More on Making Kombucha and Water Kefir (Tibicos)
Water kefir grains (tibicos) are merely kefir grains that have been developed to culture nondairy beverages. Rather than appearing white or creamy, tibicos are translucent. You can use them to culture sugar water, coconut water, or fruit juice into water kefir, coconut kefir, or cider. As far as their history and properties, they are identical to the kefir grains covered earlier. I include them here with kombucha, because they can be used in much the same way. However, tibicos can culture a drink in as quickly as 1–2 days, while the kombucha culture takes as long as 7–14 days.
Kombucha probably originated in Northeast Asia, specifically in the Manchurian region of China, but possibly in Japan. The first mention of kombucha appeared in Manchuria around 330 BC, while another story places it in Japan in 415 AD. However, because a seaweed tea in the region also carried a similar name, no one is sure that this referred to the fermented tea drink. Centuries later, kombucha emerged in a historical record in Russia, which may have been its actual place of birth.
The kombucha mother is a unique culture. First of all, it is the most visible of all SCOBYs, looking like a chunk of rubber or silicon. In addition, while kefir and ginger beer cultures mostly drop to the bottom of any liquid (at least until it gets carbonated), the much bulkier kombucha SCOBY floats on top of the drink. It can cover the entire surface area of the container and grow to an inch or more in thickness. The species of bacteria most responsible for the physical appearance of the kombucha mother is Bacillus coagulans (also known as Lactobacillus sporogenes). The porous, rubbery mat it creates provides a great living environment for up to a dozen additional kinds of yeasts and bacteria.
You can either obtain a kombucha SCOBY from someone who has some extra culture to share, order one online, or grow one yourself from a bottle of kombucha. Growing your own is fairly easy. Start with a store-bought bottle of kombucha, pouring this into a larger jar or plastic container along with some tea and sugar. After a few days, you will see a white film growing near the top of the liquid, which at first you might mistake for mold. Each day you check it, you will notice that the film has grown thicker, eventually becoming a deep mat that covers the top of your fermenting drink.
This flat blob is your very own kombucha mushroom, which you can use to ferment your own probiotic drinks and foods. Anytime you want to culture something new, you can gently move the mushroom to a new container. If it gets too big, you can cut it and divide the pieces. You can use your extra culture to ferment another drink, share it with a friend, or compost it. Used SCOBYs are great for your garden also, where beneficial microorganisms contribute to healthy soil, helping plants grow and stay healthy.
How to Make Water Kefir (Using Tibicos)
Water kefir is made by using tibicos (water kefir grains) to ferment sugar water. Most people use brown sugar, cane sugar, or maple syrup, or another wholesome sweetener that provides more minerals than the depleted white sugar sold in stores. When the cultures do not have enough minerals available, they will not ferment effectively. Usually, water kefir grains (tibicos) are used to make water kefir, though milk kefir grains will work also.
Adding some sea salt (anywhere from a pinch to a teaspoon, depending on your preference) also can help ensure that minerals are present. Another option is to add some cut fruit or ginger to the ferment. This will supply a few more minerals as well as some flavor. But bear in mind that you will need to pick out the kefir grains later on from the fruit or ginger. And it is always possible to add flavor after the fermentation, once these grains are removed.
As an alternative to sugar water, you can use coconut water from a young coconut, which contains enough sugar and minerals that it does not need any added sweeteners or minerals. Young coconuts and coconut water are increasingly popular. You can find both at many health food stores as well as Latin American and Asian food markets.
Water Kefir (or Coconut Water Kefir)
Makes 1 quart
Required materials:
• 1 large mixing bowl (glass, plastic, or wood, but not metal)
• 2 glass jars (quart-sized mason jars are good)
• 1 silicon spatula or wooden spoon
• 1 plastic strainer
• Cheesecloth, towel, or a sprouting lid for the jar
Ingredients:
• 1 quart of filtered (nonchlorinated) water or young coconut water
• ¼ cup (4 tbsps) of water kefir grains (tibicos)
• Sweetener (not needed if using coconut water): ¼ cup of cane sugar, brown sugar, or maple syrup
• Optional: Chopped or sliced fruit of your choice or sliced ginger root
• Optional: Dash of sea salt
Process:
• Wash all equipment thoroughly before using.
