Kombucha, Baby!

Hi everyone! Hope you are all healthy and happy!

Well, another post, another... science experiment:)

I feel a bit like a mad scientist in the happy raw kitchen lately. It was so much fun making fermented nut cheese, I actually got brave enough to try my hand at making kombucha!

It is something I wanted to do for quite a while now. Anyone who loves this wonderful brew knows it can get quite expensive to buy commercial bottles of kombucha. But now there is a sort of kombucha shortage due to recent concerns of "slightly elevated" alcohol levels contained in one particular brand. This shortage gave me the little push needed to brew my own:)

There is so much info about making your own kombucha, but most methods seemed simple enough. Make a sweetened tea, and add a SCOBY(Symbiotic Colony Of Bacteria and Yeast) "mother". After making the mixture, just let it sit for a while. So easy!

Michelle and Lori make it look really easy:)

Wait...add a SCOBY???!!! I have heard you can usually get a "baby" one from a friend.

Hmmmm...That might be a little problem. As much as I love living in the middle of nowhere, I doubt any of the chipmunks around here have a SCOBY to share with me. Of course they can be bought on the internet, but there is another way to obtain the precious SCOBY.

Make your own SCOBY from a bottle of commercial kombucha! YAY!

I grew my very own SCOBY, after watching this video.

This method looks even easier!

Here is what I used:

Equipment: Pot for boiling water, wooden spoon, 1/2 gallon mason jar, new clean handkerchief.

Ingredients:
6 cups water, 6 tea bags 6 tablespoons of sugar, one bottle of Pure Essence kombucha.

Method:
1. Boil 6 or 7 cups of water, and remove from heat.
2. Add 5 or 6 tablespoons (approx 1/3 cup) sugar and stir until dissolved.
3. Steep 6 tea bags for 12 minutes.
4. Cool the tea.
5. Add a commercial bottle of raw kombucha to a big jar, and pour in the cooled tea.
6. Cover jar with a clean cloth, secured it with just the ring from the top, and let it sit, undisturbed and out of direct sun.
7. Wait......... :)

All the sites for making kombucha stressed how important it is to have everything very clean, so I washed and rinsed everything very well. We have well water, so I boiled it for a few minutes before adding the sugar and tea bags. So, I was a little concerned, and thought it was the dreaded mold when I saw a dark mass of something floating on top after two days. I was going to dump it, but let it go a while just to see what would happen.

That same night there was a thin white film floating on the top of the tea.

The third day, the lumpy thingy was about the same, but the white layer was a little thicker. There were also bubbles forming all around the perimeter.

By the fourth day the white layer was even thicker...and the dark blob was actually lifting the film a bit,

and even looked back at me!

I was still concerned, and searched the internet for more information. I sent a few pictures to a really nice person, Todd, who has a blog about kombucha, and had made a SCOBY from a bottled kombucha. He answered me right away, and said the pictures looked like a healthy SCOBY. I was so surprised and excited. Thank you, Todd! He said to taste it at this point, but it was still sweet like tea.

It also dawned on me around this time that it was July, not June like the sticker on the jar said:)

I left it for a few days longer, just a week total, and tasted it again. This time it was slightly sour and had more bubbles.

OMG, kombucha!

It really tasted good, and was quite bubbly:)

This all happened really quickly...everything I heard or read said it would take a few weeks, but here is what I think happened...

The room where the jar was is very warm and quiet. You are supposed to use only plain green, black or white tea, to start. I went to a tea and health food store to pick up some plain tea, and the lovely girl there said she had used Yogi brand kombucha tea to make her kombucha, so I bought some.

Also, I made a little mistake, and only used a half gallon jar, so the mixture was stronger than it would have been in a gallon jar like the video.*

*uh, never mind that last sentence :)...it was a 64 ounce jar in the video...yup, a half gallon like I used.

My Serendipity Kombucha:)

Here is Momma:)

And a better look at the lumpy thingy:

I reserved the mother and 1 cup of brew for my next batch, and filled 3 bottles (hubby's saved beer bottles). You can find bottles like these easily online or at local home-brew stores. They even come in a gorgeous cobalt blue:)

I used 1/2 cup of a different sugar, and the black and green tea this time. I used the Florida Crystals sugar because it is organic and vegan. As you probably know, some white granulated sugar is not vegan. Click here to see a few vegan and non-vegan brands of sugar. I will keep you posted about the new brew:)

Quick update on day 10...new batch has a nice, thicker SCOBY:

Is making lots of bubbles:

And seems quite happy:)

I know some of you may have made your own kombucha, but if you haven't and want to, give this a try. It is so easy, you won't believe it!

