A drink based on kombucha is known for its beneficial properties for strengthening the body. The easiest way to prepare it is to take a piece of mushroom from friends or acquaintances. However, this is not always possible. But don't despair. Kombucha can be grown at home from scratch. If you care for it properly, you can enjoy a healthy and tasty drink based on it all year round.
Where to begin
The first important step to growing kombucha is choosing the right container. It should be large enough to have room for growth. It is important that the mushroom can be removed from it by hand. Well, of course, it could be covered and hidden from the sun's rays. Most often they take a three-liter glass jar with a wide throat. You can't think of a better container for kombucha.
Now you can start preparing the tea infusion. You only need half a liter of it. The remaining space is needed for the growth of the Chinese mushroom (this is another name for it). Brew tea of medium strength.
It is best to use leaf tea leaves. Add 2-3 tablespoons of sugar, mix well and cool at room temperature.
Strain the prepared nutrient medium for the future mushroom through cheesecloth. It is important that there are no leaves or grains of sugar left in the tea. They will damage the delicate structure of the Chinese mushroom. Cover with clean gauze. It is impossible to close the lid, since the growth of the mushroom will require an influx fresh air. However, you can’t do it without any coating at all, as the drink attracts insects.
Leave in this state for at least a week and a half in a dark place at room temperature. During this time, a thin cloudy film should appear on the surface. This is the beginning of the growth of kombucha. In another month it will increase in size and will already be at least 2-3 mm thick. From this moment, the kombucha is ready, and you can try a drink based on it.
How to care
After part of the infusion has been taken from the jar, you need to add a fresh portion. To do this, brew strong tea with sugar in a separate bowl, cool and add to the rest. The Chinese mushroom itself needs to be washed under running water. It will feel slimy to the touch, but that's normal. After 3-4 days you can try the drink. It will taste slightly sour.
If the mushroom has become too large and occupies almost the entire jar, then it should be divided. This must be done carefully so as not to damage the delicate structure. Usually the old mushroom peels off easily. Need to separate required quantity layers, rinse under water and return to the jar. The remaining part can be given to friends or simply thrown away. Although you shouldn’t waste such a useful product.
Sometimes, if the can sits untouched for a long time, the drink becomes too sour. In this case, you should simply update the infusion. If brown spots appear on the surface of the mushroom, this is a sign that it is dying. However, you shouldn’t immediately pour everything out and throw away the tea jellyfish.
It is enough to refresh the brew and separate the spoiled layers from the mushroom. In just a couple of days you will be able to enjoy a new portion of the drink.
How to store
In winter, a drink based on kombucha is not so popular and you often have to simply pour it out. To avoid this, you can save the mushroom for the winter and make a drink from it in the summer. It should be placed in a clean plate and covered with gauze on top.
Be sure to turn it over once a day to prevent it from becoming moldy. As soon as it dries to a thin film, put it in a closet or refrigerator. When you need kombucha, you just need to place it in a nutrient medium. Within a week you can enjoy your favorite drink.
This is a symbiosis of various bacteria and yeasts that arose in natural conditions. Kombucha was so popular among residents of various nationalities that mentions of it can be found in almost every culture. This is not surprising, because in addition to the pleasant taste and range useful properties, the culture liquid of kombucha is a powerful antibiotic.
The history of kombucha dates back to ancient times. The first mention of the use of this unique drink dates back to 220 BC, during the Jing Dynasty in Ancient China, where it was called "Kombuha". The term "kombucha" is still used to name kombucha in various cultures.
Kombucha is a floating piece of fibrous strands of cellulose and colonies of beneficial microorganisms. Kombucha typically contains many strains of beneficial yeast that convert sugar into alcohol.
One of the most common beneficial bacteria in the structure of kombucha is Gluconacetobacter xylinus- the main producer of microbiological cellulose. This microorganism converts ethanol into acetic acid, which reduces the alcohol content of kombucha and increases probiotic products.
