How to make sour mushroom at home. Cultivation of kombucha at home

Medusomycete(this is the scientific name kombucha) looks like a thick film of white-yellow-brown-pink color, floating on the surface of the nutrient liquid - sweet tea infusion. Sugars in the liquid can be different (glucose, sucrose, fructose), the type of tea also does not matter.

The researchers noticed that Medusomycete practically does not consume the components tea infusion(aromatic, tannins and other substances), however, it is extremely sensitive to its absence. For example, without tea, it does not synthesize ascorbic acid, which is necessary for the life of kombucha.

If favorable conditions are created for kombucha, then on the fourth or fifth day of growth, it begins to produce a pleasant taste and very healthy drink, resembling strong, highly carbonated kvass ("tea kvass" or "kombucha"). bubbles carbon dioxide with which the drink is saturated and acetic acid is jointly produced by yeast and acetic acid bacteria. A specific aroma of the drink is given by tea and some types of yeast.

Instructions for making kombucha drink

First of all, it is necessary to determine the container in which the mushroom will be located. Usually at home they use a 3-liter jar. If possible, it is advisable to take a jar with a wide neck (do not use metal utensils for preparing and storing drinks).
Cooking is not very strong sweet tea(approximately 5 tablespoons of sugar and 2 teaspoons of black or green tea per 1 liter of water) tastes good. It is recommended to brew tea for at least 15 minutes.
We're sipping tea. Sugar should be completely dissolved, and there should be no tea leaves.
Let the tea cool to room temperature. The culture will die if placed in a hot solution.
For young mushrooms: a little infusion of the mushroom from the jar where it was previously kept as a “starter culture” should be added to the tea (the amount of infusion should be approximately 1/10 of the total liquid volume).
We put the mushroom in a jar. We close the neck of the dish with gauze or a paper napkin and fasten it with a braid or elastic band so that the kombucha can breathe, but so that small midges and dust cannot penetrate the jar. We put the jar in a dark, warm place - the ideal temperature for the tub mushroom is about 25 ° C.
After 4-10 days of infusion, Kombucha is ready to drink. The fermentation time depends on the air temperature in the room - the higher the temperature, the faster drink he'll be ready.
When the drink reaches the desired acidity, according to your taste, take out the kombucha with clean hands, rinse it under cold running water and dip it into a jar of cold sweet tea prepared in advance according to the same scheme.
Pour the finished drink into glass containers with a tight lid, filling it to the brim. To get the most out of your drink, let it mature for a few more days. cool place(at least 5 days) - bacteria cease to function without access to air, and yeast continues to work if the container is tightly closed, the gas resulting from the activity of the yeast cannot escape and you will get a delicious fizzy drink. Before drinking, strain the drink through gauze or a plastic (not metal) strainer.

A mushroom at a venerable age reaches a thickness of several centimeters (its area depends on the area of the container in which it lives) and allows you to drink the infusion daily directly from the jar containing the mushroom (of course, you need to remember to replenish the infusion with a new portion of cold, sweet tea).

It is convenient to have two identical jars available: Kombucha will live in one, and you will pour the finished drink into the other. In the refrigerator, glass hermetically sealed containers with tea mushroom infusion can be stored for quite a long time, retaining their healing and taste properties.

You can clearly see how to cook kombucha on the page - Preparing a drink and caring for kombucha (+ video)

Important rules for the care and maintenance of kombucha.

It is necessary to keep kombucha in glassware, suitable for him in size, usually it is a standard 3-x liter jar. It must not be kept in containers made of metals, except of stainless steel because the acids produced by the culture can react with metals.

It is better to keep the jar of mushroom in a dark place. You can allocate a special box for him in the kitchen - with ventilation and without foreign odors. Cold and direct sunlight inhibit the development of kombucha, so it's best to keep it away from a window.

Kombucha is usually contained at normal room temperature. Optimum temperature for kombucha is approximately 25 °C. Temperatures below 17 ° C are harmful, as it reduces the activity of the fungus and blue-green algae can start in it.

A jar of kombucha should not be covered with a lid, since the mushroom must breathe, it is simply covered with a clean napkin or gauze so that dust does not get in and insects (which, by the way, are not very indifferent to it) could not get to it.

