Self-cultivation of Kombucha at home (+19 photo)

Lightly forgotten in the twentieth century, a healthy drink from Kombucha is again becoming popular today. To receive it, it is not necessary to search for the body of the fungus in the neighbors and acquaintances or order it via the Internet. It is very easy to grow Kombucha from scratch at home, however, it will take time.

Features and properties of the fungus

This organism, which at first glance resembles a mushroom, is also called a jellyfish, or tea jellyfish, Japanese uterus, fungus, Manchu and Japanese mushrooms, and kombucha. A tan thick film with a white and pinkish tint (zoogley) in the normal state floats on the surface of a sweet concentrated tea brew, which is a breeding ground for it. At the same time, Medusomycete itself transforms this medium into a kvass-shaped drink with a whole set of useful properties.

It is worthwhile to understand that in fact this organism is a colony of many microorganisms, yeast and acetic acid bacteria that produce organic acids (gluconic, citric, oxalic, lactic, carbonic, malic and acetic), caffeine, vitamins and enzymes, sugar, wine alcohol and purine substances.

It normalizes the metabolism, reduces blood sugar and, when used as compresses and lotions, is able to heal wounds and burns, performing an antiseptic function.

Growing the fungus from the separated layer

There are several ways to properly grow Kombucha at home. The most common is the division of matured zoogley, which in adulthood consists of many layers. The upper part of the layers is smooth, and the underwater is loose and fibrous.

Accurate and careful separation of the fungus into separate plates and placing each of them in a tea nutritious infusion contributes to its further growth and reproduction. If the fungus is young, but sank to the bottom, it is enough to separate the upper translucent film from it - in a nutrient medium, it can grow into a new zooglyu.

The sun's rays should not fall on the liquid, and especially on the mushroom. For its content, preference must be given to a warm place. From above the vessel is covered with gauze or linen cloth to prevent dust and midges from getting inside. Every 7-8 days, the solution must be changed to a new one, and the mushroom should be washed with warm boiled water.

It is noticed that in spring and summer zoogley grows better than in winter and autumn. Drink before use is recommended to filter through cheesecloth, folded four times.

Step-by-step recipes for growing Kombucha from scratch at home

It’s quite realistic to make tea kvass at home yourself, you just need to follow the step by step instructions and try not to make mistakes. It will take at least 5 weeks to grow the mushroom itself. In the summer, a drink from it will be ready in three days, and in the cold season - in seven.

You can store this kvass in the refrigerator in the heat for up to 72 hours, in winter - for no longer than five days.A drink up to 1 month old can be used externally for cosmetic purposes, for rinsing and lotions. The old mushroom, which has reached a thickness of more than 4 cm, must either be divided or discarded; the drink it produces will not be so useful.

Classic Tea Recipe

The first step in growing is to create an initial tea infusion. To do this, it is enough to brew tea in the usual way at the rate of 2 teaspoons of dry tea per liter of boiling water, insist, strain and add 2-3 tablespoons of sugar to the liquid.

The second step is the nucleation of the mushroom in the prepared infusion. The vessel should be covered with a cloth or gauze, be in a warm and dark place for about five weeks. Then on the surface a film of jellyfish is formed. Mistakes will rearrange the jar to another place, mix the solution or leave it open - midges may form in it or mold will appear.

The newly-found mushroom must be very carefully removed from the infusion, carefully rinsed several times with boiled warm water and placed in a new environment.

With wild rose

There are two ways to grow kombucha from scratch from rose hips - long and fast. For long periods, 10-15 dried or fresh berries should be filled with half a liter of boiling water in a previously sanitized thermos. Then stand the infusion with the lid tightly closed for about 2 months.

As a result, a thin film-like substance will appear on the surface of the liquid. It must be washed carefully in warm boiled water and transferred to the prepared cooled tea solution, preferably in a three-liter jar or jug. Tea leaves are prepared from 2 teaspoons of dry tea per 1 liter of water and sugar to taste.

With the quick method, dogrose in a thermos is insisted for only a week, filter the infusion and add it to the tea solution (4 tablespoons of dry tea leaves and 20 tablespoons of sugar per liter of boiling water). The mushroom should form after a month and a half when storing the jar in a dark, warm place. Further care for this jellyfish is the same as for ordinary.

With apple juice

It is also possible to get tea jellyfish from ordinary natural apple juice. To do this, in an unopened container with air access, it is necessary to leave the juice in heat and darkness for several months.

A dense thick film forms on top of the juice surface, which must be thoroughly washed and transplanted into a warm prepared tea infusion with sugar. Further mushroom care is similar to the usual cultivation method.

On beer

Tea kvass on a mushroom grown using unpasteurized (live) beer takes on a special taste. For these purposes, 100 g of beer, a teaspoon of sugar and a little sour wine (a few teaspoons) are enough.

The mixture is placed in a warm dark place, covered only with a tissue and kept without stirring until a film substance is formed on the surface. Then it is washed and carefully transferred to a fresh tea infusion for growth. You can also use homemade kvass. As the fungus grows, it is necessary to periodically, every 7-10 days, change the tea solution and wash the mushroom itself.

On grass

To make tea kvass more nutritious and useful, aromatic and refreshing, fresh and dried medicinal herbs without oils and berries can be added to tea.

Suitable for this purpose are crushed leaves of plantain, birch and nettle, wild rose, blackberry and wild strawberry. Instead of sugar, honey can be added in small quantities, but it must be put in a cold tea infusion.

On apple cider vinegar

For the origin of zoogley, only natural, without any preservatives and dyes, apple cider vinegar is suitable. It can be made independently from fresh apples. When keeping open vinegar in a warm dark place for 3 months, a precipitate forms at the bottom of the vessel. The next stage of cultivation is to strain the liquid and the sedimentary part carefully pour into the tea-sugar infusion at room temperature. From this nutrient medium, a full-fledged kombukha will subsequently grow.

Another little-known, but fairly simple way to grow jellyfish is from mold in a teapot. The ordinary mold is transferred to a new cool strong tea brew with sugar. After it expands to the entire surface, it must be turned over, moved to a new infusion, turned over again. When the mushroom reaches a sufficient size, dip it in apple cider vinegar for 5 minutes, rinse well with clean water and continue to use as usual.

Answers to widespread questions

Regarding mushroom cultivation, many questions arise:

Kombucha helps to make a healthy, nutritious and tasty drink that perfectly quenches thirst, normalizes the gastrointestinal tract and helps get rid of health problems. It is not difficult to grow it at home, but this is possible only when certain mandatory rules are followed.