The acidic environment of kombucha prevents infection by mold and pathogenic bacteria. In addition, kombucha produces many substances:
- organic acids (acetic, gluconic, oxalic, citric, malic, lactic, kojic);
- ethanol;
- vitamins (ascorbic acid, thiamine, vitamin D);
- enzymes (catalase, lipase, protease, carbohydrase, zymase, levansucrase);
- lipids (sterols, phoephatides, fatty acids);
- sugars (monosaccharides, dieascharides);
- pigments (chlorophyll, xanthophyll);
- purine bases from tea leaves;
- resins and tannins from tea leaves;
- antibiotic substances.
According to a study conducted at the Department of Microbiology of the Yerevan Zooveterinary Institute by Associate Professor L. T. Danielyan and Professor G. A. Shakaryan in 1946-1947, kombucha has antibacterial activity with a wide spectrum of action. According to scientists, the antibacterial activity of kombucha culture liquid is mainly due to the presence of biologically active substances in it.
Kombucha is effective against a range of gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. Most non-sporogenous bacteria died in the kombucha solution within a period of time from 10 minutes to 2 hours.
Spores of bacteria and molds, as a rule, showed significant resistance, but still died after exposure from 1 to 4 days. These included spores of anthrax pathogens, soil spore-bearing bacteria, and among mold fungi - fungi of the genus Penicillium, Aspergillus, sem. Mukor, which exhibit sensitivity under anaerobic conditions. The most sensitive to the action of kombucha were streptococci, which died after 1 hour when exposed to undiluted kombucha.
In other words, kombucha liquid can become a remedy for a home first aid kit against infectious diseases caused by various pathogenic microorganisms. And for prevention, just drink the drink every day.
It’s not difficult to get hold of kombucha: there’s probably a jar of it in the kitchen of your friends or your friends’ friends.
The bottom layer is usually separated from the mother mushroom and placed in a three-liter glass jar, into which cooled tea of normal strength (up to two liters) is poured and five to six tablespoons of granulated sugar have already been dissolved. For the first three days, the mushroom lies sluggishly at the bottom, then it floats up, and after a week the infusion is ready (everything happens faster in warm conditions). The emergence of the fungus begins due to the formation of bubbles of carbon dioxide - a product of its vital activity. In other words, the drink itself becomes carbonated.
A venerable mushroom, several centimeters thick, allows you to drink “tea kvass” every day if you replenish its decline by night with a new portion of cold, sweet tea. But it’s more useful to use seven-day infusion, draining it into an empty container.
When the liquid is stored for a long time, a thin translucent layer of the fungus forms on its surface again, which over time turns into an “adult” individual. If you forget about the mushroom for a long time, all the liquid will evaporate and the mushroom will dry out. But after watering it with sweet tea it will come to life again.
You don’t have to buy kombucha or look for it from friends. You can grow it yourself from scratch at home. It’s worth noting right away that the growing process is not fast - it takes about two months. So, let's look further at how to properly generate a medusomycete.
If you only need kombucha for a tasty drink that has a general strengthening effect, you can grow kombucha only from black tea. You will need a three-liter jar, gauze cloth, teapot, boiling water, sugar and large-leaf black tea. Moreover, the brew should be as usual, without any additives - the cheaper, the better.
The first thing you need to do is to very thoroughly wash the three-liter jar, which will become the residence of your mushroom. This is a mandatory requirement, since kombucha loves cleanliness very much. Otherwise, he will die without having time to grow. And one more very important point: Never use synthetic jars for washing. detergents– regular baking soda is enough.
Place five tablespoons of black tea in a teapot and pour half a liter of boiling water over them, leave until the tea leaves have cooled completely. Then add 7 tablespoons of sugar to the brew, stir thoroughly and strain using gauze. Pour the sweet, strong brew into a three-liter jar, cover it with gauze on top and place in a warm place for about a month and a half.