Kombucha must be placed in boiled (!) Water with sugar already dissolved in it and tea leaves: in raw water a lot of soluble calcium salts (water hardness salts), which form calcium gluconate with gluconic acid, which precipitates.

Do not pour sugar on kombucha and place it in a solution with undissolved sugar - this causes burns on his body in the form of brown spots.

Can't do too much strong tea- Excessive concentration of tea inhibits the growth of kombucha.

Leaves or granules of tea leaves should not be left in the tea solution for kombucha - this is very harmful to kombucha and can cause wounds on its body.

It is necessary to periodically rinse the kombucha in clean water (it is possible from the tap, but if possible - with clean or spring water). In summer, this should be done every one to two weeks, and in winter - every three to four weeks.

You can not put the mushroom in hot tea.

If top part kombucha has begun to turn brown - this is a sign that the fungus is starting to die (sometimes this happens if the kombucha is left in solution) - you should rinse it, separate and discard the top layer and try to take better care of your pet.

It should be borne in mind that kombucha “works” faster in summer than in winter, and accordingly, the solution needs to be changed much more often.

If you pour the kombucha infusion into a free container and leave it to infuse at room temperature, then after one to two weeks a thin translucent layer forms on the surface of the liquid - a colony of microorganisms, which over time will also turn into an adult fungus.

Storage of kombucha.

Put Kombucha on a dry plate and turn it over once a day so that it does not become moldy (at this time it is important to protect the access of midges to Kombucha, which like to lay their larvae on its body). Kombucha will dry to a thin plate that can be put away in a cupboard or refrigerator. When the kombucha is needed again, you need to place it in a jar of sweet tea - it will come to life there within a week and will be ready to work again.

The fungus looks like a jellyfish that floats on the surface of a liquid. This is a huge colony of yeast and acetic acid bacteria, which are held together by cellulose cells. The scientific name of the colony is Medusomycetes.

The photo shows an enlarged image of its surface under a microscope. Balls are yeast. The sticks are bacteria. The rest of the binder is cellulose.

From above, the colony looks smooth, flat. Below - loose and multi-layered, with hanging threads and new layers formed. It is from below that most of the active microorganisms are located, which process sweet tea and form kvass.

Upper microorganisms produce vinegar. The method of obtaining vinegar with the help of medusomycetes was called "Orleans". It was used in the 19th century on an industrial scale.

For the primary formation of a colony, a donor organism is not needed. The fungus is formed as a result of prolonged fermentation of brewed sweet tea (in the presence of acetic bacteria, several types of yeast microorganisms). The bacteria themselves enter the tea leaves from the air. However, more often Kombucha is passed to each other, dividing the jellyfish-like colonies into layers.

The environment for the vital activity of yeast and bacteria is indian tea, which appeared in Russia only in the 19th century. Therefore, kvass itself appeared in various Russian provinces at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. In the 30s and 40s, he was on the wave of popularity. After the war, it was forgotten, and again returned to wide use in the 80s of the last century.

In the countries of the East, where tea has been known for a long time, medusomycetes enjoyed well-deserved respect. They treated the sick, maintained the tone of the healthy.

What is this drink used for?

China- only noble rich families drank tea kvass. For commoners, the drink was not intended. He was given the following qualities: to maintain clarity of thought, tone, rejuvenate, as well as improve digestion, cleanse blood vessels.
Japan- tea kvass was popular with geishas, who used it to slim and remove spots and warts from the skin.
India- the drink was added to the bath for bathing babies with skin problems.
Europe (England, France and Prussia)- kombucha was recognized in the 19th century and began to be used to produce vinegar. For this, the medusomycete was kept in large wooden barrels where it reached enormous proportions.

The benefits and harms of kombucha

The medicinal properties of kombucha are determined by the components formed during fermentation. What secretes a colony of microorganisms during life?

Some of the dissolved sugar is fermented by yeast bacteria. Ethyl alcohol is formed, which other bacteria process into acetic acid. Another part of sucrose is processed into gluconic, oxalic, citric, and tartaric acid. A number of enzymes are formed (lipase, catalase, protease, amylase), some vitamins (C, B), caffeine is preserved (it comes from brewed tea).