• Place kefir grains in the jar, fill it with water, and gently stir in the sweetener.
• Optional: Throw in a dash of sea salt, which adds trace minerals to support the fermentation.
• Put the jar in an undisturbed place away from direct sunlight. Cover it loosely with the cheesecloth, towel, or a sprouting lid (which provides air circulation).
• Check your water kefir after 12 hours and again after 24 hours. Swish it around a little bit in the jar and then taste it with a clean spoon. If it’s not sour enough for you yet, then give it another 12 hours. The fermentation will be faster in warm weather and slower when the air is cool. If you want to slow it down and fine tune your kefir, then you can put the whole jar in the refrigerator, where it will continue to ferment more slowly.
• Once you are ready to stop the fermentation, use the strainer over a bowl to strain out the kefir grains from the beverage. If you have also used fruit or ginger, you must pick out the kefir grains from these; my favorite tool for this is wooden/bamboo chopsticks. Your kefir can be enjoyed immediately or stored in a jar or plastic container in the refrigerator.
• Reuse your kefir grains immediately in a new batch of sugar water or else store them for up to two weeks in the refrigerator (sitting in some sugar water).
Checking for Proper Fermentation
Your nose and the little bubbles should tell you if your kombucha is fermenting properly. But if you suspect something has gone wrong and the culture has failed, then you need to check it more closely. The best method of investigation is to use pH test strips. If, after 3–4 days of fermentation, the pH of your fluid is not in the 2.5–3.0 range, then it is not acidic enough and something has gone wrong. Dump it out, sterilize everything, and start again with a new culture. Also, if there is a strong kerosene smell coming from the kombucha, as opposed to a yeast or vinegar smell, that means something else has gotten in there and you need to dump it.
Fizzy Kombucha
If your kombucha is not as effervescent as you would like, you can conduct a secondary fermentation in a bottle. To fuel this second stage, you can use juice (which provides a nice flavor), or else use some more sweet tea. Either way, you will end up with a kombucha soda. Take a plastic bottle with a tight-fitting lid, such as a soda or water bottle. (You can use a glass jar or bottle also, but it is easiest to check the air pressure in a plastic vessel.) Fill it three-quarters of the way with your fermented kombucha and top this off with some additional juice. Tighten the lid and leave this at room temperature to continue fermenting. It probably will be ready in 2–7 days, but check it every day or so.
If you used a plastic bottle, then checking it is as simple as squeezing the sides of the bottle. If it has really puffed out so that squeezing is difficult, your drink should be ready. Open with caution, since the contents may be under pressure. Unless you’ve shaken the bottle, it really should not explode on you, but there will be a release of air pressure as there is when opening any soda bottle. Taste and decide if it’s fizzy enough for you. If not, tighten the lid and give it another 12 hours or so.
Storing and Reusing Your Kombucha SCOBY
Storing a kombucha SCOBY is easier than storing kefir grains, simply because it takes longer to ferment a batch. This means that you can start fermenting some sweet tea with a kombucha SCOBY and just leave it for as long as a couple of weeks. The fermented liquid may be too acidic to drink, but your culture should still be alive after that time and you can begin using it again. While you can store your SCOBY in the refrigerator, this can cause the yeasts to go dormant, so the above method is better.
Rejuvelac
Rejuvelac is a fermented beverage made from sprouted cereal grains, such as wheat, barley, rye, oats, triticale, millet, amaranth, quinoa, brown rice, wild rice, or buckwheat. People have been making fermented drinks with grains for thousands of years, but the raw food advocate Ann Wigmore is credited with popularizing rejuvelac as part of a holistic health diet. It’s pretty sour and definitely qualifies as an acquired taste unless you add some sugar, honey, or other sweetener. Alternatively, this makes a great base ingredient for sodas, or you can mix it with juice, and it can be used to culture anything else in this book.