After about a week or a week and a half, a strong vinegar smell will appear - this is completely normal, you will have to be patient a little. After 5-6 days, the smell will practically disappear, and a thin film will form on the surface of the liquid - this is kombucha. Every day it will become thicker and thicker - the growth of the fungus does not stop throughout its life.
If the task of your kombucha is not only to relieve thirst, but also to take care of your health, it is best to give preference to growing it from rose hips. This kind of kombucha is a real find during the cold season, during the flu and cold season, as well as in the spring, when vitamin deficiency becomes more active. The principle of growing is the same as from simple tea leaves, but there are some nuances, which we will talk about now.
First you need to prepare a rosehip infusion. To do this, you can use both fresh and dried fruits, which are sold in any pharmacy. Place four tablespoons of rose hips in a thermos, pour half a liter of boiling water and cover with a lid, leave for five days.
After the rosehip infusion is ready, you can proceed directly to growing the mushroom. Wash a three-liter jar, pour the rosehip infusion and pre-prepared tea leaves into it - at the rate of a tablespoon of large-leaf black tea per glass of boiling water. Add 5 tablespoons of sugar and mix thoroughly, leave for a day.
Then strain using a gauze cloth, rinse the jar and transfer the infusion into the jar again. Cover the jar with a gauze cloth, previously folded in several layers, and place it in a warm, dark place. The process will then develop according to standard scheme– After about two weeks, a strong vinegar smell will appear, which will soon disappear. And the mushroom itself forms in one and a half to two months.
Growing kombucha at home from scratch is half the battle. The second equally important half - proper care for a mushroom. Otherwise, you risk getting delicious drink, but something resembling vinegar. Or even worse - the kombucha grown with such care will simply die.
By the way, there is an excellent indicator of the health of kombucha - it should always be on the surface of the water. If your mushroom sank to the bottom, or refuses to float up again after adding tea leaves, there is a very high probability that it has become ill. If your kombucha gets sick, you made a mistake in caring for it. This means that it must be treated, and in all cases, without exception, the treatment is the same - cleanliness and proper care.
As you remember, initially the bank is not a large number of liquid - approximately 0.5 liters. But when the mushroom has already grown, there should be much more liquid - about three liters. It goes without saying that your kombucha is not a piece of decoration and you will drink it. This means that don’t forget to add fluid regularly.
To do this, you can use already dried tea leaves - pour boiling water over it, cool and add sugar, then pour it into a jar. There should not be too much sugar - no more than two tablespoons per liter of liquid. If necessary, it is better to add sugar to the cup of drink.
Many people do not strain the tea leaves - they simply add it. There is no harm in this for the mushroom, it just won’t be very convenient for you to drink the drink later. But there will be no harm only if all the sugar is completely dissolved - grains of sugar should under no circumstances come into contact with the surface of the mushroom.
Once every two to three weeks, be sure to give your kombucha a bath day. Very carefully remove the mushroom itself from the jar and place it on a wide plate, being careful not to deform it too much. Strain the liquid in which the mushroom was located thoroughly using a gauze cloth and pour into a clean three-liter jar.
Place the plate with the mushroom in the sink and carefully rinse with warm (but not hot) water, leave in the air for a couple of minutes.
Then also carefully transfer the kombucha into a jar and cover with gauze. That’s it, the “headwash” of the kombucha is over. It would seem that this is a completely simple procedure, which is very easy to do, and it is thanks to it that your kombucha will be healthy.
Otherwise, the mushroom will begin to hurt - first it will acquire a brown tint, and then it will begin to separate completely. It is very difficult to save such a mushroom, and in most cases it is easier to grow a new one. And drinking a drink from such kombucha is generally not recommended, because it not only loses its benefits, but moreover, it becomes dangerous to health. Remember that the kombucha infusion should always be extremely clear.
