minerals, crunch, taste, and integrity of kraut)
Spring water or dechlorinated water
Optional:
1/2 cup or more of  beet kvass
1-2 tablespoons fresh caraway seeds
One pinch of LOVE.  I add this to all my recipes.

Instructions:
Wash cabbage and remove outer leaves, cut in half, place flat side down and make thin slices with a long knife. Cut the long slices in half. (Some people use a food processor.  I prefer the shredded texture)
Clean and shred carrots.
Mix sliced cabbage and carrot together in a large bowl with salt and optional caraway seeds.
Begin to load cabbage mixture into your jar(s). Use a wooden spoon or pounder to pound and press as much kraut as you can stuff into the jar, up to the shoulder of the jar. The more you pound and press, the better because the salt will begin to make juice.
Add the whey (if using more than one jar, add whey to each jar)
Add the optional beet kvass
Add enough water to cover kraut and press down again.
Top with the glass weights. (You can do it without these, but they are helpful to keep the kraut submerged.

Secure the top, or the lid, depending on your jar type, and use painter's tape to mark the date.

Set aside, away from direct sunlight, for 3 days and refrigerate.

Once your kraut is cold it will keep for months, though you will eat it long before that!

We eat kraut as a side dish with breakfast, lunch, or dinner.  It is also yummy with cooked apples or on a sandwich.

In case you were wondering, my fermented dill pickle recipe is on my other blog.

Blessings to you and yours!

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Another Kraut Recipe we love to eat: 
If you love spicy food, click on this link and try the  Buffalo Kraut recipe from Cultured Food Life.

Probiotic Beet Kvass

Ingredients:
3 peeled beets, cut into chunky pieces
1/4 cabbage, sliced
1/2 onion, sliced
4 Tablespoons kefir whey (optional)
1 and 1/2 T Himalayan salt (or Celtic Sea salt)
Spring water or filtered water (no chlorine)

Instructions:
Add sliced cabbage and onion and beets to a 2-qt. glass jar.
Add the salt and whey (optional).
Cover with filtered water.
Tightly seal jar and cover with a towel for 3-5 days.
Pour off the finished kvass into a glass jar and tightly seal.
Enjoy the fermented veggies or make a second batch, using 4 Tbs of the first batch. I also add a pinch of love to all my recipes.

Makes: One quart kvass (You can re-use veggies with new water, some finished kvass and fresh, filtered water for a second batch.)

Perhaps you already know of the many benefits of eating beets and drinking probiotic-rich foods; perhaps you are just learning. Either way, if you love beets, you will love kvass. There is a slightly salty, tangy taste to this recipe, with a hint of onion. I drink it for a quick "pick-me-up." I also add it to warm bone broth.
Read more about the health benefits of beets here: Mercola.com
If you don't grow your own, be sure to buy organic beets and eat the greens!  More on eating beet greens here: Eat Your Beet Greens!

*Click the "Print Friendly" button below to easily print the recipe with or without photographs. ~Enjoy!

Healthy Energy Snack Spread

Some people have difficulty eating coconut oil, but they want to enjoy its many benefits. I made up a little recipe for those people:

Healthy Energy Snack Spread

Into a small, jelly jar, add these items in equal parts, leaving room to stir:

• Chia seeds
• Natural nut butter (the kind you have to stir)
• Raw honey
• Coconut oil
• A pinch of love (I add this to all my recipes.)

Stir and refrigerate to solidify. You can use it as a stiff spread or warm it slightly and use as a dip. (Coconut oil will melt below 76 degrees.) 

I've been enjoying this snack on gluten free crackers, or rice cakes, or as a dip with celery, carrots or apples.

Just see if this little item doesn't make it easy to make coconut oil a regular part of your day.

~enjoy

Watch the video to learn more about energy foods.

My Probiotic Laboratory

kraut, kombucha, kefir cheese and whey

 In my kitchen, on any given day, you will find me growing healthy bacteria and yeast...

...using old fashioned methods and simple tools.

experimentation and creativity...

...to make delicious things to eat and drink 

...breakfast smoothies

... kefir cheese dips

 ...sharing SCOBYs with family and friends

(symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast)

...making health-promoting food that also tastes good

...with superior ingredients

...organic beet kvass

...homegrown jalapenos

... fermented organic carrots

 

This looks yummy, does it not?

ya das ist gut 
(German for yummy)

They call me Dr. Frankenstein.

 More to come....

