Category Archives: fermentation

Making Kombucha — It’s easy!

This is the “long” version of how to make kombucha. You can jump to the recipe “short” version below.

I use a two-ferment process to make kombucha. The first ferments a half gallon of plain sweet tea. You can drink that, but I prefer fermenting a second time, in smaller jars, for flavoring and carbonation. For the second ferment, you can use store-bought juices (I love the Naked Juice line), your own homemade juice or fruit chunks. I also love fresh lemon, orange and ginger slices. No need to peel them either.

kombucha instructions

First ferment in the center, new batch on the right; pint jars for second ferment on the left.

For the two-ferment process you will need: A SCOBY, two half-gallon Ball jars, purified water, tea, sugar, 3-4 pint jars with lids. During the first ferment you can use a paper towel or coffee filter to cover the jar opening, secured with a metal or rubber band. For the pint jars/second ferment, you will need lids to hold the carbonation in, more sugar and your flavoring of choice.

First ferment:

Make tea in a half gallon Ball jar: Suspend tea bags by clipping them to the top of the jar (easy to remove when done steeping). Fill the jar with boiling water, at least to the 6 cup line, and steep for 15-20 minutes. Remove the tea, stir in 1/2 cup sugar, secure a paper towel over the opening and let tea cool to room temp. I usually let it sit on the counter until the next day. When cool, add the SCOBY to the jar and re-cover with a paper towel. Write the date on the jar with a Sharpie. You can let it sit for a week +/- in a cool, dark place. A pantry works. This will make 3-4 pints of kombucha, so if you drink a lot of kombucha you can make a batch every week and end up with 12-16 jars per month. Want even more? Your SCOBY will eventually multiply, so save the extras and get more half-gallon jars fermenting.

Second ferment:

After fermenting your first batch for a week, prepare a second jar of sweet tea same way as above, letting it cool to room temperature.

Once the new tea has cooled, transfer the SCOBY from the old fermented jar over the new sweet tea jar, add a splash of kombucha, write the date on the jar, cover top with a paper towel and band and set it aside to ferment for a week.

Put about 1 TB sugar in the bottom of the pint jars, add your fruit or juice of choice, about 3/4″-1″ deep. Pour the remaining fermented kombucha into the pint jars, cover with lids, write the date on them and let them ferment for a week. The longer they ferment, the more sour the taste. If you prefer that, let them ferment longer. The pints of kombucha will become carbonated and if you’re using metal lids those will bulge a little. When done fermenting, put the jars in the fridge, which will significantly slow down any additional fermentation. The kombucha will keep for weeks in the refrigerator and you may find them growing their own clear baby SCOBYs!

I’ve been doing this for more than ten years and have not had a bad batch. But keep in mind: if your kombucha (or anything else you make) looks or smells bad, throw it away and start over again!

Kombucha

This is a two-fermentation process to make kombucha. For a more detailed description, see my post at https://theherbanfarmer.com/making-kombucha-its-easy/ Email me at deb@theherbanfarmer.com with any questions.
Course: Drinks
Servings: 4 pints

Equipment

  • 2 half-gallon Ball jars
  • 4 pint Ball jars with lids

Ingredients

  • 1 SCOBY
  • 3-4 bags tea of your choice or 2-2.5 tsp loose leaf tea
  • 6 cups boiling purified water
  • 1/2 cup sugar for first ferment
  • fruit, juice and more sugar for second ferment

Instructions

Step 1: First Ferment - Week 1

  • Add your tea to half-gallon Ball jar. I recommend clipping the bag(s) to the side of the jar for easier removal when the tea is done.
  • Pour in 6 cups boiling purified water; let steep for 15-20 minutes
  • Remove tea; stir in 1/2 cup sugar; cover opening with paper towel & band; set aside to cool to room temperature.
  • Add the SCOBY to cooled tea, replace the lid, write the date on the jar. Keep in cool dark place to ferment for a week.