Another necessary condition health of kombucha - its proper storage. Firstly, the temperature – it should only be high enough when growing kombucha. Then optimal temperature should not exceed 18 degrees. Secondly - illumination.
For the normal functioning of kombucha, light is simply necessary, and daylight hours should be at least 8 hours. But direct sunlight should be avoided, so don’t make the very common mistake of placing a jar of kombucha on the windowsill.
It’s impossible not to at least briefly mention the beneficial properties of kombucha - after all, it’s not for nothing that you bother with it?
Today it is already known for sure that kombucha infusion helps cure diseases such as:
- Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract;
- Diseases of the liver and gall bladder;
- Diseases of the ear, nose and throat;
- Chronic enterocolitis;
- Infected wounds;
- Hypotension;
- Tonsillitis;
- Sore throat;
- Eye infections;
- Acute dysentery;
- Scarlet fever;
- Diphtheria;
- Typhoid fever;
- Flu;
- Gastritis;
- Conjunctivitis;
- Haemorrhoids.
Despite such an abundance of microbes, the infusion was beneficial.
The treatment was simple: the patient was given 500 ml of a seven-day infusion of kombucha for gargling every hour. It was necessary to keep the infusion in the mouth for 10-15 minutes and, in addition, carefully pull it through the nose. Within a day the pain disappeared...
Observations indicate that mushroom infusion can also be beneficial for other diseases, improve appetite and digestion. Omsk doctors also reported clinical observations of the beneficial effect of “tea kvass” on hypertensive patients in the sclerotic phase of the disease.
In almost all patients, after two to three weeks, the headaches weakened or stopped altogether, the level of cholesterol in the blood decreased, in some arterial pressure. Probably, the mechanism of this action is hidden in the general improvement of the body's metabolic processes.
The fact is that the infusion apparently also works as a biostimulant. This is not a miracle at all. The composition of the drink is very favorable: a little sugar, acetic, gluconic, citric, oxalic and pyruvic acids, enzymes, vitamins B1, C, P, caffeine, tannins, dyes and antibiotics.
Gluconic acid plays a particularly important role, and to preserve it in the infusion, only boiled water containing less calcium salts must be added to the mushroom. Because, interacting with them, the acid produces calcium gluconate, which precipitates.
The first thing worth mentioning is vitamins. The kombucha drink contains much more useful substances than the most expensive vitamin and mineral complex.
Vitamins, minerals, carbonic, lactic and other acids, minerals, enzymes - this is far from full list. Therefore, it is not surprising that a drink made from kombucha has a very positive effect on the functioning of the immune system and normalizes metabolism.
You suffer from gastritis, colitis, gastric ulcer and duodenum, dysbacteriosis? Just one glass of kombucha drink, drunk on an empty stomach, can improve the situation in just a week. And its regular use promotes complete recovery. By the way, the drink eliminates even the most severe heartburn very well.
Kombucha infusion strengthens and balances the action of the central nervous system, slows down and facilitates the course of tuberculosis.
Used as a treatment and relief general condition for burns.
Very effective in combating constipation.
Lowers blood pressure in patients with hypertension.
In addition, the mushroom infusion actively restores the natural microflora of the stomach after illness and taking large doses of antibiotics and other medical chemicals.
Kombucha infusion has antibacterial properties and compares favorably with most antibiotics in that it has a wide spectrum of action, which is not lost when stored at room temperature or when boiled.
Kombucha infusion has another very useful property, namely the ability to relieve hangover. The effect of kombucha for hangover syndrome is due to the neutralization of toxins from alcoholic beverages. This is due to the complete balance of essential substances of natural origin. The kind of harmony found in kombucha cannot be achieved synthetically.
If you use this infusion daily, the body’s immune system will be strengthened, and the intestines will be cleansed of all kinds of toxins. With the help of a drink you can even reset excess weight without resorting to any diet. It will also help with hangover syndrome.
