Kombucha Tea Recipe

Supplies

• 1 cup sugar
• 4-6 bags tea -  for loose leaf, 1 bag of tea = 1 tsp
• Kombucha Starter Culture – SCOBY
• 1 cup starter liquid
• purified/bottled water
• tea kettle
• brewing vessel
• cloth cover
• rubber band

Steps

1. Boil 4 cups of water.
2. Add hot water & tea bags to pot or brewing vessel.
3. Steep 5-7 minutes, then remove tea bags.
4. Add sugar and stir to dissolve.
5. Fill vessel most of the way with purified water, leaving just 1-2 inches from the top for breathing room with purified cold water.
6. Add SCOBY and starter liquid.
7. Cover with cloth cover and secure with the rubber band.
8. Say a prayer, send good vibes, commune with your culture (optional but recommended).
9. Set in a warm location out of direct sunlight (unless vessel is opaque).
10. Do not disturb for 7 days.

• After 7 days, or when you are ready to taste your KT, gently insert a straw beneath the SCOBY and take a sip. If too tart, then reduce your brewing cycle next time.  If too sweet, allow to brew for a few more days.  Continue to taste every day or so until you reach your optimum flavor preference. Your own Kombucha Tea Recipe may vary.
• Decant & flavor (optional).
• Drink as desired! Start off with 4-8oz on an empty stomach in the morning, then with meals to help with digestion or as your body tells you it would like some more! Drink plenty of water as it is a natural detoxifyer and you want to flush the newly released toxins out.
  
  
  **For 1-Gallon, scale up or down depending on the size of your vessel**
  
  

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Ginger Soda from Fermentation Workshop

Equipment and materials

Equipment

· Sharp knife and chopping board

· Lemon zester or grater

· Lemon squeezer

· Rolling pin

· Large spoon

· Kettle for boiling water

· Thermometer

· Large bowl or jug

· Clean tea towel to cover bowl

· Sieve and funnel for straining

liquid into bottles

· Plastic (PET) bottle and cap.

Do not use glass bottles!

Materials

· 1 liters water

· 150 g root ginger (~130g when

peeled)

· Medium-sized lemon (preferably

unwaxed)

· 140 g sugar (brown or white)

· 4 g cream of tartar (tartaric acid)

· 4 g dried ale or bread yeast, or 8 g

fresh

· Sterilising solution suitable for

food use

· Strong plastic bag in which to

bruise ginger

· Optional: Other spices such as

chilli, nutmeg, liquorice, vanilla,

cardamom, cloves, juniper, fennel,

coriander, star anise

Method

1. Peel the ginger and cut it into slices

3–5 mm thick. Bruise the slices well

by placing them in a strong, clean

plastic bag and crushing them with

a rolling pin.

2. Place the ginger in a large bowl or

jug. Scrape the lemon zest over it,

then add the juice from the lemon.

3. Place the remaining ingredients

except for the yeast in the bowl,

then carefully pour on boiling

water. Stir.

4. Cover the bowl with a clean cloth

and leave the liquid to cool to

25–30 °C (this can take 60–90 min).

5. While the liquid is cooling, sterilise

the PET bottles using the sterilising

solution. Ensure that the bottles are

thoroughly rinsed with clean water

after sterilising.*

6. Add the yeast to the warm liquid

in the bowl and stir until it has

dispersed.

7. Cover the bowl with a clean cloth

and leave it in a warm place for 24 h.

8. Skim off the yeast, leaving the sediment

in the bowl. Strain into the

sterilised plastic bottles, leaving a

3–5 cm air gap at the top.

9. IMPORTANT! Allow the beer to

ferment at room temperature

(~21 °C) for no more than 48 h,

then place the bottles in a fridge.

Drink within six days.

* There is no need to use boiled

water to rinse the bottles after sterilisation.

The sterilising step is to

get rid of major contaminants left

in reused bottles. The tap water

used for rinsing should not introduce

contaminants, and should it

do so, they will be quickly outcompeted

by the relatively large

inoculum of yeast. The low pH of

the liquid (from the lemons) will

also prevent bacteria (although not

yeast) from growing.

Safety and other concerns

Glass bottles must NEVER be used,

as the gas produced will cause them

to explode. This drink should always

be made in plastic bottles, and it

should always be refrigerated and

consumed within six days. The short

fermentation period and refrigeration

ensure that the alcohol content of the

drink remains low.

Please remember that some religious

groups object even to the consumption

of products that contain little

or no alcohol but have been produced

by brewing. The students may,

however, be happy to take part in the

practical without drinking the resulting

ginger beer. Teachers should be

sensitive to such concerns.

Preparation and timing

It takes approximately 90 minutes

to prepare the drink, including a cooling

period of 60 minutes. The initial

fermentation takes 24 hours, followed

by up to 48 hours fermentation in bottles.

The bottles can be sterilised in

advance if desired.

Foccacia and Farmer Cheese

Recipes from Healthy Snacks Workshop