The therapeutic benefits of kombucha come from acids, vitamins, and enzymes. Invigorating and tonic effect - contained caffeine.

What is useful kombucha for a person

Disinfects and stops the reproduction of pathogenic microorganisms. Destroys dysentery bacillus, Staphylococcus aureus, pneumococcus, typhoid fever.
It removes toxins, which means it alleviates the condition with various poisonings - food, industrial, alcohol, and toxicosis of pregnant women.
Improves digestion, cleanses the intestines, treats diseases of the gallbladder and liver.
Forms the microflora of the digestive organs, restores the balance of microorganisms after chemotherapy, a course of antibiotics.
It counteracts infections with various inflammations: dental (gingivitis and periodontitis), skin (pimples, ulcers, fungus on the skin or under the nails, dandruff), ENT inflammations. With this treatment, tea kvass is used externally - for rinsing and rubbing.
Normalizes the state of blood vessels (dissolves sclerotic plaques and increases the elasticity of the vascular walls).
Reduces blood pressure.

The beneficial properties of kombucha are more noticeable than others are reflected in the work of digestion. Tea kvass removes bloating and colic, normalizes the movement of digestive juices (bile), removes stagnation. By suppressing the growth of pathogenic flora, it treats inflammation. Forming a normal intestinal flora, it creates conditions for the full absorption of food.

Kombucha contraindications

When fermented drink can cause harm?

When peroxidation - if it has a strong pungent taste. There is too much vinegar in this drink. A small amount of acetic acid acts as an antiseptic and is used as an antidote. Too much great content vinegar burns the gastric mucosa, acidifies the blood, destroys red blood cells. Besides, acetic acid destroys enamel. Therefore, it is better to drink acidic drinks through a straw.
When obsolete - dead layers supply toxic components. To prevent this from happening, the jellyfish colony is washed with water once a week and the old dying layers are removed in a timely manner.
During the reception medicines(antibiotics, paracetamol, analgin). Between drinking tea kvass and these medicines, at least 2 hours should pass.
Diabetics - for a reason high content Sahara.
People with hyperacidity, with a stomach or duodenal ulcer - you can take tea kvass only in limited quantities.
You can not take a fermented drink for motorists while driving (kvass contains up to 2.5% alcohol, which is contraindicated for drivers in any doses).
For the same reason, you should not take tea kvass during pregnancy, breastfeeding.

How to use kombucha for weight loss

The weight loss effect is explained by the following factors:

Tea kvass stimulates the processes of cleansing, including the intestines. Many people with overweight the intestines are like a clogged pipe. Active biological substances clean the inner walls of fecal deposits and bring them out. It looks like loose bowels and frequent urination.
Tea kvass enzymes (lipase/, protease) stimulate the breakdown of fats.
Components tea drink reduce the feeling of hunger.

How to use kombucha for weight loss? Here are some popular recipes:

Insist jellyfish on green tea.
insist on herbal decoction(nettle, raspberry and currant leaves, buckthorn bark, dandelion roots, fennel fruits, parsley and caraway seeds, mint leaves, corn stigmas).
Insist jellyfish on compote.

Drink ready kvass½ or 1 glass (200 ml) half an hour before meals (3-4 times a day). You can also drink it in the morning right after waking up to stimulate bowel cleansing.

Is it possible to use kombucha during pregnancy

Is kombucha good for pregnancy? Content ethyl alcohol(2.5%) causes controversy about the benefits of a tea drink. The largest number the drink contains alcohol at the beginning of fermentation (up to 2.5%). In addition, tea supplies caffeine, which is also not healthy.

Alcohol and caffeine are active substances. Even in small concentrations, they are able to cross the placenta. Therefore, despite the low content of these substances, it is not recommended to use kombucha during pregnancy.

In the 19th century, a carbonated drink was produced on an industrial scale. In the 21st century, it is drunk and bred at home. Making kombucha at home is easy.

For the cultivation of jellyfish, glass jars with a volume of 1 to 5 liters are used (depending on the size of the jellyfish). If the thickness of the colony is more than 1.5 cm - take a jar of at least 3 liters. To speed up fermentation - leave ¼ part already ready drink.

Tea is brewed, cooled and filtered. Proportions for brewing: for 3 liters of water - 6-8 tablespoons of sugar and 2-3 tea bags.

