How to grow a kombucha
In the summer heat, it is especially pleasant to quench your thirst with a cool drink. And if this drink is not only tasty, but also healthy, then drinking it is doubly pleasant. Today we will talk about an amazing product called "kombucha".
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Where to buy Kombucha
A healthy and tasty drink is obtained as a product of symbiosis between a colony of yeast and acetic acid bacteria. The upper layer of this colony is dense with a shine, and thin processes are visible on the lower side. Drink, which is obtained from kombucha, tastes sweet and sour, very refreshing.
In a regular store, this drink you won't be able to buy it, it is specially grown exclusively at home. The living organism itself can be taken from neighbors or relatives. One has only to call everyone in order, there will certainly be a person who breeds this live drink at home.
If none of your acquaintances was found, then the Internet will come to the rescue. On health forums, they often organize joint purchases of kombucha or there are people involved in breeding it for sale.
How to grow a kombucha
A living microorganism consists of several layers. With a frequency of once a month, a thin film can be separated from the colony, which is removed and used for propagation.
To grow kombucha, you will need a 3 liter glass jar. Lightly brewed should be poured into it tea... The temperature of the liquid should be at room temperature, because the kombucha colony does not tolerate cold. So that as many useful qualities as possible remain in the finished drink, 300 g of sugar should be added to the solution. The previously separated film of kombucha is placed in the finished solution. From above, the container must be closed with gauze and placed in a warm, bright place, but not in direct sunlight. For optimal results, the room temperature should be +24 degrees. You will receive the first portion after seven days.
Now you should separate half of the liquid from the jar by filtering through cheesecloth in several layers. The drained drink is completely ready to drink. It can be stored in the refrigerator for convenience.
A new portion of sweetened weakly brewed tea should be added to the liquid remaining in the jar and again set to infuse. Every few days, you can drain a new drink as described above.
How to care for kombucha
The taste of a healthy drink, as well as the chemical composition, completely depend on the conditions in which the colony of living microorganisms is located. For the proper development of kombucha, several important conditions must be observed:
- For good development of the colony, the size of the container for the kombucha must match its size. Since this mushroom is usually grown in three-liter jars, we advise you to place the acquired colony in the same container.
- Place the jar of kombucha so that no direct light falls on it, but at the same time, the room should be bright. The light rays hitting the mushroom slow down the growth of microorganisms. For this reason, do not place the jar of mushroom on the windowsill.
- The best temperature for proper colony formation is between 23 and 27 degrees. Too low a temperature causes algae to grow in the container and the kombucha colony dies.
- The jar of kombucha should be covered only with a cloth so that air can freely penetrate inside. Lack of oxygen leads to the fact that the fungus begins to suffocate.
- Raw water is very high in calcium, which is bad for kombucha. Therefore, pour only boiled water into the jar.
- Prepare a tea solution in a separate container by mixing tea leaves, sugar and boiled water. Only then add the solution to the jar of kombucha. In this case, it is better to strain the tea solution so that the tea leaves do not fall on the mushroom colony. Otherwise, brown spots will remain on it.
- For the normal development of the colony, it must be rinsed with clean water from time to time. It is best to take spring water or boiled water for this.
- If the water in the jar changes color, becomes brown, then this is a signal that the mushroom may die. You need to take the colony out of the jar and rinse well. In this case, it is better to separate and discard the top layer.
- Remember that the mushroom can also exist dry. Therefore, if for some reason the colony was left without liquid, it should be poured with a new portion of sweet tea and it will come to life.
