How to Make Kombucha at Home + Elderberry Kombucha Recipe

Kombucha is one of my favorite immune-boosting, gut healing drinks. It’s so easy to make at home and so much cheaper. The list of uses and benefits goes on and on. If you’re looking for a great way to replace soda, boost immunity, and ditch the afternoon coffee habit, look no further! Read on and learn How to make kombucha at home + Elderberry Kombucha Recipe…

Kombucha is surprisingly easy to make at home—it just requires tea, sugar, and an active starter culture of bacteria and yeast. The culture, known as the “mother culture,” is combined with tea—usually black or green—and sits for roughly 10 days. During this time, a thin colony of bacteria forms on top. After the fermentation process is complete, the new culture can be scooped out and used to start the process over so you always have kombucha to drink!

Why Drink Kombucha?

Research has found that consuming probiotics can help fight colds, lowers cholesterol, and promotes a healthy gut, alleviating issues such as irritable bowel syndrome, diarrhea, and food allergies.

Some experts also suggest that kombucha is a good source of B vitamins, known to regulate metabolism and energy, as well as contribute to a healthy heart, skin, and nails.

How to Make Kombucha at Home

Ingredients

• 1 SCOBY (like this)
• 1 1/2 tsp organic black or green loose leaf tea or 2 tea bags
• 1/4 cup organic sugar (like this)
• 2-3 cups of hot filtered water
• 1 quart Mason jar
• 1/4 cup vinegar
• 1/4 cup kombucha (from previous batch or store-bought)
• cheesecloth or unbleached coffee filter

Directions

1. Make sweet tea: Combine water and sugar in a jar. Stir to dissolve.  Add tea and steep at least 10 minutes.
2. Remove tea and allow to cool completely.
3. Add scoby, kombucha from last batch and vinegar.
4. Dampen cheesecloth with vinegar to prevent mold and secure over the jar with a rubber band.
5. Allow to culture for 7-30 days. Kombucha is done when it tastes good.

Notes:

I recommend making small batches (like above) until you start to get baby (or extra) SCOBY formed. After that point, you can double or triple the batch!

Never use metal on your kombucha. Taste and stir with a wooden spoon.

If you over ferment and batch turns to vinegar (which can sometimes happen with the first batch), save SCOBY but use kombucha for dressings, to marinade or clean with.

Once kombucha is brewed, you can flavor with berries, etc.

Elderberry Kombucha Recipe (3 options)

Option 1:

Add 4 tsp dried elderberry to 16 oz kombucha and 1/2 tsp organic sugar, allow to culture another 3-7 days and then move to the fridge.

Option 2:

Add 2 tsp homemade elderberry syrup to 16 oz kombucha. Allow to culture 3-7 days and then move to the fridge.

You can also add 1 tsp elderberry syrup to kombucha and stir if planning to consume immediately.

Option 3:

Add 3 ounces strong brewed (and cooled) elderberry tea to 12 ounces of kombucha. Allow to culture 3-7 days and then move to the fridge.

 

Note: I do not recommend consuming elderberries and suggest straining them out of any recipe you choose to make.

More Elderberry Recipes and Info:

• Learn about the benefits of elderberries in this post. 
• Learn how to make your own elderberry syrup in this post.
• Learn how to make two beauty products using elderberries in this post.

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Melissa Schollaert is a Holistic Health & Nutrition Counselor and founder of Real Nutritious Living. Helping others achieve their health goals to attain their healthiest, happiest life is her greatest ambition.

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