• ½ cup organic grains such as wheat, rye, barley, or oats (whole-seeded, not ground or cracked)
• Water
• Optional: 1 tbsp yogurt whey or water kefir
Rinse the grains. Put them in the jar or container and cover them with water. Let them soak overnight. In the morning, drain the water from the grains, rinse them, and put them back in the jar. The rinsing prevents mold. Continue to rinse twice per day for 1–2 days, until grains form small white tails, indicating that they have sprouted. Rinse them once more and put grains in the large container. You could use the same jar if it’s big enough (be sure to rinse before reusing). Cover the grains with one quart of water. Add yogurt whey or other culture, if you choose to use this (if not, the natural yeasts and bacteria on grains will ferment the water). Cover the container loosely, checking it by tasting every 24 hours. This fermentation normally takes 1–3 days, and the later you let it go, the more sour it will be. Then pour out the liquid, which is the consumable part. The grains have left the better part of their nutrition in the liquid and are spent, so you can compost them. Feel free to add some sweetener or combine the rejuvelac with juice to make it drinkable.
This section is reserved for three special drinks. They could be considered sodas or smoothies, but all three are made a bit differently from the other drinks.
Probiotic Lemonade
Makes about 2 quarts
This only takes a few more minutes than dissolving one of those chemical-filled lemonade envelopes in water. This drink is probiotic from the start by virtue of the cultured drink (kombucha, cider, etc.) you have added. But if you can wait for a richer ferment, prepare the drink in advance and let all the ingredients stand together for 24–48 hours. Also, see the separate Lemon-Lime Soda recipe, which is similar. Try this lemonade on your kids!
• Juice of 5 lemons
• ½ cup kombucha, cider, water kefir, or yogurt whey
• 1½–2 quarts water
• ¼–½ cup sugar or honey
Mix together all ingredients and let the drink sit in a jar or container for 24–48 hours or until it reaches desired sourness. If it’s too sour, feel free to thin it out with more water or add extra honey or sugar. Garnish with a sprig of mint or slices of lemon.
Makes about 2 cups
• 1 cup ripe watermelon
• 1½ cups kombucha or water kefir
• Honey or sugar, to taste
Blend watermelon to purée it. If chunks remain, strain them out. For a frozen drink, freeze watermelon or purée first, then blend with kombucha or water kefir. If you do not freeze the purée, then you can stir it directly into the kombucha.
Pineapple Tapache
Makes 3–4 quarts
This delicious beverage from Mexico may well be my favorite drink in this book. The recipe involves fermenting a whole pineapple (cut into chunks) in sweetened water with spices. You can culture it with water kefir grains (tibicos), yogurt whey, or cider. Otherwise, just let the naturally present bacteria culture it themselves. Traditionally, people cut up the peel and put this in to get plenty of bacteria. If you use the rind, then please cut off the bottom and discard this part, as ripe pineapples often have a little mold at the base of the core.
• 1 fresh pineapple, peeled and cut into chunks
• 3 cups natural cane sugar or brown sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cinnamon stick or one tsp ground cinnamon
• Optional: 1 tbsp apple pie spice
Put the pineapple chunks in a very large container or jar, covering it with water. Use enough water to cover the pineapple—probably about half (2 quarts) of your water. Also add the sugar and spices. Then add your kefir/yogurt/cider culture, if you use any. Cover loosely and let it ferment. After 48 hours, add another quart of water and cover it loosely again. Let it sit for 12 hours this time before tasting. If it is sour enough for you, then drink some and refrigerate the rest. If it needs more time, add more water and give it an additional 12 hours to ferment. It should be ready at that point, and if it is too sour, you can add a little sugar, honey, or apple juice. You can eat the pineapple chunks or compost them. I feed some to my backyard chickens (the subject of another book) who love pineapple. They need their probiotics, too!