So, science shows that kombucha is worthy of becoming a medicine in your home medicine cabinet. However, the procedure of drawing liquid through the nose, recommended by Omsk doctors, is not pleasant. It can be replaced with another, even more effective one.
Pour the infusion into a heater, such as an electric coffee pot, and breathe in the vapor for your health several times a day for about ten minutes. Breathe through your mouth and nose, and if your nose is stuffy, drop a couple of drops of naphthyzine. All this will have a beneficial effect on the respiratory system. The mushroom infusion is also a good external remedy, for example for washing the eyes.
As you can see, there is nothing complicated in growing and caring for kombucha. Therefore, if you set out to grow this miracle mushroom yourself, go for it, because the benefits are obvious!
Kombucha infusion itself actually has no contraindications for use. But some contraindications exist for solutions prepared using not ordinary tea, but green tea or herbs.
So, those who suffer from gastritis or stomach ulcers, or have low blood pressure, need to be very careful with tea kvass infused with green tea, which contains too much caffeine, has a stronger tonic effect and affects the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract.
Some doctors do not recommend taking the mushroom infusion immediately before meals (5-10 minutes before meals), during or after meals. They rely on data that tea kvass infusion actively interacts with food in the stomach. If you ignore this advice, you will almost immediately feel hungry again. To prevent this from happening, it is better to take the drink 2 hours after taking it plant food and 4 hours after eating meat.
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At one time I myself wondered where to get and how to grow kombucha. In fact, everything turned out to be quite simple, but it took a long time.
If you don’t want to bother, then you can ask your friends, it’s possible that someone already has kombucha and will share it with you. You can also use online stores, which, as you know, have everything.
Gradually, a film will appear on the surface of the tea infusion, which will slowly grow. Be patient, sometimes you need to wait a couple of months, it all depends on the growing conditions. But let the future kombucha stand and grow, we still don’t do anything with it, we just sometimes see how it’s doing.
Everything will happen even faster if you take a ready-made mushroom infusion from someone instead of tea. Another way to grow kombucha faster is to add a little apple cider vinegar to your tea, about a tenth of the volume.
When the film is already clearly visible and gains strength, its thickness will be about one millimeter or a little more, this will mean that the mushroom is ready. You can tell this simply by the smell; it will be vinegary and pleasant. Perhaps I didn’t express it quite correctly, but somewhere like this. Actually you will understand.
If the mushroom is not quite ready yet, and you try it, then nothing bad will happen either.
First, bulges will appear on the mushroom, then they will grow and merge together.
Not always and not everyone succeeds in growing kombucha, even if they followed all the recommendations. It's hard to say, maybe there's something wrong with the ingredients. Online stores can help here, where you can order ready-made ones.
Tea mushroom. How to care.
If you want, you can watch this video, this is exactly what it’s about.
An adult mushroom looks a bit like a jellyfish. From above it is shiny and smooth, from below, I must say, it does not look very beautiful. But it’s tasty and very, very healthy.
You can pour the drink for use without removing the gauze. Just replace it from time to time. For some reason, flies really like kombucha. But you can’t close the mushroom tightly, it will suffocate and disappear.
You need to fill the jar regularly, adding about 2/3 of it with sweet tea. We dissolve the sugar in advance; there is no need to throw it into the jar undissolved. The fact is that the surface of kombucha is very delicate and can be easily injured.
If the infusion becomes too sour and stings your tongue, it means that your mushroom is over-staging. It is possible that you will have to simply pour out part of the infusion if you do not have time to drink it. This usually happens in winter, when you are not very thirsty. And in the summer, when it’s hot, as a rule, just have time to add the tea leaves.
How often all this is done, you will instantly understand for yourself by taste. It's impossible to tell exact dates, depends on how much tea is added, what the temperature is in the room, how much light there is in it. The only criterion is your taste.
I top up often and little by little. If you miss it and have to add about a liter or even more, then it may take two days for ripening.
