timeframe: 10–14 days

Kombucha is a fermented tea that can be a refreshing beverage or in marinades and dressings.

Ingredients

• 1 cup refined sugar or honey
• Black, green, or herbal tea (about 15 bags or loose-leaf)
• 2 cups mature acidic kombucha
• kombucha mother

Supplies

• 1 gallon wide-mouth glass container
• clean dishcloth and rubber band

Method

1. Make tea to desired intensity. Stir in sugar or honey at end to prevent caramelization. Let tea cool to room temperature.
   
   
2. Add mature acidic kombucha to glass container. When you obtain a kombucha mother, it will be stored in this liquid. Save a portion of subsequent batches for this purpose.
   
   
3. Pour the tea into glass container, leaving at least an inch of room from the top rim.
   
   
4. Using clean hands, place the kombucha mother in container with the firm, opaque side up.
   
   
5. Cover with a cloth and seal with rubber band. After a few days, a fine skin will form on the surface of the tea. Taste it periodically. The longer it ferments, the more acidic it will become.
   
   
6. Once it reaches the desired acidity, start a new batch and store the mature kombucha in the refrigerator. You now have two mothers — the original and the new one that formed on the surface. Use either mother in your new batch, and share or compost the other. Each generation will result in a thicker mother.
   
   
7. Over time, yeasts will form in stored kombucha. Strain before drinking them (they are not harmful, but can be slimy to drink). Sometimes they will coalesce on the surface to create a new mother.

Infused Kombucha

Add spices, ginger, or chopped fruit (organic or pesticide‐free only) to a mason jar of kombucha tea. Cap and sit on counter for a few days, then strain and refrigerate.