Here are a few great resources for making your own kombucha. I will probably add new links on this post as I find them.

Kombucha making basics from eat living food (PDF)

Kombucha Journal...30 languages and The Worldwide Kombucha Exchange.

The Happy Herbalist

Kombucha Kamp

15 tips for making kombucha.

Troubleshooting/Balance

Kombucha Unveiled

Click the links below to answer some FAQs about kombucha:

Organic-Kombucha.com

Kombuchatea.wordpress.com

Cultures for Health

Sulis Health

Kombucha America

Funny Kombucha links :)

Adorable toddler Noelle eats a SCOBY!

SCOBY gone wild!

Are you a kombucha fan???

Raw Vegan Cheese

Ever since posting Real Cream Cheese, I have been slightly obsessed with making raw nut cheeses.

My first taste of vegan cheese was Cheese with Spring Onions from Zoe on Goneraw a few years ago. It is still a favorite for me, and I was reminded of it from a recent post about it on Goneraw. Thank you so much Zoe! Check out all the comments on this recipe...it was the most popular recipe on the site for a loooooong time!!!

Here it is as a spread, perfect for wraps or dips.

It is a very versatile recipe...this wheel had boursin herbs (molded in a small springform pan) and is my favorite version of this sunflower based cheese.

***Goneraw website is not dependable lately, so I am posting this popular recipe exactly as written :

Recipe Directions

Nut Free Option: Use 3 cups of Sunflower Seeds and no Pine Nuts.
Pre Prep: Wash/rinse the Sunflower Seeds very well and then soak in good water for at least 4 hours, 6 is better. Rinse and shake dry in your strianer or allow to air dry for a while.
In your food processor process the dry ingredients (sunflower seeds, salt and pine nuts) until a fine meal.
Then add the lemon juice and olive oil. Process again until smooth, Scrape off sides as needed. Get it so it is rolling as it moves around your processor.
Process until smooth yet very thick. Dont be scared to let it go for ages, the longer it goes the creamier it is. Then at the end add the Spring Onions and process slightly to break them into the cheese.
Allow to stand for 30 mintues. If you taste it while it is being made or right after, expect the lemon to stand out. It dies down after it has sat for a while.You can shape into cubes or balls and dehydrate for a while to get a firmer cheese for cheese salad, feta etc.
^  Recipe copied and pasted as it appeared.

Another favorite is Gena's Sweet Cheese and Crackers...a quick and easy cheese recipe, posted for the holiday's, but it's perfect any time of year:) Thank you Gena!

Here is a picture of my most recent attempts using the basic fermented nut cheese recipe, made with almonds and dehydrated slightly. It was really tasty, especially the cheddar version. Hint: it is flavored like cheesy sauce for kale chips:)

Here are my dehydrating guidelines:
 The cheese is dehydrated at 115 degrees for about 4-6 hours. Time will depend on how wet your mixture is, but these are the guidelines for mine usually. Just about 1/2" all around dries out to feel a bit harder, like a rind. I haven't weighed the rounds, but I use 2 cups of nuts or seeds for the small springform pan I use. The pan is 4"x1 and 3/4".

Oh, if you can let it age in the fridge a bit(this one went for more than 2 weeks), it is even better:)


I have received several questions about the probiotic powder used to ferment the nut cheese. I have used a few different brands (all good), as well as miso and rejuvelac. Here is a picture of the probiotic powders and capsules in a refrigerator at my co-op so you know what to look for. The 'New Chapter' brand is in the purple topped box, and is popular:


I am really looking forward to making some recipes from raw food Chef Russell James' ebook on raw nut cheeses. Check it out if you love making vegan cheeses as much as I do!!!

Remember to check out Russell's video on what to serve with your raw cheese:) His cheese in the video looks so good!

I used his suggestions and had a wonderful lunch recently:

I would love to know if you have a favorite raw vegan cheese recipe!!!

Making Raw Nut Butter

Hi everyone! Another busy week has flown by for me...hope you are all staying well and happy:)

This week has been a scorcher in the Adirondacks. How hot has it been? Just look!

I actually have not been on the computer much because it is in the direct flow of the air conditioner!!! I am very grateful to have one in this heat, but... {{{BRRRRRRRR}}}...Once in a while I have to go outside for a few minutes and warm up.

