Guest guest Posted August 14, 2011 Report Share Posted August 14, 2011 Kombucha that you can buy in the grocery stores is not the best anymore. Through the natural fermentation process a small amount of alcohol is produced. Last year (or maybe a little before) the FDA decided to start regulating how much alcohol could be included in this natural beverage (<5%). So now the kombucha that is purchased has a higher sugar content to off set the alcohol. I make it at home by the gallon. It is very similar to making vinegar. A quick rundown of the process is that there is a " Mother " same as when making vinegar from a " Mother vinegar " , it is called a Scoby culture..and it is really ugly:). The scoby is put into a gallon of room temp black tea mixed with 1 cup of sugar and left to ferment for 2 weeks. During this 2 week process the scoby " eats " the sugar and creates a wonderful probiotic beverage. The scoby grows a new " baby " every time. It is kind of crazy how it works. I no longer think of the store bought kombucha as a good purchase due to the strict regulations but making it from scratch is a enjoyable process. I am not sure if there are any studies on the amount of live active cultures produced in kombucha (or with naturally fermented sour kraut for that matter) but I think it is a nice way to get my dose of naturally fermented foods in (Along with my probiotic supplements!). Dana O'Connell MS RD LD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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