The mushroom needs to be removed from the jar from time to time and washed in clean water. In winter, once every two to three weeks, in summer - more often. When it's time to do it, you will also see and taste it.
When the kombucha grows a lot, it will be possible to divide it. There is no need to cut, this mushroom is traumatic. The layers are very easy to separate from each other. Share them with your friends, don't throw them away.
This microorganism is used by many people. It has a large number of names: Japanese, Chinese and kombucha. Speaking from a biological point of view, it is a representative of a separate community of microorganisms. Among others, this includes yeast fungi and the well-known acetic acid bacterium.
The drink resulting from the use of kombucha copes well with thirst and has an impressive number of beneficial properties. That is why many people try to grow it at home in a jar, so that they can always have tea kvass on hand.
Many who want to have this product at home are wondering how to grow kombucha from scratch. In this article we will talk about all the subtleties and nuances, as well as how to care for the Chinese jellyfish. It’s worth noting right away that the growing process is not fast - it takes about two months. And to succeed in it, you need to adhere to a special kind of recommendations. But first things first.
Useful properties of Japanese mushroom
Before moving on to the answer to the question of how to properly grow this microorganism at home from scratch, you need to familiarize yourself with the properties that it has.
1. Among those inherent in this microorganism are a large number of unique capabilities that have a beneficial effect on the human body. Kombucha is used V medical purposes, in cosmetology, helps fight excess calories and weight, and also provides analgesic effect.
2. From a cosmetic point of view, the exceptional properties of kombucha provide beautiful hair and skin. It promotes speed up metabolism and removes excess salts from the body, which promotes weight loss. Also, kombucha allows you to accelerate the metabolic process in tissues and cells, which promotes the speedy healing of wounds and scars. One more important feature This microorganism helps in the fight against furunculosis, fungus skin and nails, as well as acne.
3. From a medical point of view, kombucha helps fight numerous diseases. This microorganism is excellent antioxidant, has properties that help stop inflammatory processes . A mushroom grown in a jar, as well as a drink based on it, is actively used in the fight against intestinal infections, various types conjunctivitis and, of course, the flu. Often, an infusion of Chinese mushroom is used to prevent diseases such as:
- rheumatism;
- atherosclerosis;
- arthritis.
Among other things, regular consumption of a drink such as tea kvass helps eliminate small stones and sand from the kidneys, as it has a diuretic effect. The same remedy normalizes the digestive system.
4. If we talk about analgesic properties mushroom grown at home, its infusion helps relieve toothache. To do this, just rinse your mouth with tea kvass. It also helps reduce the pain of burns and other skin lesions. The infusion can reduce the intensity of headaches.
It is especially worth noting the fact that if you make drinking tea kvass your habit, you can protect nervous system from stress and tension. This drink is recommended for use during periods of mental and nervous activity. In addition, it has a tonic and invigorating effect on the body due to the caffeine it contains.
Contraindications
In principle, there are no restrictions as such that would make it impossible for a certain circle of people to grow kombucha. However, there are some rules that should be followed when using this microorganism and a drink based on it.
1. Do not use the concentrated solution. Properly prepared kvass has a very pleasant taste. If you ignore the recipe, you will end up with a drink that looks more like Apple vinegar.
2. Do not add substitutes to the solution. It is allowed to sweeten tea kvass with honey or sugar, but the taste will not be the same as in the original.
4. Those who are faced with increased acidity of the body are recommended to use kombucha with a base of black tea and honey. The latter has a neutralizing effect on the acidic component of kvass.
Thus, anyone can acquire this microorganism at home. Enough to stick simple recommendations in its use.
How to grow kombucha at home from scratch
So, let’s start answering the question of how to properly generate and grow medusomycetes (that’s what this microorganism is called in scientific world). If you don’t want to tinker, you can ask your friends for a part or purchase it in a specialized online store (as you know, everything is on sale now).