Sharing with:
Cultures for Health.com Weekly-Cultured-Gathering
Deborah Jean's Dandelion House Farmgirl Friday Blog Hop

Healthy Snacking

Becky's Healthy Banana Bites

Ingredients:

2 ripe bananas  
¼ cup raw pumpkin seeds
1 small handful raw walnuts
3 squares semi–sweet chocolate, shaved, or 3/4 oz
2-3 tbsp coconut oil, softened, but not melted.
1 sheet of waxed paper or parchment paper
Wooden toothpicks
1 pinch of love (I add this to all my recipes.)

The Process:
Finely chop or process seeds and nuts in a food processor.
Shave and add chocolate (I use a  knife on a cutting board). 
Put semi-soft coconut oil in the bottom of a bowl. 
Cut banana into bite-sized pieces and roll in oil, then in nut/chocolate mixture.
Arrange bananas on waxed paper on a plate.
Stab with tooth pics.
Freeze, then move to a sealed container and keep frozen.

~Enjoy~

Health Benefits of the Ingredients:

Bananas  

Pumpkin seeds

Walnuts

Coconut  oil

If you like, you can create a print-friendly copy of this recipe, with or without photos, by clicking the print friendly button below. 

(Not available if reading this post via e-mail, MOM)

Sharing this post with:
Strangers & Pilgrims on Earth; The Art of Homemaking
Deborah Jean's Dandelion House Farmgirl-Friday-Blog-Hop

Easy Split Pea and Ham Soup

I'm thinking my friends who are living in areas hit by this winter's frigid temps might like to get out their crock pots and the leftover ham bone from Christmas to make this yummy soup. If you are not in possession of a ham bone, a ham hock works nicely. This recipe makes 8 big servings and freezes well.

Split Pea and Ham Soup

1lb pkg. split peas (about 3 cups)

1 ham bone or ham hock

2 carrots, diced

2 ribs celery, diced

1 onion, diced

3 potatoes, diced

2 quarts water or broth

1 bay leaf

Fresh ground pepper, about 1/4 tsp.
1 tsp. sugar

One pinch of love (I use this in every recipe.)

Directions:

1. Pour peas onto a large dinner plate and hunt for any small stones that might be hiding in there. Wash peas in a fine mesh strainer and then combine all ingredients in a large crock pot. 

2. Cover and cook on low 8-10 hours, or on high 4-6 hours. (I always start my crock on

high then turn it down to low.)

3. Before serving, remove ham bone and bay leaf, break up the tender meat, ladle about 2-3 cups into your blender and blend until smooth, return the meat and the blended soup back to the crock.

~Enjoy

You can print this recipe with or without photos, using the print friendly button (only if you are reading online, Mom).
Sharing this recipe with the Farmgirl Friday Blog Hop
and the Simple Saturday Blog Hop

Easy Crock Pot Ham and Potatoes and Moist Hands.

Today I used some of the spiral ham my brother and SIL gave us for Christmas to make crock pot potatoes and ham, Au gratin. (We've already enjoyed the ham with re-fried beans con queso & a salad on the side. And we've snacked on ham, sliced Gouda cheese and gluten-free crackers.)

A gluten-free recipe

Where do the moist hands come in?

While washing potatoes, separating the nicer ones to be baked, and the gnarly ones to be peeled ~ I put a small dollop of coconut oil into my hand and rubbed the skin of each potato. At the end of this process, I rinsed my hands lightly to remove potato debris and rubbed a paper towel vigorously between my palms. Walla ~ moist hands and potatoes ready to bake fora different meal.

Now on to the recipe: 

(Expand to suit the size of your family.)

Easy Crock pot Ham and Potatoes

One smallish crock pot
2 Tablespoons butter
3 potatoes, thinly sliced
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1 cup ham pieces
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 generous pinch of love (I add this to all my recipes.)

Drop butter into crock and turn to low. Slice onion, chop ham into bite-sized pieces, shred cheese. Peel potatoes onto newspaper (hopefully you are composting). Layer potatoes, onion, ham, cheese to the top of the crock.

Hint: I usually turn my crock on high for one hour, then to low for 4 hours. If you plan to do this, set a timer to remind yourself to turn it down. Using this method, our meal was done in 5 hours and extended another hour, waiting for us to be ready.

I served our dinner with steamed broccoli and my very first batch of homemade sauerkraut.

Use the "Print Friendly" button below to print a copy of the recipe, with or without photos. ~Enjoy!

Gluten Free Crockpot Stew

We've been weaning ourselves from a dependency on grains. As far as I know, my prince and I are not intolerant of grain, but I suspect that we are sensitive.