Step 2: Second Ferment - Week 2

  • Make a second jar of sweet tea following instructions for First Ferment.
  • When this new tea reaches room temperature, move the SCOBY from the old jar to the new batch. Add a splash of kombucha.
  • Fill pint jars with about 1 TB sugar and fruit or juice of your liking, about 3/4-1" deep.
  • Pour equal amounts of the remaining fermented tea into the pint jars. You can add a little purified water to them to bring the levels up. Write the date on the jars, keep in a cool dark place to ferment for a week (or more if you prefer more sour).

Final Notes

  • Repeat both Steps weekly for a 3-4 pint supply of kombucha. If you want to take a break, you can store your SCOBY in a jar of kombucha in the fridge for months.
  • Your SCOBY will grow more layers over time —just separate and store the extras in a jar in the fridge. Or you can get an extra half-gallon of kombucha fermenting if you want more than 3-4 jars a week.

Lacto Fermented Garlic Dill Pickles

Pickles, Lacto Fermented Garlic Dill

These are fermented but also call for some vinegar. They are crunchy and delicious with a tang that will wake up your mouth. Fresh young pickling cucumbers are the best—look for very green, firm cukes with lots of bumps. These will be nice and crisp and the seeds small & undeveloped.
Grape leaves are optional but they have an ingredient (tannin) that will help keep the pickles crisp.
Prep Time30 minutes
5 days
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Keyword: fermented pickles
Servings: 1 quart

Ingredients

Main Ingredients

  • 5-6 medium pickling cucumbers
  • 2 cloves garlic chopped coarsely
  • 1 sprig thyme
  • 1 sprig oregano
  • 1 leaf bay
  • 1 bunch dill
  • 3-4 grape leaves optional
  • 2 tsp coriander seeds
  • 1 tsp fennel seeds
  • 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

Brine Ingredients

  • 1-2 tsp turmeric powder
  • 1-2 tbsp sea salt (I prefer 1 rounded tbsp)
  • 1-1/2 c water (filtered preferable)
  • 1/2 c raw cider vinegar

Instructions

  • Wash the cucumbers, but don’t scrub them (you want to leave some lactobacillus bacteria on them) and rub off any spines.
  • Trim about 1/8 inch off the blossom end of the cucumbers. This removes an enzyme that can make your pickles limp. I also usually cut the cucumbers into halves or quarters so they fit together better in the jar.
  • Put the Main Ingredients in a 1 quart largemouth canning jar and then pack cucumbers in as tightly as possible (try not to bruise them in the process).
  • Mix the brine ingredients together in a bowl and then pour the mixture into the jar to cover the cucumbers completely, leaving about 1/2 inch headspace.
  • Cover with a canning jar lid and band, write the date or day on the jar (a Sharpie works), place the jar in a bowl (to catch any overflow or leakage on the days the jar is inverted) and once a day, for a week, flip the jar over to redistribute the spices that will tend to settle to the bottom.
  • After a week, keep the jar in the refrigerator. Enjoy!

Notes

The original recipe said these would keep for a month in the refrigerator, but I have some that are several months old and they are just as crispy and delicious as they started out. Remember that with ANY fermented vegetables, if they look or smell bad or appear slimy, don’t eat them!

Milk Kefir Recipes

milk kefir and raw milk

Raw milk (L) and kefir (R)

Milk kefir: Milk that has been cultured (fermented) into a thick, creamy, tangy-sour, probiotic-filled smoothie.

Most people don’t know what milk kefir is, but with the growing movement towards whole foods and probiotics, kefir is coming into more public awareness. So much so, that it can now be bought in the dairy aisle of most grocery stores.

Lifeway (lifewaykefir.com) makes kefir in a variety of flavors and styles (low fat, whole milk, Greek, “green”), all containing pasteurized milk. My preference is for raw, unpasteurized milk because of all of the nutritional benefits (see my post on raw milk) that end up being killed by pasteurization. But you would have to culture your own raw milk in order to have raw milk kefir. If you are willing to make it yourself, it’s very easy. Continue reading