Growing and caring for kombucha
Kombucha, or kombucha, is a delicious and healthy drink. Raw materials for it can be taken from friends or grown independently. Growing and caring for a kombucha is time consuming, but worth it.
Growing and caring for Kombucha
Growing technology
To grow a kombucha at home from scratch, you need to create a certain environment for it. Growing instruction:
- Grow exclusively in clean glass containers. A liter sealed container (thermos) is suitable for this purpose.
- Brew plain black tea with drinking water without any additives or flavors. We make tea leaves from large leaf tea. Packaged is not good. The drink must be made of medium strength.
- Then add sugar to it: for 1 liter, take 2-3 tbsp. l. Sahara. Stir well and strain so that there are no tea leaves in it.
- Pour into a liter container (fill by a third of the volume), since the developing microorganisms that are in the composition require air.
- Close the jar with a nylon lid and put it in a place where there is no sun, but warmth.
Transfer to a permanent container
After a week, you can observe the result - if a cloudy film (mold) appears on the surface, it means that the mycelium has begun to emerge.
When it was possible to germinate a kombucha, the container should be left in the same place for another 1.5-2 months. During this period, the mushroom will reach the required size and will be ready for transplantation. Usually a three-liter jar is used for this.
Before transplanting, it is gently washed with warm water. Fresh black tea is brewed, cooled, filtered and the jar is filled 2/3 of its volume. The mushroom is dipped into the tea solution, the container is covered with a gauze cloth. First it falls, then rises in an even layer to the surface.
Irina Selyutina (Biologist):
If you did not grow kombucha yourself, but brought it from friends, then when transplanting to a permanent place of "work", use the following tips:
- leave the plate filled with warm water at room temperature for adaptation in a jar closed with a double layer of gauze;
- prepare a permanent container for the mushroom to live (preferably two, so that there is where to plant the washed mushroom after draining the infusion);
- for the adaptation period (day), do not feed with sweet tea;
- think over the composition of the nutrient medium on which you will grow the mushroom.
Make sure that the infusion does not become cloudy, otherwise the mushroom may die, and the infusion itself will lose its beneficial qualities.
Dividing the Kombucha
When the mushroom has grown, start carving it. The mother "jellyfish" will be ready for division when it reaches 3-4 cm in thickness. Too young should not be touched so that it does not break. Also, do not tear off pieces from it, which will also negatively affect further growth. It is difficult to save a dangling mushroom.
The division is carried out at the site of the stratification of the mother jellyfish. You will notice them when you look at the mushroom from the side through the glass of the jar. In the presence of such layers, the mushroom is always easily divided into parts.Each of them is placed in a clean jar with fresh tea solution.
In some cases, an adult mushroom independently separates a young kombucha from itself. It sinks, and thin mold along the diameter of the can rises - now you can safely transplant it into another container. A mushroom that has drowned should be washed and transplanted into a new solution.
There is another option, how you can quickly get a new copy. This requires not a tea brew, but a ready-made drink in which the mother jellyfish was. It is tied with gauze and placed in a warm place, but not in the sun. In a few days it becomes moldy, which means that a new "jellyfish" has emerged. The microorganisms contained in the tea drink have stimulated the rapid growth of new kombucha.
Care features
Mushroom care won't be a hassle for you
Taking care of kombucha at home is a snap. The best place to keep is a clear glass jar, through which he will receive enough light.
Basic care:
- Every few days, the kvass will be ready, so ½ of the volume is poured and replenished with a freshly prepared solution. A strained, slightly warm and sweetened drink is poured into the jar. Do not allow granulated sugar or tea leaves to get on the mushroom.
- Some hobbyists drain all the kvass and then replenish it with a new solution, which takes a little longer. For preparation, you can use not only black, but also green tea, a decoction of wild rose, strawberry, blackberry, plantain or nettle. The main thing is that the brewed product does not contain dyes and flavors.
- The neck of the container must not be covered with a nylon lid, otherwise the mushroom will simply suffocate, become covered with black mold and die. Cover with gauze, then tied with an elastic band. It is convenient during draining - it will not need to be additionally filtered.