When using tea bags, tea can be left unfiltered. If you are brewing tea without bags, then after 20 minutes you need to filter the brewed liquid. Sugar can be added immediately.

Filtered sweet tea is poured into a glass container and a jellyfish mushroom is placed in it. The neck of the jar is covered with gauze and placed for fermentation in a dark place. Direct rays of the sun should not fall on the surface of the glass container. As fermentation bubbles appear. You can determine the readiness of the drink by the bubbles and a slight sour smell.

Kvass fermentation takes 2-4 days in summer and 5-7 days in winter.

How to care for kombucha

Proper care of kombucha at home determines the quality of the drink. After all, this is a living organism, and in response to care, it gives a tasty and healthy drink.

What is contraindicated with proper care:

A tightly closed jar or other container. Bacteria and yeasts need to breathe. Without access to oxygen, they die.
Hot water. Bacteria and yeast die in boiling water and just hot water(like other living organisms, protein structures). Therefore, before adding the mushroom to tea, it is cooled to room temperature.
Sugar - a colony of microorganisms feeds on sugar dissolved in water. If you pour sugar directly on the surface of the mushroom, burns (holes, depressions) will appear.
The sun's rays - heat up the liquid in which the mushroom floats, and this leads to the partial death of its colony. Therefore, you can not keep it on a sunny windowsill.
Metal containers without enamel, ceramic surfaces. The fungus must be stored only in containers made of inert material (glass jars).
Smoke of cigarettes. In rooms where they often smoke, the medusa fungus is covered with mold.

A fungus or a colony of microorganisms must be stored in a glass container, under a gauze bandage, in a darkened corner of the kitchen. An indicator of the health of the colony is the position of the "jellyfish" on the surface of the liquid. If the medusomycete does not float for a long time, it is necessary to inspect it and remove the dead layers.

Like any living creature, a jellyfish colony needs periodic washing. The mushroom is rinsed 1 time in 7-10 days in clean cool water. To do this, the medusomycete is taken out of the container with tea, placed in an enameled dish (bowl, pan), into which water is poured and drained several times. After that, the mushroom is inspected for old yellow layers(if they exist, delete them). The washed mushroom is placed back in a jar of brewed sweet tea.

Where to get or how to make kombucha

Where to get kombucha? And is it possible to grow it at home without having a donor colony? It turns out yes. If there is no person in your circle of acquaintances who could offer you a mushroom, grow it yourself on the basis of ordinary tea leaves and sugar. How to grow kombucha at home?

To grow a colony, ordinary leaf tea leaves without aromatic additives are needed.
We prepare a glass container (jar) - wash it with soda or mustard (you cannot wash it with synthetic degreasers, they leave a mark on the surface and do not allow microorganisms to gather in colonies).
For half a liter of boiling water, take 5 tablespoons of tea leaves and 7 tablespoons of sugar. Brewed, cooled and filtered. Pour into glass jar. Cover with gauze on top.
After 7-10 days, the smell of vinegar appears. After it passes, and a thin film of mucus forms on the surface. This is the germ of the future fungus. The time required for the formation of a primary colony is 1.5-2 months.

For growing kombucha, you can also use green tea, rosehip broth, sweet compote.

Growing kombucha at home is available to everyone. The cultivation technology is simple and accessible even to a child. The finished colony is a thin film of living bacteria that will eventually grow into a large mushroom and bring you health. In order for it to bring you only benefit, you can not use the old sour drink.

The peak of popularity of kombucha falls on the beginning of the 80s. Then this miracle product, and as such it was recognized by both the people and medicine, was present in almost every family. And no one considered the incredible consumption of sugar and tea, since the panacea for all diseases was worth such sacrifices. Over time, he went into oblivion, and was replaced by various dietary supplements. But everything is returning to normal, and today there is again increased interest and demand for kombucha.

Kombucha Features

Official medicine has proven that kombucha (aka kombucha, medusomycete) really has therapeutic and prophylactic properties and can become an alternative to expensive pharmaceuticals. The unusual taste of the drink increases the tone of the body, gives strength and vigor, and, in addition, successfully fights various diseases.

The popularity of kombucha is also explained by unpretentiousness. Create the minimum conditions for it, the necessary nutrient medium in the form of sweet tea, and it will grow and develop very rapidly.

