How to make Kombucha

People are always asking me how to make kombucha... I have written out the directions on random scraps of paper just one-too-many-times! Finally, I realized I should post it on my blog. Easy as that!

What you will need:
-12 cups water
-1 cup white sugar
-4 black tea bags (preferably organic; non-organic is high in flouride)
-1/2 cup kombucha liquid (from previous batch or store-bought)
-1 kombucha "mama"
- big glass bowl with wide opening (do not wash bowl with soap, just hot water and white vinegar if needed).
-masking tape
-a cloth towel

Note: BLACK tea and WHITE sugar give the highest amount of glucuronic acid (potent detoxifying substance). Remember that the fermentation "eats up" all of the tea and sugar, so it's nothing like drinking a sweetened iced tea!

Directions:
-Boil water. Dissolve sugar.

-Add tea bags. Let cool (until pretty cool), then remove tea bags.

-Add 1/2 cup kombucha liquid and mama. When you place the mama in the bowl of liquid, it will float to the middle/bottom; that's fine.

-Place tape in a criss-cross over top of bowl, then place cloth over that.

-Let set (out of fridge and sun) for 7-10 days. You will know the kombcuha is ready when it doesn't taste sweet anymore. It will be sour (sometimes even fizzy) with no taste of tea.

-Pour it into bottles. I use old Grolsch or Fischer beer bottles (they have the wire-held-cork-tops which help with the carbonation, unlike jars).

-This is when you can flavor your kombucha, which is really fun to experiment with. Add chopped up fruit or juice (you don't need much of either).

-Leave out of fridge for 3-5 days, to let it get fizzy/ carbonated.

-Store it in the fridge until you drink it, otherwise it will become too carbonated.

-Enjoy this easy and fun adventure of kombucha making!

filmjolk!

filmjolk
and
fresh raw milk

I have discovered a new food!!

An absolutely wonderful thing called filmjolk (there is supposed to be an umlaut over the "o"). It is a Swedish sour milk, sometimes referred to as "fils milk." I made it this week, the same way I make yogurt- see my blog post from August 29, 2009.

The reason I love it so much is because it is like yogurt (in that it is fermented/cultured and therefore full of good bacteria and enzymes, and it's super easy to digest- unlike straight milk for some people), but it is not sour at all! -I am used to pretty sour tasting yogurt right now, because I always seem to add too much culture when I'm making my yogurt!

I will tell the story of how I got this filmjolk culture:
Last Saturday morning my mom and I went over to La Selva Beach, just south of Santa Cruz, to the home of a very sweet family (I only remember the women's name, Ellen). Their 2-acre backyard is filled with vegi's, fruit trees, chickens, and a cow named Ginger -Right in the heart of La Selva Beach! It was SO beautiful to see.

We were there to pick up 3-1/2 gallons of raw milk, fresh from Ginger that morning. We also delighted in sampling some of Ellen's raw cheeses (mainly cheddar and blue). On our way out the door Ellen handed us a jar of her fils milk. What a gift we were receiving! Now I want to try more fermented milks, like laban from the Middle East, koumiss from Russia, or dahi from India. Filmjolk is just the beginning for me. . .

Here's to exploring foods which are unfamiliar to us!

Isn't food beautiful?

1- Two new sauerkrauts: Green cabbage with carrot and jalepeno; Purple and green cabbage with carrot, garlic, and crushed red pepper. (+ salt + whey)

2- My most successful loaf of San Francisco Sourdough... although it still won't rise enough!

3- Dinner One- Baked chicken with rosemary and garlic, brussel sprouts fried in onion and butter, mashed rutabegas with butter

4- Dinner Two- Roasted sweet potato, carrot, beets, and garlic, black beans and buttery quinoa, green salad with parsley and dandelion greens

5- Dinner Three- Not pictured but worth mentioning: Lamb tongue with pink beans, red and white quinoa with butter, vegi stir-fry with lots of garlic!

Coconut Flour and Pig Quiche

I have recently discovered a new flour which I love. This is coconut flour. (only natural for someone who loves every other part/by-product of coconuts!) For those people who are gluten-free, this is a gluten and grain-free option I would really suggest trying. Warning though, you need to have recipes that are specifically made for coconut flour, because you use way less flour and more eggs. I will post one recipe that I've found to be delicious. This is from an excellent book by Bruce Fife called Cooking with Coconut Flour. (When I made the muffins I added frozen blackberries from last summer).