- The old mushroom, which is covered with a brown film, should be separated and transferred to a new solution with a new container. Once a month, the mushroom should be rinsed in warm water to wash off unnecessary particles that have settled on its surface and microorganisms.
- The main care of the house includes ensuring a certain temperature regime — constant maintenance of the temperature in the room at the level of + 20 ... + 25 ° С. At a constant temperature below + 20 ° C, the fungus will die. The same outcome awaits him if you place the jar in direct sunlight. At a temperature of + 18 ° C, growth stops and the fungus may become covered with a black bloom, mold, or worms will start in it.
- The greatest nutritional value is a drink that is no more than 10 days old. If you overexpose it, its beneficial properties will be lost, it will turn into vinegar and become unusable.
- After a week of aging, the drink is carbonated and contains a small percentage of alcohol. Therefore, it is worth separating ½ of the drink, and adding fresh solution to the rest.
Irina Selyutina (Biologist):
For kombucha to feel normal, it needs a “bath day”. When washing the mushroom, do not forget:
- very carefully, trying not to damage, remove the kombucha from the jar and put it on a wide plate, being careful not to deform;
- put the plate with the mushroom in the sink, rinse it with warm (not hot!) water;
- leave the mushroom in the air for a few minutes (but not more than 2-3).
- place the kombucha in a clean jar, cover with the solution and cover with gauze.
This procedure is necessary to maintain the health of your "home doctor". Otherwise, it will acquire a brown tint, then begin to exfoliate and die.
Do not forget that usable mushroom kvass should always be transparent.
Rosehip Kombucha
Self-cultivation is a simple process. To do this, you will need:
- capacity for 1 liter;
- 15 rose hips;
- tea brewing;
- sugar.
Brew not too strong tea - 1 tsp. for 1 liter of water.Insist for 20 minutes, strain, add granulated sugar and stir until sugar is completely dissolved. Add fresh tea solution to a container with rose hips, close the jar with a nylon lid and place in a bright, warm place. After 1.5 months, the container is opened. You will notice how a film appeared on the surface of the solution - the nucleation process was successful.
It is carefully transferred to a clean three-liter container. Pour infusion of tea, sugar and rose hips. The broth is filtered, cooled and poured into a glass container. Cover with gauze and put in a bright place. In this state, the mushroom will stay for seven days. First, it floats up, becomes across the container, then levels out and lies on the surface of the solution with a pancake.
Each time you drain, add a new freshly prepared solution. You need to take care of it in the same way as for ordinary kombucha.
Beneficial features
Kvass removes toxins from the body
The use of the drink is popular not only because of its taste, but also due to its unique medicinal properties:
- Helps to lose weight. It contains components that accelerate metabolic processes. With daily use, kvass helps to remove toxins and toxins from the body.
- Eliminates inflammatory processes in the body. The fungus helps to cope with intestinal infections and is good for conjunctivitis. Everyone who has the flu, acute respiratory infections, acute respiratory viral infections needs to drink it.
- Can be used externally to eliminate acne, boils, fungal infections of the skin and nails.
- This product can be used as a pain reliever (anesthetic). Compresses are made from the drink for burns, used for rinsing the mouth for toothaches.
- The medicinal properties of the drink were evaluated by patients who had rheumatism, arthritis and atherosclerosis. Tea kvass has a diuretic effect and helps to remove stones and sand from the kidneys.
- It has a beneficial effect on the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract.
- Eliminates severe headaches.
- It has a positive effect on the nervous system.
- Useful for people whose work is associated with mental strain. Caffeine, which is part of the drink, tones the body, gives vigor, strength and energy.
Contraindications
There are some precautions for use:
- contains sugar and honey, so it cannot be used for diabetes and obesity;
- contraindicated in people with fungal diseases due to the sugar content;
- for everyone who suffers from increased acidity of the stomach (gastric juice), it is worth drinking with a small amount of honey (it neutralizes the acidity of kvass);
- do not overexpose, since the drink turns into vinegar;
- you cannot use a sugar substitute during cooking.
Conclusion
Growing a kombucha yourself from scratch and caring for it is easy. By doing this at home, you will have a delicious medicinal tea drink.