I listened, recently, to several interviews with leading doctors, nutritionists, psychiatrists, pharmacists, researchers, and clinicians at a recent e-conference on the effects of gluten on the body and brain. I learned enough to convince me that grains (and specifically wheat, barley, rye, and foods containing any form of gluten from these grains) are irritants to the body, causing inflammation in some people, and allergic reactions in others ~ even causing ADHD, autism, Asperger's, migraine headaches, MS, fibromyalgia, IBS, arthritis, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and their brothers, arteriosclerosis and metabolic syndrome ~gulp ~ to name a few.

While much research is being done, and while the armies line up on either side of the issues surrounding this topic, it makes sense to move toward a diet as rich in organically grown veggies, fruits, meat, raw nuts, cultured foods and healthful herbs, moving away from processed foods, added sugars and a dependence on grains. Here is an easy recipe I made in just a few minutes. Someone on the GAPS diet would need to ditch the potatoes, but they could easily substitute turnips.

Gluten Free Crockpot Stew

Chop into bite sized chunks:
2 stalks celery
2 carrots
3 small red potatoes
Mince and add:
½ large onion
2-4 gloves garlic

Brown: 1 small tray of stew meat with 1 tbsp. coconut oil.

Sprinkle: 1-2 Tbsp. of your favorite seasoning
(Just make sure it is gluten free.) 
I used Sprouts Organic Garlic and Herb and freshly ground Himalayan salt.
1 Tbsp ground turmeric* (optional)
1-2 Tbsp Nutritional Yeast
About 6-10 sprays of Bragg's Liquid Aminos
I also added a pinch of love. (I use this in everything!)

Put all ingredients together and cook: For about 4+hours in the crockpot on low, or 2+hrs on high. Obviously, crockpots vary in heat and size, but with precooked meat, it doesn't take long at all. When *turmeric* is added to a dish, it takes on a distinctive, yellow-green hue. I add it for its anti-inflammatory properties, but in this recipe it can be left out if you want a brown stew.
Thaw: 1 cup frozen peas in hot water and mix into stew about 5 minutes before serving.

We ate tonight's stew with coleslaw. I found a recipe for "healthy" coleslaw dressing here and followed the recipe, except I didn't think it needed as much salt. I used Himalayan salt, but...in fact, I wished I didn't add any. And to help counteract the salt, I added a little bit more honey and cabbage, as well as some caraway seed. At dinner my prince remarked that the slaw needed sugar, so I got out my new box of turbinado sugar and sprinkled some on top and renamed it ~ Dessert Slaw. Next time I'm going to make a recipe for homemade mayonnaise that I found here.

It's easy to print the recipe using the Print Friendly button at the end of this post.

~Blessings to you and yours.

It's {Easy} To Make Kefir

I've been making cultures lately, which means I've been growing probiotics in my kitchen, which means I've been feeding sugar to health-promoting bacteria, so it can grow and participate in our continuing quest for natural, healthy practices.

Which means: my prince doesn't eat yogurt.

For the past few months, a couple of times a week, I've made homemade crock pot Greek yogurt. I eat it with blueberries, cinnamon, and honey.

A few weeks ago I learned to make water kefir.

It's easy.

What is water kefir, you might ask? The easy answer: water kefir is a fermented beverage full of beneficial bacteria, AKA, probiotics.

More specifically, water kefir is a beverage made from a culture starter, that ends up full of probiotics, and eventually, carbonation. Water kefir has similar benefits to yogurt, but without the milk, so it can be tolerated by people with milk allergies. Many people have used it to eliminate soda from their diet. Others have solved problems with seasonal allergies and digestive issues by drinking kefir. It is also touted as an aid to diabetics, a way to lower cholesterol and blood pressure. The list goes on...

I'm such a newby  at making kefir, I am not going to go into details. (Instead, I will share links for more information.) Just to familiarize you, here are the basic steps:

My first batch of brew, the Grolsch  bottles
and my kitchen mantra.

1. Purchase the starter "grains."  I bought mine here.
2. When they arrive, you will re-hydrate the grains in sugar water, following the directions in the package. 
3. When your grains are ready, you will feed them more sugar water. After 24-48 hours, you will pour off the kefir and restart your grains in another sugar water solution (and on and on for years to come, if you like).
4. At this point, you will drink your kefir, mixed with juice, or in a smoothie, or mixed with vanilla extract, etc.
5. You can use the kefir to make soda, by CAREFULLY following the instructions *below.  
6. If you plan to make kefir soda, you will need a few of Grolsch-style, airtight bottles. 
7. You will need a few other readily available supplies, so I recommend reading through *these instructions before you begin. 