The biological origin of the puff jellyfish is due to the community of living cultures such as bacteria and yeast. In the course of the vital activity of organisms so different in nature and other characteristics, sweet tea is transformed into a sour drink that has a number of healing properties:

the risk of cancer is reduced;
the protective function of the liver increases;
the metabolism of the body is normalized and the process of purification from toxic substances is activated;
the intestinal microflora is restored;
the level of cholesterol decreases;
activities are normalized cardiovascular systems s and blood pressure;
improves the activity of the gastrointestinal tract;
increases the activity of the musculoskeletal system.

And this is not the whole list of advantages of kombucha. A drink saturated with organic acids, vitamins, enzymes and trace elements helps to reduce weight. It quenches thirst, dulls the feeling of hunger, but does not replace the daily diet of food intake. In combination with fractional and balanced diet Kombucha is an aid in weight loss. The use of kombucha, as in other therapeutic and prophylactic cases, should be regular.

Indications for use

Based on research on the properties of the tea product, it is recommended as one of the means to help recovery in the following diseases:

ARI, influenza, tonsillitis;
scarlet fever;
diseases of the ear, throat, nose;
viral eye infections;
problems with the liver or gallbladder;
dysentery;
tonsillitis;
diphtheria.

A tonic drink can simultaneously serve as a diuretic and choleretic agent. It also helps with hypertension, hair loss, nail fungus and various cosmetic procedures.

Contraindications

Not everyone is allowed to use kombucha. For a certain category, there are contraindications: with increased acidity of the stomach, patients diabetes, for drivers, only a fresh tea drink is allowed, and those who have problems with fungal diseases should refrain.

The process of growing kombucha at home is simple, but requires accuracy and consistency. The procedure itself takes about a month and a half, so patience and time will be needed.

Growing kombucha from tea leaves

It is advisable to prepare a glass jar with a volume of 3-5 liters, wash it well with the addition of soda and leave to dry naturally.
To prepare the nutrient solution in a separate container, 3 tsp. green or black brewed tea pour 1 liter of boiling water and leave for 15 minutes. Drain, add 5 tbsp. granulated sugar and chill.
Pour the cooled tea into a prepared jar and place in a warm but dark place.
Cover the neck of the glass container with a piece of gauze and tie with a braid or fix with an elastic band. Periodically, it is necessary to open for a short time to replenish the liquid with oxygen.
After four days, you will notice a thin film on the surface - this is the beginning of the birth of kombucha.
After 10-20 days, the contents of the can lighten up, a sour smell appears, and the film increases in size.
By the end of the process, a mobile thickened substance is already formed on the surface. The formed kombucha is transferred to a clean container and a new nutrient solution is prepared, with which it is poured.
The drink in the first jar is ready, it must be filtered and stored in a cool place so that the fermentation process stops. And the infusion of the second jar can already be consumed after 5-7 days.

The grown jellyfish is unpretentious, but requires care, cleanliness and lack of bright light.

Growing from wild rose
Rosehips themselves are saturated with vitamins, and a drink made from them is a godsend for improving immunity, preventing viral diseases and other disruptions in the body.

Select dense, evenly colored fruits, rinse, dry a little and chop. 6 art. l. pour into a clean thermos, pour boiling water in a volume of 0.6 liters. Close and put for 6 days. Then strain and pour into three-liter jar, adding there the tea solution, which is prepared in the following proportion: 1 tbsp. l. tea, 5 tbsp. l. sugar, and steep boiling water in a volume of 220 ml. Place gauze on the neck of the container and leave in a warm, dark place. Then repeat the previous method.

You can independently grow a jellyfish from homemade vinegar own cooking.

washed up sour apples dry and grate with a core on a coarse grater. fruit puree(approximately 400 gr) put in clean jar and pour cold boiled water. Add 150 g honey and 15 g yeast. After that, the container remains open, it must be placed in a dark place. The mass should be stirred daily.

Ten days later applesauce it is necessary to squeeze through several layers of gauze, and pour the resulting liquid into a clean jar, cover with a thin cloth and leave for 1.5-2 months for fermentation.