To my blogging buddies: I hope to catch up on some much missed blog reading very soon:)

While I was staying cool inside, it was the perfect time to experiment with new recipes, and prepare some raw staples like nut butter.

The following pictures are of making raw almond butter, but any nuts, seeds, or even shredded coconut(for homemade coconut butter, of course!) can be used. One of my favorites is a "rawtella", using hazelnuts, cacao powder and coconut sugar :)

Every once in a while, I treat myself to raw almonds from Spain, but not today:)

I used organic almonds from the bulk bins at the co-op.


Here are some step-by-step pictures of making raw nut butters:

1. Soak your nuts:) Tip: Only soak them if you can dehydrate them!

Haha...the camera fogged up going from the air conditioned house to the heat outside! This was about 4 cups of almonds. For my size processor bowl(11 cups) four cups is the least amount that will blend properly.

It is up to you if you want to soak your nuts/seeds. If using dry, un-soaked nuts, you should be able to omit the oil, and it may take a bit longer.

~ETA~ For best results, use DRY nuts, either soaked and dehydrated, or un-soaked.
Wet nuts, or trying to add water instead of oil gives a pasty, rather than creamy result, and the nut butter will spoil quicker.

After soaking about 8 hours, almonds may be peeled by "popping" them out of their skins. Just pinch them between your thumb and first finger. The butter will be light in color, and taste a bit different if you peel them.

2. Dehydrate your nuts or seeds if you soaked them about 8-12 hours or more depending on nuts used:

3. Place your nuts in a food processor fitted with the "S" blade.

Tip: Process just until crumbs form to make nut flour used for recipes:)

Nuts will begin to stick to the sides of the container and you may need to stop and scrape the sides.

4. Add a tablespoon of oil, and continue processing. I like to use the matching oil, but any neutral, light oil will work. The natural oils in the nuts will start breaking down as well, so I always start with 1 tablespoon of oil. You can also add a little salt to taste if desired. It is also good with a touch of sweetener, or even cacao powder for a treat.

Soon a ball will form, and you can use it like this in recipes like nut butter cups:)

Continue processing and add a bit more oil if needed. All nuts are different, so I like to add the oil 1 tablespoon at a time (usually 3T, no more than 4T) until a smooth, creamy butter forms.

It does get warm, but not too warm:)

That's it! Homemade raw nut butter in about 12 minutes, not counting the soaking or the dehydrating time haha:) You may have to let it go a bit longer, depending on your processor. It will keep for several weeks in a glass jar in the fridge. And remember, you can make a quick nut milk by blending about a tablespoonful of nut butter with a cup of water:)

Until a few years ago, I would never have thought of making my own nut butters, but now I love it! Have you ever made your own nut butters? What is your favorite?

Well, my hands are freeezzzing now...lol! Thanks so much for dropping by today and I hope you all have a great weekend!

ETA~ Click here for making nut butter in a Vitamix:)

Things That Made Me Go Mmmm....

Today I thought it would be fun to share pictures of some of the yummy raw food I have been enjoying this week.

I just love to try new recipes, and read food blogs so here is just a small sample of incredible meals inspired by my lovely blogging buddies:)

This has become a weekly favorite for me. I just can't get enough:) Thank you, Marlie for posting about your Avocado Truffles!


I whipped up some raw fresh peach ice cream and topped it with a few raspberries and Walnut Coconut/Crumble from Noelle of An Opera Singer in the Kitchen blog. This one had me singing in the kitchen...hehe!


I had this cool and refreshing thick shake a couple of times...a quickie version of Raspberry Banana Almond butter & Cinnamon Smoothie by Sarahfae of the Addicted to Veggies blog I just used 3 frozen bananas with a handful of raspberries and a dash of cinnamon and a splash of water. Thanks for the lovely inspiration:)


I can never have enough raw salad dressings...especially thick, rich, creamy..mmmm:)....I filled an avocado with the dressing and sprinkled it with some eggplant bacon, cut cherry tomatoes and tiny raw rosemary crackers. Thanks to Jackie from the blog Peaces of Earth for posting her Ranch Dressing:)


It was the perfect dip for cucumber cut with a french fry cutter.


Black Forrest Banana Soft-Serve...yet another way to enjoy this quick and easy favorite:) Thanks so much Lisa from the blog Vegan Cookbook Critic!

Thanks so much to everyone who has a blog for posting your lovely food creations. You are all so beautiful and inspiring, and I appreciate all of you! {{{HUGS}}}