However, it is entirely possible to grow kombucha from scratch at home. To do this, you will need a three-liter jar, tea and, preferably, apple cider vinegar. The container must be large so that the mushroom has room to grow in width.
Step by step recipe
Pour about 500 ml of strong sweetened tea into a prepared jar and add a little vinegar (half a spoon). Next, the container must be covered with gauze and secured with an elastic band.
Growing a mushroom in a jar will take about 60 days. At this time, you need to put the container with tea in a warm place. An important condition that must be met in order to grow the mushroom correctly is that the container should not be exposed to sunlight. Medusomycete is extremely delicate and will not be able to grow stronger in the first 2 months.
After the 60-day period, the mushroom must be carefully removed from the jar, placed in a deep bowl and washed. This is done with cooled boiled water. Then you need to fill the jar with tea. It should be cooled, with added sugar. The solution should not be made too strong. The proportions are such that one teaspoon of tea leaves is enough for 1 liter of water. Place the mushroom in a jar of tea and close the neck again with a piece of gauze. The jar should be placed again in a warm time and left for three days in the summer or a week in the winter.
This is how tea kvass is prepared. If you did everything correctly, the mushroom will float to the surface. In the event that he sank to the bottom, at some stage a mistake was made. You can fix it yourself. Simply rinse the mushroom and place it back into the prepared tea leaves.
As you can see, making kombucha at home is not difficult. It is no less easy to grow and care for it. The drink you get from kombucha is very tasty and healthy. Its reserves are quickly depleted, especially in the summer, as it quenches thirst well. You can replenish the supply by simply adding water and used strained tea leaves.
How to care for kombucha
We figured out how to grow kombucha at home from scratch. Now we need to talk about caring for it.
Conditions of detention
It is recommended to store the jar of kombucha in a place that does not have a lot of light. Special attention requires compliance temperature regime. It should correspond to 20-25 degrees. With a lack or excess of heat, the mushroom may die. Even at 17 degrees, the growth and development of this microorganism stops. Its surface itself is covered with dark-colored algae.
The drink made from kombucha also requires special conditions. It's best to keep it in the refrigerator. After a certain time in a warm room, tea kvass begins to deteriorate and ferment. It is recommended to drain the infusion once every three days. IN winter time this can be done once every 5 days. Therefore, it is worth having two jars: one for mushroom, the other for kvass.
Fluid replacement
To properly care for a mushroom in a jar, it is important to approach each stage responsibly. After you have drained the resulting drink, you must replenish your nutrient fluid reserves. The mushroom needs it for growth and development.
You can add used tea leaves to the water after filtering it first. However, it cannot be added in dry form, since the microorganism is extremely delicate and sensitive to it. The same goes for sugar. It must be pre-dissolved.
The jar must be filled two-thirds full. You can drain the tea kvass without removing the gauze. It is enough just to change it periodically. You cannot leave the jar without gauze. It is needed so that the mushroom is not bothered by flies, which for some reason really like it. It is not worth closing it completely - without air it will suffocate and disappear.
Growth and development of the fungus
It is important that the thickness of the microorganism does not exceed four centimeters. The lower layers are considered the most productive and healing. They can be removed. You should not cut it - it will injure the mushroom. The layers separate well from each other. If you wish, you can give the removed part to your friends to grow a new mushroom at home in a jar.
How to wash jellyfish
In order for the microorganism to feel normal, it must be periodically rinsed with boiled water. This is done once every two quarters. The solution remaining in the jar must be diluted with freshly prepared tea leaves. Green tea is also suitable for this.
Only after the solution has been prepared can the washed mushroom be placed in the jar.
Infusion
It is important to ensure that the kombucha liquid does not become cloudy. Otherwise, the microorganism will deteriorate and separate, and the kvass itself will lose its medicinal properties.
The most useful drink is one that is not older than 30 days. After this, it begins to deteriorate and becomes vinegar. In this form, kvass is not suitable for oral consumption, but can be used for cosmetic purposes. After seven days, the infusion will begin to ferment and acquire an intoxicating effect.