Honey Muffins
(makes 5-6 muffins; I always double the recipe!)
3 eggs
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 tablespoons coconut milk/ whole milk
3 tablespoons honey (you can use only 2 if you want less sweet)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup coconut flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda

Mix wets. Then mix dries (flour and baking soda). Mix well and pour into muffin pan. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.


Last week I made an exquisite quiche... simple but delicious with cheddar cheese, broccoli, and bacon. I tried doing the bacon-lattice-top we are always talking about, but it didn't really work this time around. The crust was a cornbread/ coconut flour crust. Aren't the pig napkins just perfect? Thanks to Toby's mom Corinne...

Happy eating!

Beet Kvass and Big Tuesday

BEET KVASS

A liver cleansing, digestion aiding blood tonic; beet kvass is a staple in our house. Here's the simple recipe:

2 large beets
1/4 cup whey (see previous blog on making yogurt)
1 tablespoon sea salt
filtered water

Coarsely chop the beets; place with other ingredients in a 2-qt. jar. Leave out for 2 days, then refrigerate and enjoy! (Thank you Nourishing Traditions for the recipe...)

BIG TUESDAY

Well, I don't know if the swell filled in as much as it was predicted to, but it sure was beautiful either way. Santa Cruz in December... gorgeous!

Stuffed Lamb Hearts

Life is full of adventures... and on Sunday night Toby and I went on a wild one!.... On Saturday we went to the West Side Farmer's Market to get some greens, a bag full of persimmons, eggs, and organ meats. Luckily for us, organ meats are not very popular; not even the grass-fed, organic organ meats! (I always ask Toby, "WHY??") Anyways, we got to the Market about 15 minutes before closing, and bought the last 2 bags of meat: lamb heart and lamb tongue! YUM!!!

So on Sunday night I made a very special dish: Stuffed Lamb Hearts. They were stuffed with a delicious mix of red onions cooked in red wine with salt, pepper, garlic, sage, thyme, and rosemary. I then wrapped them in bacon and secured them with butcher's twine, and then baked in a small pan filled to the brim with beef stock. The hearts were delicious! We both liked the texture and taste. It had a melt-in-your-mouth, mellow taste. Not intense like lamb or liver sometimes is. It was interesting to learn that heart is actually all muscle meat; I guess it makes sense!

For all of you who are curious, this is why I love good-quality organ meats so much: [Sorry if I sound preachy; I don't want to... This is just incredible info. that I want to share!] : To make a long story short, organ meats are the absolute #1 nutrient-dense food. Rich in vitamins A, D and B, essential fatty acids, macro and trace minerals, copper, zinc, iron, and antioxidents. The amount of vitamin A in organ meats is exceptional! Beef liver supplies 36,000 IU of vitamin A per 100- gram serving (whereas skinless chicken breast only supplies 21 IU!!! and dark meat with skin supplies 201 IU). Amazing stuff, huh?

What an amazing feeling to hold the precious little lamb hearts in the palm of my hand. To see all the ventricles and arteries was incredible!

Bon appetit!

"Good broth resurrects the dead" (South American Proverb)

There is something so special about making stock. Beef stock, fish stock, chicken stock. Today I made a pot of beef stock- it is simmering now on the stove. With winter coming soon, it feels like the perfect thing to do. Stock is amazing, and again, so cheap to make. I especially love having a reserve of mason jars filled with the gelatinous broth in the freezer, because it means we always have the key to a delicious and nutritious soup. Making stock satisfies a yearning deep inside of me to nourish my loved ones the best way I know how.  

After almost two years I finally made Leilani's Banana Bread (her original recipe has two secret ingredients: sour cream/ yoghurt and Apple Bananas). Of course mine turned out nothing like hers, but isn't that how it always goes when making someone else's classic recipe? 

One more thing: Our Figoa ("Pineapple Guava") tree is going off right now... I have to say thanks to Kanoa for the inspiration... Figoa flavored kombucha is sooo good!!