At the final stage, the liquid becomes lighter, and a multi-layered jellyfish grows on its surface. It is transferred to a clean bowl with sweet tea and then according to the usual scheme.

Kombucha on beer
Mix 100 ml live beer, 10 ml wine vinegar, 5 grams of sugar. Pour the mixture into a container, cover the neck, and put in a warm place until a film forms on the surface. When it is 2 mm thick, then move it to a bowl with sweet tea. A week later, the drink is ready.

These methods are for those who are just starting to master the art of growing kombucha. For those who are more fortunate and have shared a piece with them already finished product the process is greatly simplified. And if you connect fantasy, then healing qualities medusomycetes increase significantly.

Herbal kombucha
The preparation scheme is standard, and herbal collection choose according to your disease. Pour 200 grams of herbs with 3 liters of boiling water and leave overnight. Add a little honey to the infusion and place the mushroom in it. A week later, tea-infusion will be obtained. Thus, you can prepare a tonic drink based on hibiscus.

Growing kombucha is part of the task. For its development and reproduction, proper care. An indicator of health, first of all, is buoyancy. If he began to sink to the bottom and does not rise to the surface on his own, it means that he is “ill” and it is time to save him. The optimum temperature should not exceed 25 degrees.

The thickness of the jellyfish should not exceed 4 cm. The excess layer that appears should be carefully separated from the top and laid out in other jars. The lower part is the most productive.

The term of the curative effect of the finished drink is not more than one month. Subsequently, they are lost taste qualities, This will rather vinegar than an invigorating elixir. After keeping the liquid for a week, it is half drained and stored in the refrigerator. And the newly filtered tea kvass is added to the jar. When a new portion is ready, pour the part again and replenish with fresh tea leaves.

The volume of liquid in the tank

During growth, the fungus needs more liquid medium, about 3 liters. And when you pour a drink, make up for the shortage each time by adding liquid. This may be unfinished tea leaves, which are cooled, sweetened per liter of boiling water 2 tbsp. l. sugar and stir until sugar is completely dissolved. Undissolved sugar that has fallen on kombucha is one of the causes of jellyfish disease.

Bath days for kombucha

Every two weeks, the medusomycete must be bathed, carefully removed from the jar. Rinse gently warm water trying not to injure. Then leave for a couple of minutes on a plate to breathe air. Strain the contents of the jar and pour into a clean container. And wash the jar and return the mushroom to it.

The habitat of the fungus itself must be clean, without signs of turbidity, and tea product light color.

Growing kombucha at home does not require special knowledge and abilities. It is enough to adhere to a strict recipe, step by step technology and observe the conditions of its storage.

Video: how to grow kombucha from scratch

Each of us at least once in our lives, but met with such interesting product like kombucha. The Japanese call it sea kale, which looks like a jellyfish with a smooth top and a loose bottom, where the yeast bacteria are located, which are the basis for making tea. Let's talk about how to grow kombucha from scratch today.

Growing kombucha at home

The identity of the person who first raised this unique product. But this became known many thousands of years ago, successfully using it in medicinal and preventive purposes to the present day.

How to grow kombucha at home? There are several recipes for this, but the main and simplest one is, of course, from tea brewing, which is logical, based on the name. It is also grown from rose hips, apple cider vinegar, beer, herbs and a piece of layer, which will be discussed further.

Growing from scratch from tea

To create an optimal nutrient medium for the emergence and cultivation of the fungus, certain components will be required:

glass containers (3 liters), previously cleanly washed with baking soda;
pure (without additives) leaf black tea - 5 small spoons;
granulated sugar - 7 tablespoons;
piece of gauze or bandage.

Fall asleep at teapot prepared amount of tea, insist and add sugar. Pour the tea leaves into the prepared container, which must be strained and tied with gauze or a piece of bandage around the top of the can, placing it in a warm place, protected from direct sunlight.

After some time - from 1 to 2 weeks, you should smell the vinegar from the container. It will disappear after about 7 days, which will indicate the successful formation of the final product.

After a month and a half, you will see a pancake at the top with a mucous base. This is a young kombucha, which must be carefully transferred to another similar container filled with tea leaves (weak).