You can tell that tea kvass is spoiled by its special taste. If it has become overly sour and there is a tingling sensation on the tongue, it means that the drink is not suitable for drinking. You can enrich kvass with herbs: plantain, strawberries, rose hips, birch, and nettle.
Anyone born during Soviet times knows the concept of kombucha. At that time it was widespread and was present in the kitchen of almost every family. This drink is an infusion of tea, saturated useful substances, somewhat reminiscent of kvass in taste.
However, now it is very rare to find kombucha, because there is such a wide variety of different drinks on store shelves. But there are still those who still want to cook and breed such useful product at home - following the trend of nostalgia, or out of interest.
There is quite enough video on this topic now. And we offer you a simple recipe with a photo, in which we will tell you step by step how to grow kombucha from scratch at home.
Kombucha cultivation scheme
Growing a tea jellyfish is not at all difficult, the main thing is to follow a number of rules and be patient.
If we go into history, such a mushroom formed in a forgotten cup of tea, and it is on this principle that we suggest you prepare a sweet and sour drink.
To prepare, we only need loose leaf tea, granulated sugar, a glass container and water.
To begin, prepare a clean jar (at first, a liter jar will do) and pour sweet tea into it in the following proportions: for 1 liter of medium-strength brew, add no more than 2 tablespoons of sugar, stir. Cover everything with a lid and leave for a while in a place out of direct sunlight.
Important: give preference to leaf brew rather than packaged tea, and be sure to strain it to avoid tea leaves getting into the drink.
Afterwards you need to infuse the tea leaves. But at this stage you should pay attention to one feature - after a few days a cloudy film should form on the surface. This serves as a signal that the process has begun, and now you can forget about the medusomycete for at least 60 days.
Advice: do not fill the jar with tea leaves to the very brim; the mushroom needs air for normal life. Therefore, fill the container only 2/3 full with liquid.
Over time, a layered organism is formed that requires proper care.
The first thing to do is move it to a larger container. But so that the jellyfish does not lose its beneficial properties, you need to know how to prepare tea leaves for a 3 liter jar. To do this you will need 2.5 liters of water, 100 grams of sugar (per 1 liter) and 3 teaspoons of tea leaves. From these components you need to make a weak infusion, cool and pour into a jar.
When the habitat for the mushroom is ready, you can transfer it to its permanent “place of residence”, first rinsing it gently under a light stream of warm water.
Be sure to cover the top of the neck with several layers of gauze to prevent midges from getting into the drink.
It is best to store kombucha in the kitchen, where it is light at the same time, but there is no direct sunlight on the product. The period of such infusion is no more than a month, because after this time vinegar begins to form.
Advice: Under no circumstances should you pour sugar directly into the jar with the organism, otherwise the mushroom may “get sick” and get burned.
You can grow a tea jellyfish until it reaches a thickness of 4-5 centimeters, carefully separating the body into several parts. If you placed a new medusomycete in a jar and it began to settle to the bottom, do not be alarmed - you made a mistake when making the tea leaves. In order to correct the situation, simply replace the solution with a new one.
Recipe for making the Kombucha drink for a 3-liter jar
Grown jellyfish can be used to create a healthy medicinal drink.
Advice: if you use a bagged analogue instead of loose leaf tea, then increase the amount to four bags.
Ingredients
Servings: – + 10
- loose leaf tea 2 tbsp. l.
- granulated sugar 200 g
- water 2 l
Per serving
Calories: 53 kcal
Proteins: 0 g
Fats: 0 g
Carbohydrates: 13.3 g
15 minutes. Video recipe Print
Bring water to a boil in a saucepan, add granulated sugar and tea leaves. Stir well until the sugar dissolves, cover with a lid and leave on the stove. It is necessary to infuse the drink on a warm burner for about a quarter of an hour.