Making kefir is one of those things that seems complicated in the explanation, but is very simple in the "doing." I hope you give it a try.

For a detailed and very interesting article on the benefits of eating probiotics, please click here: (Mercola.com).

For a great source of supplies to make cultured foods, please click here: (Cultures for Health).

For a great blog post about making kefir, including recipes, click here: Crunchy Betty.

Today's breakfast:
Home grown egg, home grown radish, and water kefir ?
Yep!

About 31 days of EASY: 

So many things in life are hard.  And some of those hard things are necessary. But why make things harder than they need to be?  For 31 days, I'll be writing about ways to bring ease.  I would be honored if you came along on my journey.  Pack light. 

If you want to know more about the 31 Day Blog Challenge, click here:
Nesting Place: It doesn't have to be perfect to be beautiful.
or here: Why 31 days?
Many Blessings to you.

{Easy} Yoga Mat Cleaner

This is what I call the Modern American Clothesline:

 good old-fashioned handkerchief, aprons, oven mitt, and...a yoga mat drying in the sun.  

Yoga and Pilates mats lay on the dirty floor. When class is concluded, everyone rolls their mat and exits the studio, essentially wrapping bacteria and dirt into the mat they will use for the next class. I have two tricks to keep my mat clean. The first is an easy-to-make, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal spray. It cleans my mats and makes them smell great :

Mix the following ingredients in a small spray bottle:
40 drops lavender oil
30 drops tea tree oil
1/4 cu witch hazel (available in the drug store)
1 cu warm water (preferably filtered or spring water)

Just spray this mixture onto your mat, periodically, give it a wipe and dry.

My second tip is this: I layer two yoga mats at the gym. When practice is over, I roll the top mat first, and then roll the bottom mat around it. This way, the mat I practice on never touches the floor, thus it stays clean longer. If I were to roll both mats together, I would essentially be rolling the floor and all its bacteria onto the mat that touches my skin.

Pssst:  ~ It is EASY to print a copy of the recipe by selecting the Print Friendly button at the bottom of the post.

About 31 days of EASY: 

So many things in life are hard.  And some of those hard things are necessary. But why make things harder than they need to be?  For 31 days, I'll be writing about ways to bring ease.  I would be honored if you came along on my journey.  Pack light. 

If you want to know more about the 31 Day Blog Challenge, click here:
Nesting Place: It doesn't have to be perfect to be beautiful.
or here: Why 31 days?

Many Blessings to you.

{Easy} Crockpot Bone Broth

Have you ever enjoyed a chicken for dinner and thrown away the bones?  I used to do that too!

And then I discovered how to make chicken bone broth. Basically, bone broth is just broth cooked long enough to pull more nutrients from the bones, joints and marrow.

Here is my easy method: 

Enjoy your Sunday dinner, or even the rotisserie chicken you brought home from the market. (Preferably organic.)

Once you have removed the meat from the bones, put the carcass into your crock pot, along with any giblets that were in the chicken when you prepared it.  Add water to cover.  At this point you can also add leftover veggies, carrots, celery, garlic, etc. But you don't have to. Set your crock on low and cook all night and into the next morning...........

......or longer, if you like. When you are ready for the next step, you will need a strainer that fits into a large bowl, in order to separate the broth from the bones.

See how the leg bone is soft enough to break? See the marrow?

Now you are ready to save the broth.

If you like, you can super-strain it with a piece of muslin.

Next, I pour some of the broth into a glass container to use in cooking. The rest, I pour into ice trays and freeze. When frozen, I dump the cubes into a bag. Then, anytime I need some broth, I can grab as much as I need. I often melt a cube in a bowl and add my dog's kibble. Needless to say (but I will) she loves it!

If you have chickens...do not throw the mush away! I bag it up (remember the bones crushed easily between my fingers) and I feed it to my hens.  My 9 hens share about 1 cup of this weekly. (Well Big Meany doesn't share, but the rest do.)

I know this looks like a lot of steps, but it only takes a few minutes of your time.  It is economical and, of course, EASY!

About 31 days of EASY: 

So many things in life are hard.  And some of those hard things are necessary. But why make things harder than they need to be?  For 31 days, I'll be writing about ways to bring ease.  I would be honored if you came along on my journey.  Pack light. 

If you want to know more about the 31 Day Blog Challenge, click here:
Nesting Place: It doesn't have to be perfect to be beautiful.
or here: Why 31 days?

Many Blessings to you.