Growing with apple cider vinegar

Medusomycete (another product name) on apple cider vinegar is grown independently as follows:

Clean and dry apples (sour) are rubbed completely together with the middle with coarse grater. It should be about 400 grams.
The apple mass is placed in a pre-washed three-liter jar and poured with boiled chilled water.
Honey (150 g) and yeast (15 gram pack) are added to the composition.
The container (open) is placed in a dark place with daily stirring of the contents.

Let's figure out how to grow kombucha from scratch at home. I hope the publication will be useful and you will be able to give birth to a tea or kefir mushroom.

Kombucha is also called tea jellyfish or Japanese mushroom. From a biological point of view, it represents a community of microorganisms, including yeast and acetic acid bacteria.

Plan for growing kombucha at home from scratch

Medusomycetes - this is what scientists call the fungus. Outwardly, it resembles a sea jellyfish.

Growing kombucha is easy. Pour half a liter of strong sweet tea into a three-liter jar, cover the neck with a piece of gauze, secure with an elastic band and leave in a warm place for 60 days. The main thing is that the rays of the sun do not fall on the dishes with tea.
During this time, the fungus will not have time to get stronger. Therefore, carefully transfer it to a deep bowl with cooled boiled water and gently wash it. Next, pour cool tea with sugar into a three-liter jar. For a liter of water, take a spoonful of tea leaves. Move the kombucha here, cover the neck again with a piece of gauze and send the container to a warm place. AT summer time the drink is prepared for three days, and in winter period- about a week.

If you cook the tea leaves correctly, the mushroom will float to the surface. If he sank into the liquid, then they made a mistake. Dont be upset. Rinse the mushroom and lower it into a new tea leaves.

A drink made on the basis of kombucha is healthy and tasty. Its reserves are rapidly depleted. Fortunately, this can be prevented by replenishing the supply of fluid, which is required for the normal growth and development of the tea jellyfish. It is allowed to add the used tea leaves to the container with the mushroom, carefully straining it.
To make the mushroom feel normal, wash it every two decades in boiled water. Replace the infusion remaining in the jar with freshly prepared tea solution and lower the mushroom into it. Constantly make sure that the infusion does not become cloudy, otherwise the mushroom will begin to exfoliate and deteriorate, and the infusion will lose medicinal qualities and taste properties.
Equally important are the conditions for keeping the fungus. I recommend keeping the container with the mushroom in a dark place at a temperature of 20-25 degrees. Remember, at low temperature regime or in the sun, the fungus dies. Already at seventeen degrees of heat, development and growth stops, and the surface is covered with dark algae.
I advise you to use two glass containers during care. In one hold the mushroom, and in the second - a drink. Drain the infusion every 72 hours in summer, and in winter - after five days. The best place I think the refrigerator is for storing drinks.
Make sure that the thickness of the mushroom does not exceed 4 cm. Feel free to remove the top layer and lower it into other containers. The lower dark layers are considered the most useful and productive.
To enrich the drink, use healing herbs, including: plantain, blackberry, nettle, birch, wild rose and strawberry. Suitable for brewing green tea.
The largest number useful substances in a drink, the age of which does not exceed 1 month. Further, it becomes vinegar, undrinkable, but in this form it is suitable for use in medicinal and cosmetic purposes.
After a week of exposure, the infusion begins to ferment a little and acquires an alcoholic effect. Pour off half of the liquid, put it in the refrigerator for storage and use it, and add a little strained tea solution. Repeat the process in the future.

Video tips

By following the generally accepted rules and listening to the advice, you will make a tasty and healthy drink that will help you cope with thirst and eliminate ailments.

Useful properties of kombucha

Unique properties have helped kombucha gain unheard of popularity. Its healing power is used to fight many diseases, support the body, as part of skin and hair care.

Assistant in the fight against excess weight. A drug made on its basis stimulates metabolism, eliminates excess fluids and salts, and helps speed up metabolism in tissues and cells.
It acts as an excellent natural antioxidant and is characterized by exceptional anti-inflammatory properties. The mushroom is used in the treatment of bacterial and infectious lesions of the body - intestinal infections, conjunctivitis, influenza.
Thanks to useful qualities mushroom is used in cosmetology. It helps to fight effectively acne, furunculosis, fungal infections of the skin and nails.
It boasts kombucha and painkillers. Its infusion is used to moisturize the skin for burns or to rinse with toothache.
It is also used to prevent rheumatism, arthritis and atherosclerosis. Medicinal nectar helps cleanse the kidneys of small stones and sand and has a diuretic effect.
Tea jellyfish dulls headaches and helps to normalize work digestive system. It also has a positive effect on the nervous system.

