Kombucha

You may have heard that green tea is really good for you and helps your immune system. There have been many claimed many health benefits including increasing the metabolism, improving your immune system, improving brain function, it can lower your risk of cancer, and it can lower the risk of Alzheimer’s. These are just a few of the many benefits that green tea can bring. See AuthorityNutrition.com for more information.

Now bring on Kombucha, a fermented drink made with tea, sugar, and yeast. Many people brew Kombucha with green tea which gives you all the benefits of it, but because this drink is naturally fermented it adds a few other perks to the picture. Among the added benefits are natural detoxification, rich in vitamins, like B and enzymes which increase energy. It has also been claimed to improve metabolism, PMS relief, and relieve joint and arthritis pain. See just a few of the benefits of Kombucha here.

The best thing about brewing this delicious healthy drink is that it is so easy and fun to do.

You can see this recipe and more like it at The Culinary Camper.

1-gallon jar

1 SCOBY or mother (also an ingredient)

1 Rubber band

1 coffee filter or small cloth

Optional – seedling heating pad

8 - 10 bags of organic green tea

1 gal distilled water

1 c sugar

1 live organic SCOBY or mother

Take your distilled water and pour about 3/4 into the glass jar. Pour the remaining 1/4 into a saucepan, dissolve the sugar while bringing the water to a boil.

Once the water comes to a boil add the tea bags and remove from the heat. Steep for 10 minutes.

Let cool for about 10 or 20 more minutes.

Pour into the gallon just and give a slight stir to mix the tea.

Once the water reaches about 70° add the mother, cover the top with a cloth or coffee filter and secure with a rubber band.

Cover the jar so that little light gets in the jar. If you are using the heating pad you can wrap it around the jar.

Let brew for 7 to 10 days. You should taste after 7 days, if it no longer has a strong sweet taste it is done. I usually brew mine for about 9 days.

Transfer to bottles or pour from the jar. Many people use a jar with a spigot for ease. Make sure to store the drink in a refrigerator or cold place or it may continue to brew and turn to vinegar.

As a side note, if you are just starting out on your Kombucha brewing adventures, check out this starter kit from Amazon. Wish I had known about this when I was first starting out.