Kombucha, 51-100 gifts

I am all about fermented foods.  I believe the gut is the center of our health.  I have fermented cucumbers, yogurt and now tea!  Kombucha is a fermented tea drink that aids in gut health by adding beneficial bacterial and helping to detoxify the liver and regulate digestion.  We have all heard of pro-biotics.  This is just a cheap and delicious way to get some into your diet. 

There are tons of online resources about Kombucha.  This is the one I used.  Kombucha Mamma gives a great history and step-by-step on how to brew your own.  She gives the why and how which I love! 

I got a jump-start on my experience thanks to a new friend I found on Facebook.  Pat, the SCOBY lady gave me a kit to start my own brew.  I was so happy to have the help and to get a very healthy and productive SCOBY.  Thank you Pat for being a teacher!

(Please click on the SCOBY link to learn all about it!)

This is what Pat gave me.  Such a precious gift!  It is my first SCOBY and some starter liquid.

 Per Pat's advice, I started by brewing 3 green tea bags and 2 black tea bags.  I used only organic products for this brew.

After the tea steeped for 10-15 minutes, I added the organic cane sugar.  This sugar is not for the drinker but for the drink.  The yeast consumes the sugar during fermentation so the sugar content ends up being very low.  A good brew tastes more sour than sweet.

I found this spigot jar at Walmart.  I didn't want to invest a bundle until I knew that I would continue to brew. (This jar was around 10 dollars.)  Before I put anything in this container, I washed it with hot water and sanitized it with white vinegar. 

I then carefully dumped the SCOBY and starter into the jar.

Once my brewed tea and sugar mix was completely cool, I poured it on top.  I felt like there was something else to do but all that was left was to wait.

Look how cool that is!!!

 The brew needs to be covered with a cotton cloth to keep out bugs but let in air.  I used a flour-sack towel and a rubber band.  I tucked it into a corner in my kitchen where it could stay warm and out of the direct light.

I let my brew ferment for 7 days and then tasted it.  It was delicious!  Sour and flavorful.  So I decided to try a second ferment to add some fruit flavor.  I drained some of the brew into a glass bottle with a lid.  I added some frozen raspberries!  I left it on the counter for 3 more days, burping it each day to keep the bottle from exploding. (The ferment puts off gasses)  Then I popped it in the fridge.  When it was chilled, I poured it over ice and enjoyed it!  I did not get a lot of fizz.  I think my bottle was too big.  But it was so good and the color was beautiful!  This is too much fun.

I am continuing my gifts journal.  I just have not shared it here.  So here is the next set of gifts in my life...

51.  when he brings me coffee

52.  hugging Levi's tears away

53.  finishing the laundry

54.  20-minute naps

55.  painting something the perfect color

56.  "His Eye is on the Sparrow"

57.  Jolie's sense of humor

58.  colored glass

59.  the distant train's moan

60.  ceiling fans

61.  when Jolie can't stop talking

62.  salty and sweet

63.  baby bellies

64.  when he puts his warm, strong hand on the small of my back

65.  driving a big truck

66.  good days with the kiddos

67.  my first Palace cappuccino

68.  watching my babies become their own people

69.  Micah's squishy arms around my neck

70.  simple and comfortable cotton undies :)

71.  when things just work out

72.  taking shoes off at the end of a long day

73.  different smells of rain in the country, all distinct

74.  seeing the queen

75.  when hair does right

76.  a big, complicated sandwich

77.  seeing my sweet ones love each other

78.  "How Great Thou Art."

79.  familiar creak of the front door opening

80.  new toothpaste

81.  walking out into first light, cool and still

82.  Jerusalem artichokes blooming 

83.  morning frog sounds

84.  lunches packed the night before

85.  good, peaceful mornings

86.  hometown football

87.  beautiful, lazy dusk; hearing the last of the birds

88.  newborn cousins, Mary Pearl

89.  pumpkins!!!

90.  seeing the joy while passing out allowance

91.  the beautiful and painful birth of a parent

92.  small-town post office where you sign get-well cards for the neighbors

93.  when I hear his car pull in the drive

94.  the moon bright and full, lighting the path through the yard

95.  easy meals

96.  connections with new faces, seeing yourself in someone else

97.  dishes done

98.  Asher's sincere hugs

99.  coming home after a long day

100.  needing to wipe a nose and having an actual Kleenex to do it

Have a sweet day full of gifts!