Recipe Alert: A Step-by-Step Guide to Making Homemade Kombucha

The trendy probiotic drink is typically sold bottled, but you can save money and customise the flavours by making homemade kombucha yourself. Here's how.

By now, we all know the benefits of probiotics: balanced gut bacteria, a boosted immune system, and less bloat, for starters. And now that there's a huge focus in the news on digestive health, there's a resurgence of probiotic waters and juices. But if that £5-per-bottle kombucha habit is getting expensive, try this recipe from The Roasted Root to make homemade kombucha.

Below is everything you need to know, from the confusing terminology (like, erm WTF is SCOBY?) to each and every step in the brewing process. Once you have the base down, it's easy to experiment with flavour combos to find the mix-and-match you love best.  Enjoy...

How to Make Homemade Kombucha

Large pot

1 or 2-gallon glass jug/container

Stick-on or floating thermometer

Cheesecloth and rubber band

Glass, sealable bottles (such as flip cap bottles)

Ingredients

1 kombucha SCOBY (you can purchase online or grow your own by following steps below)

1 gallon spring water (don't use tap water because it likely has chlorine or fluoride in it)

10 black or green tea bags (whichever you prefer)

1 cup organic cane sugar

1 cup 100% fruit juice (optional, for flavouring)

Step 1: Brew the Tea

In a large pot, heat the gallon of spring water until boiling, then remove from heat and add the tea bags. Steep for 15 minutes and remove the bags. Add the sugar and stir well. (Whatever you do, don't skip this step, as the SCOBY grows and ferments from the sugar—more on this in step 2).

Step 2: Add the SCOBY

SCOBY, or Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast, is the ingredient that transforms tea into kombucha through a sugar fermentation process (which you started in Step 1 when you added the sugar). After your tea is done steeping and has cooled to 75-80 degrees, transfer to a glass jug and add the SCOBY that's now grown. Place the thermometer in the jug, cover with cheesecloth and secure with a rubber band.

Step 3: Allow to Ferment

Place the jug in a dark, slightly warm environment (like a closet) and allow to brew for 7-10 days. The ideal temperature is between 75-80 degrees; any higher and you risk developing mould. (Below is what a healthy SCOBY looks like. If you begin to see mould similar to bread mould, throw the batch away and start again.) Your SCOBY will continue to grow in size—this is normal—but if it starts to become overgrown cut a few slices off to keep it healthy. After 7-10 days, your kombucha is complete—the longer you let it brew, the stronger the taste. 

Step 4: Remove the SCOBY

Now that your kombucha is done, slice the SCOBY off and place in a glass jug with enough kombucha to barely cover it, then cover the jug with cheesecloth. Let the SCOBY sit until you are ready to make another batch. If you like the taste as is, pour the kombucha into sealed glass bottles and place in the refrigerator until ready to drink. A batch typically lasts 3-5 days once the seal is broken.

NOTE: Steps 5-6 are optional, but often followed to develop more flavour within the kombucha. 

Step 5: Flavour the Kombucha

If you'd like to add more flavour to your kombucha, pour into a mixing bowl and add one cup of 100% fruit juice, or one cup fresh fruit and half-cup cane sugar. Stir, then divide into glass, sealable bottles. Place in the dark room where you grew your SCOBY and leave for three days. 

Step 6: Strain and Serve

After three days of fermentation, strain out any additional pieces of SCOBY that grew. Pour kombucha into sealed bottles and place in fridge until ready to drink. Be careful upon opening—the carbonation builds pressure in the bottles similar to shaken soda.

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The Health Benefits of Bananas

I LOVE BANANAS! Particularly in the morning.....they are my go-to energy source to eat before an early morning run, they add sweetness and texture to porridge and you can still use the overripe ones to make the best banana loaf, which toasted in the mornings is delicious.  So....this weekend...

All hail the humble banana!

You can eat it raw or mixed in your favorite smoothie. You can enjoy your own homemade peanut butter-banana sandwich, banana bread, or banana muffins. The possibilities are plentiful.



Plus, bananas:

• Can be found at your grocery store all year long
• Are easily stored
• Come in their own yellow carrying case when you’re on the go
• All that -- and they’re really good for you.

What a Banana Gives You

The right amount of carbs: Like all fruits, bananas have carbs. But not so many that folks with diabetes can’t enjoy them. If you have diabetes, you can enjoy half a banana when you need a snack.

They also won’t blow up a low-carb diet. A medium one gives you about 27 grams.

A Feast of Fiber: It’s no secret that the right amount of fiber in your diet is good for you. An average-size banana gives you 3 grams of it. That’s about 10% of what you need each day. That boost can help keep your bowels working at their best. It can also help keep your cholesterol and blood pressure in check, and help ease inflammation.

In general, foods that are high in fiber make you feel full without extra calories. That also makes them a good choice if you want to shed a few pounds.

Powerful Potassium: This mineral is a big player in heart health. Potassium-rich foods help manage your blood pressure because they help you get rid of more sodium when you pee. Potassium also relaxes the walls of your blood vessels, which helps lower your BP.
What’s more, potassium:

- May lower your risk of stroke
- Can help keep your bones healthy as you age
- Helps your muscles work better

But if you have kidney problems, too much potassium isn’t good for you. Check with your doctor to see how much you should have.

A Happier Belly: It seems bananas are good for your tummy, too.

The yellow fruit is a source of prebiotics. Those are carbs you don’t digest, but they’re a food source for the more-popular probiotics. Those are the good bacteria found in your gut.

There’s also evidence that probiotics can help with the annoying diarrhea people get after they take some antibiotics.

They can also help:

Improve yeast and urinary tract infections
Treat some gastrointestinal infections
Ease irritable bowel syndrome
Lessen lactose intolerance
Work on some allergy symptoms
Probiotics may even help make colds and the flu less severe.

More Reasons to Go Bananas

Bananas contain several other vitamins.

A medium one will give you a good chunk of the vitamin B6 you should get each day. It also helps with metabolism. And it plays an important role in brain development during pregnancy and infancy, as well as immune system health.

While citrus fruits like oranges are vitamin C giants, bananas also have it. One gives you about 10 milligrams. You should shoot for between 75 to 90 milligrams per day. So your morning banana can get you well on your way.

Vitamin C helps protect us from the damage caused by something called free radicals. Those are reactions in our body to the food we eat, cigarette smoke, pesticides, and other potentially harmful things.

Vitamin C also helps our immune system work better and can help you heal better.

Research suggest that bananas can also help you recover from strenuous workouts. One study says male cyclists who had a banana before pedaling went quicker and had a faster recovery than those who just drank water.

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