It's easy to learn how to make Kombucha, a yeast culture grown in tea. People who remove the culture and drink the fermented tea claim many health benefits, none of which are recognized by the federal Food and Drug Administration. This 'mushroom' dates back centuries and probably originated in Asia.
The beverage is sold commercially as a drink, but it's easy to make at home. To grow your own, assemble a large glass bowl or jar, a piece of cheesecloth or cotton for a cover, black or green tea bags, one gallon of water, and two cups of granulated sugar. You'll also need a 'starter', which can be bought or borrowed from a friend.
For optimum benefit, use organic tea and sugar. The culture, however, does fine with conventional teabags and sugar right off the grocery shelf. Using identified cane sugar avoids the beet variety, which is probably genetically engineered. This culture is called a mushroom because of the appearance of the colony, which is flat and covers the surface of the container it grows in.
Once you're familiar with the one to two week growing process and the taste of the finished beverage, you can experiment with other sweeteners. However, regular white granules seem to satisfy the needs of the culture, and the fermenting action transforms this vitamin and mineral deficient food into a health booster.
Boil a gallon of water and steep five tea bags until the tea is cooler than lukewarm (sun tea works, too). Stir in sweetener until it dissolves. Slip in your starter. If you have a mushroom, it may sink to the bottom of the container. This is good, because when the brew is ready it will float to the top. However, the process works fine if the mushroom floats during the week or more that it takes to complete.
You can start the process with a cup of finished tea or with a test tube of culture bought from a dealer. People who've forgotten a cup of this fermented drink for a week or so have found a perfect little mushroom inside. If the culture's 'happy' in your home, it'll grow quickly, produce a slick, whitish-tan 'baby', and give you a slightly sweet, slightly effervescent drink that is delicious when chilled.
Like sourdough starter or wine, results may vary. People say that the culture is affected by the moon. Place the covered jar or bowl in a secluded spot far from direct sun, where it won't be moved or shaken and isn't close to electrical appliances. A cupboard with no light at all works well, but the back of a kitchen counter is fine. You'll know if your tea mushroom's happy and healthy, if it's just getting by, or if it's failed and begun to mold or rot. Use common sense to build a relationship with this remarkable culture.
If all goes well and you've learned how to make Kombucha, you'll end up with two mushrooms. You can start over with one or both for next week's supply of enhanced tea. You can also use one and give the other to your goats, to the earthworms in your garden, or to a neighbor.
The beverage is sold commercially as a drink, but it's easy to make at home. To grow your own, assemble a large glass bowl or jar, a piece of cheesecloth or cotton for a cover, black or green tea bags, one gallon of water, and two cups of granulated sugar. You'll also need a 'starter', which can be bought or borrowed from a friend.
For optimum benefit, use organic tea and sugar. The culture, however, does fine with conventional teabags and sugar right off the grocery shelf. Using identified cane sugar avoids the beet variety, which is probably genetically engineered. This culture is called a mushroom because of the appearance of the colony, which is flat and covers the surface of the container it grows in.
Once you're familiar with the one to two week growing process and the taste of the finished beverage, you can experiment with other sweeteners. However, regular white granules seem to satisfy the needs of the culture, and the fermenting action transforms this vitamin and mineral deficient food into a health booster.
Boil a gallon of water and steep five tea bags until the tea is cooler than lukewarm (sun tea works, too). Stir in sweetener until it dissolves. Slip in your starter. If you have a mushroom, it may sink to the bottom of the container. This is good, because when the brew is ready it will float to the top. However, the process works fine if the mushroom floats during the week or more that it takes to complete.
You can start the process with a cup of finished tea or with a test tube of culture bought from a dealer. People who've forgotten a cup of this fermented drink for a week or so have found a perfect little mushroom inside. If the culture's 'happy' in your home, it'll grow quickly, produce a slick, whitish-tan 'baby', and give you a slightly sweet, slightly effervescent drink that is delicious when chilled.
Like sourdough starter or wine, results may vary. People say that the culture is affected by the moon. Place the covered jar or bowl in a secluded spot far from direct sun, where it won't be moved or shaken and isn't close to electrical appliances. A cupboard with no light at all works well, but the back of a kitchen counter is fine. You'll know if your tea mushroom's happy and healthy, if it's just getting by, or if it's failed and begun to mold or rot. Use common sense to build a relationship with this remarkable culture.
If all goes well and you've learned how to make Kombucha, you'll end up with two mushrooms. You can start over with one or both for next week's supply of enhanced tea. You can also use one and give the other to your goats, to the earthworms in your garden, or to a neighbor.
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