One of those projects keeping me busy is cultures.
No, not cultures of the world but fermentation.
About a year ago my sister started talking to me about Kombucha.
It sounded like a lot of work so I just smiled, nodded, and went on my merry way.
A few months ago I was at the grocery store when I saw they had GTS Kombucha on sale. I bought the guava flavour and tried it.
At first I thought it had turned but the flavours settled out to be a kind of sweet, vinegary, guavaish flavour.
After that first bottle I decided I could take it or leave it- it wasn't fantastic or anything and I have better uses for our money.
About a week went by and I started craving it.
It would come into my mind randomly and I felt like I just needed some.
I went back and got the guava and mango flavours.
Thus, my love of kombucha took off.
Okay, so what is kombucha?
It is a fermented tea- usually made with black or green teas.
The fermentation process, which involves a Symbiotic Colony Of Bacteria and Yeast (aka SCOBY), takes about 7-30 days and leaves you with a sweet and sour effervescent drink.
Why drink it?
It's healthier than soft drinks
It aids in digestion
It helps ward off diseases by alkalinizing the body
How did it help me?
My cycles have become more regular (TMI? sorry)
I have more energy
I'm not bloated all the time anymore
I do not crave pop, coffee, or any other sweet drinks that are no good for me
My appetite has gone from ravenous to controlled- if I am too hungry to wait for dinner I just have a glass of kombucha
You can read more about the benefits of kombucha on these sites:
Sarah Ramsden
Cultures for Health
Kombucha Kamp
I've been brewing my own kombucha for a few months now. It was kind of tricky when I started, and of course you have to wait a little bit before you can taste it. I personally love a strong and sweet black tea flavour so I let my kombucha brew for a little over a week.
I think I've got my method down now. I am blessed with a warm kitchen that allows me to have shorter brewing times and healthy scoby's.
I bought a beautiful glass beverage dispenser at walmart ($24.99!!!!!) and I'll be attempting a continuous brew in the coming week.
If you're interested in trying this lovely, sweet, and living drink, Safeway carries some flavours and Whole Foods carries lots of flavours including original.
If you like what you taste, try to brew some yourself!
I used Sarah Ramsden's method to grow a scoby and Cultures for Health has video tutorials, expert articles, and all the information you need to start brewing your own!
Cultures for Health also sells dehydrated scoby's if you'd like to obtain one that way.
Homesteader's Emporium is a Vancouver, Canada based store that sells scoby's and everything you need to brew kombucha.
Sourdough
My husband looooooooves sourdough.
I'm not too into bread. I like sandwiches occasionally but I don't care for toast or buttered bread with my food.
Anyways, I've been long convicted (yes, God does have an interest in our personal well being) that I needed to start baking my own bread.
I've had no luck with bread in the past. I've tried making my own sourdough starters but those failed.
I finally came across the Homesteader's Emporium (link above) website that sells Cultures For Health dehydrated sourdough starters.
I ordered a San Francisco sourdough starter from Homesteader's Emporium and activated it as soon as I got it.
It took about two weeks from activation, to feeding, to generating enough starter to make bread.
I DID IT!
Yesterday, after two proofing periods, I was finally able to pull out successfully baked sourdough from the over.
My husband loves it.
It's moist, mildly sour, just the right density, and chewy-ness.
I used the basic sourdough bread recipe on Cultures for Health and watched the video on how to make it three times.
If you don't like sourdough or are ambivalent about it, consider these things:
It is easier to digest (better for your waist line) because the sourdough breaks down gluten
Simple sugars are consumed during the fermentation process
If you'd like actual science and more detailed description of sourdough benefits see here: Sourdough Introduction- Cultures For Health
I hope this was a blessing to you in some way.
Cultures sure are a blessing to me. They do take some work but it is completely worth it!
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