I advise you to take a drink during periods of life, accompanied by intense mental activity. The composition includes caffeine, which has the same invigorating and tonic effect on the body as coffee.

Contraindications

Exploring the Internet in search of any hazards related to kombucha, I could not find them. I have compiled a list of restrictions and rules that are recommended to adhere to when drinking a drink.

Not recommended for people who are diabetic or obese. The elixir contains honey or sugar in in large numbers.
Contraindicated in people with fungal diseases due to sugar, except for the mushroom that has fermented. In this form, it enhances the body's defenses and resists fungal infection.
Persons with high acidity are allowed to use an infusion based on black tea with the addition of honey. The bee product neutralizes the acidic component of the drink.
The concentrated solution is not recommended for use. The liquid obtained from kombucha proper cooking has a wonderful taste and easily copes with thirst. If the mushroom is overexposed, you get a solution resembling apple cider vinegar. .
When preparing a drink, do not use substitutes instead of sugar. It will not work to hold kombucha. Some recipes involve the use of honey, but the taste of the finished drink is different from the original.

How to grow kefir mushroom

All living things are interesting and amazing. If some forms of life are understandable and familiar, others are an absolute mystery. The list of such mysterious organisms includes kefir fungus.

In this part of the article I will consider the technique of growing kefir mushroom at home and tell you the rules of care and useful properties. The origin of the milk fungus, as it is often called, is not clear, since in nature there are no natural conditions for normal life and breeding.

Scientists conducted a lot of research, but they never found water in nature, which in composition at least slightly corresponded to the composition of the habitat of kefir fungus. The conclusion is that it was created artificially.

According to legend, kefir mushroom appeared in a Tibetan monastery, whose inhabitants ate bread and milk. In some cases, milk was fermented, but in different containers with different results. In dishes that were washed with water from a stagnant source, curdled milk was obtained with mild taste, which has a beneficial effect on the intestines. White dense lumps appeared in poorly washed containers.

None of the scientists did a thorough study of the kefir organism. Only enthusiasts paid attention to the issue. There is an opinion that kefir mushroom is endowed with unique properties, which are indispensable in the treatment of the endocrine, digestive and cardiovascular systems.

Step-by-step instruction

First of all, get kefir mushroom. In perfect condition, it is characterized by a white color and the absence of mucus. By appearance recalls cauliflower.
To prepare the drink, create an environment in which the kefir fungus can grow and multiply normally. Feed him milk daily.
Filter the finished infusion, as lumps separate from the body during growth. Give them to friends who want to grow milk mushroom and make it your hobby.
Filtered kefir is suitable for consumption, and I advise you to rinse the mushroom. Without water procedures, it will turn yellow, become covered with mucus and disappear.
For one glass of milk, take a mushroom that is slightly larger quail egg. After 20 hours, you will get a ready-made drink.

Video instruction

Kefir prepared on the basis of a mushroom is drunk in courses with long breaks. Therefore, the biggest problem is considered to be the preservation of the fungus. All my attempts have ended in failure.

Useful properties of kefir mushroom

There are many drinking mushrooms, including kefir. Drinks made on its basis are tasty, healthy and slow down cell aging. No wonder it is called the elixir of youth.

Restoration of intestinal microflora . The food people eat is chemically processed and contains many unnatural additives. Toxins accumulate in the intestines, which, together with the blood, are carried at lightning speed throughout the body, and this is fraught with diseases and premature aging. Kefir based on a Tibetan mushroom helps to normalize the intestinal microflora and eliminate toxic products.
Antibiotic of natural origin . deal with negative impact synthetic drugs used in the treatment of bronchitis and coughs will cleanse the body of toxic substances and toxins.
Source of nutrients, elements and vitamins . Helps to strengthen the immune system and restore the intestinal microflora.
Wide spectrum useful properties . Cleans blood vessels, normalizes blood pressure, relieves inflammation, increases bile secretion, breaks down fats,