Kombucha has several other names: cambucha, medusomycete due to its resemblance to jellyfish, Chinese mushroom. A drink made with kombucha is not only a good way to quench your thirst. The value of the drink is very high. One portion of it will benefit the work of the gastrointestinal tract, eliminate bloating, cure dysbiosis, lower blood pressure, reduce headaches and heartaches, and relieve insomnia.
Preparing a drink step by step
The recipe for making a kombucha drink is very simple and does not take much time. We need the following products:
- clean water - 2 liters;
- tea mushroom;
- black, herbal or green tea - 4 teaspoons;
- sugar - 100 grams.
Now we are preparing a drink.
- Mix the tea leaves with boiled water, let it brew for 15 minutes and cool.
- Put the mushroom in a jar of tea, cover with gauze and place in a dark, warm place. The drink will be ready in 5-10 days.
- Remove the galley from the jar, rinse it and place it in a new jar of tea infusion. And the infusion prepared earlier can be drunk immediately, or you can make something like kvass out of it. To do this, pour the drink into a glass container, close tightly and leave in the refrigerator for 5 days.
Please note: if the kombucha floats to the surface, it means that the recipe was followed, if it went down, you made a mistake. Rinse the mushroom and start over.
There are a few tricks that can help you make a delicious and healthy drink.
- Containers can only be used glass, in extreme cases stainless steel. If you use, for example, metal utensils, the acids of the fungus will react with the metal. Plastic dishes can absorb odors, and if there are small scratches on the surface, bacteria can lodge in them. In addition, the storage container for the mushroom should be wide, such as a three-liter jar, as the kombucha grows.
- The jar must not be closed with a lid so that the mushroom can "breathe". It should also stand at a temperature of 25 ° C in a place where there is no direct sunlight. In low temperatures and in the sun, the activity of the kombucha slows down and algae may appear.
- Tea infusion should not be made strong, it will slow down the growth of the fungus.
- Sugar must be dissolved very carefully, strain the infusion itself and be sure to cool. Sugar crystals and tea grains can cause burns on the mushroom, and hot water will simply kill it.
- Rinse the mushroom with clean water from time to time.
- If part of the medusomycete turns brown, carefully separate the spoiled part and rinse the mushroom.
Correct use
This drink speeds up the digestion process and increases appetite, so you shouldn't mix it with food. After all, you run the risk of eating more than usual. Therefore, you should use it as a kind of non-alcoholic aperitif half an hour before meals or 2-3 hours after. Drink tea kvass in the morning on an empty stomach - it will energize you. And if you drink it in the evening, it will be easier for you to fall asleep.
How to grow homemade kombucha
If you do not have kombucha, then you can either take it from friends or buy it at a store. But it's best to grow it yourself from scratch. There are different ways of growing kombucha: classic tea and original ones from apple cider vinegar or rosehip infusion. Let's consider them in detail.
Growing mushroom from tea
This is the easiest way.
- First, brew a strong tea in proportions of 5 tablespoons. tea in half a liter of water. Let it brew and cool to room temperature.
- Add 5-7 tablespoons to the resulting infusion. sugar, stir well and strain into a three-liter jar well washed with soda.
- Cover the jar with a lid, leave in a warm place where there is light, but no drafts or direct sunlight.
- In six weeks, the jellyfish will grow. Take it out of the jar and transfer it to the weak tea solution, the recipe for which is given above.
Kombucha from rosehip infusion
- Pour 4 tablespoons into a thermos.rose hips and fill them with half a liter of boiling water. Close the thermos and leave for five days.
- After five days, pour the infusion into a wide container, then brew strong tea with the calculation of 1 tbsp. infusions for 1 tbsp. boiling water. Add this tea to the rosehip infusion.
- Pour 5 tablespoons into a container. sugar and dissolve well. Leave the resulting tea for a day and then strain.
- Cover the container with the infusion with gauze and leave in a warm place. The mushroom will grow in 1, 5-2 months. A vinegar smell usually develops during this time. Do not be afraid, it only means that the fermentation process is going well.
Kombucha with apple cider vinegar
This method is very simple, despite its originality. It only needs good quality apple cider vinegar. Pour some vinegar into a glass bottle and leave in a dark, warm place for 2-2.5 months. A sediment will appear at the bottom, pour it into a pre-prepared jar with sweet tea and wait another two or three weeks. During this time, a thin film will appear on the surface of the liquid, which later grows into a full-fledged kombucha.
Growing kombucha from "baby"
If you managed to find the so-called "baby" of a kombucha or it appeared on a mushroom you grew earlier, then it will be even easier to grow a jellyfish. To do this, take the recipe given above for preparing the drink and halve the proportions. Put the "baby" of the mushroom in this infusion, and in a week you will be able to enjoy a tasty and healthy drink.
