{"id":853,"date":"2017-06-30T09:00:03","date_gmt":"2017-06-30T13:00:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?p=853"},"modified":"2017-06-26T13:17:33","modified_gmt":"2017-06-26T17:17:33","slug":"fun-with-fermentation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?p=853","title":{"rendered":"Fun with Fermentation"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1>The Power of Kombucha<\/h1>\n<p><em>By Holly Lowery | Photography by <a href=\"http:\/\/mgjohnsonphotography.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Mary Grace Johnson\u00a0<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<p>\u201cKam-boocha.\u201d \u201cKom-booka.\u201d \u201cKoom-baka.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Despite the fact that most people have a hard time pronouncing kombucha (come-booch-uh, for the record), that hasn\u2019t stopped the drink from making an appearance in an increasing number of households lately.<\/p>\n<p>So why all the fuss?<\/p>\n<p>Kombucha is a great source for your daily dose of probiotics. Probiotics are a combination of bacteria and yeast that keeps your digestive system working at its peak. They\u2019re essentially a tune-up for your gut. Having a healthy gut has been linked to improved immunity, decreased inflammation in the gut and even improvement in mood. And the process of fermentation actually makes digesting your food more comfortable and efficient.<\/p>\n<p>Kombucha is fermented sweet tea, made by combining sweet black tea with a symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast (SCOBY), and left to aerobically ferment \u2014 meaning the tea is exposed to oxygen during the fermentation process. The yeasts convert the sugar into alcohol, and the bacteria turn the alcohol into more beneficial bacteria. After two fermentation phases, you\u2019re left with a sweet, tart, probiotic-rich drink.<\/p>\n<p>If the health perks aren\u2019t convincing enough, maybe you\u2019ll be swayed by the infinite combinations of flavors and uses. For example, one of the most popular flavor combinations I\u2019ve tested amongst friends is a maple-lavender kombucha. The sweet, floral qualities are refreshing on their own, or served in the evening as a cocktail mixer with some gin and fresh lavender sprigs.<\/p>\n<p>My favorite way to get my hands on kombucha is home-fermentation, because it allows me to experiment with final additional flavors, and also with the first fermentation process, which determines the balance of sweetness and acidity.<\/p>\n<p>To make your own kombucha, you\u2019ll need:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Fermentation vessel (preferably glass)<\/li>\n<li>Tight-knit cloth or coffee filter<\/li>\n<li>Rubber band<\/li>\n<li>1 gallon low mineral water<\/li>\n<li>1 oz black tea<\/li>\n<li>1 c sugar<\/li>\n<li>SCOBY<\/li>\n<li>1 c plain kombucha<\/li>\n<li>A warm, dark place (70 to 75 degrees)<\/li>\n<li>Bottles with plastic lids<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The process (yields 1 gallon):<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Combine the water with tea and sugar. Let steep for at least one hour.<\/li>\n<li>When tea has cooled to room temperature, pour into your fermentation vessel (1 gallon glass jars work well, as you can later seal them in the second fermentation stage), leaving enough room for your SCOBY and plain kombucha.<\/li>\n<li>Add the plain kombucha. It acts as \u201cstarter liquid,\u201d giving the yeast a boost and triggering it to start producing alcohol.<\/li>\n<li>With clean hands, add your SCOBY to the tea\/kombucha\u00a0mixture. It might not sit on top; this is completely normal and will probably change as fermentation continues.<\/li>\n<li>Cover the vessel with a cloth or coffee filter, and secure with a rubber band. This is extremely important, especially in the summer months, so as not to attract fruit flies. Kombucha needs oxygen to produce bacteria, which is why the cloth is essential in this phase of fermentation. It allows the oxygen to get in, without letting in any other harmful substances or critters.<\/li>\n<li>Place your batch somewhere warm and away from sunlight. Kombucha thrives at around 70 to 75 degrees, which makes it perfect to brew in the summer heat. Leave the batch for six to seven days. At the six-day mark, begin taste-testing to see if it\u2019s reached your desired balance of sweet and tart.<\/li>\n<li>Once it tastes good to you, remove the SCOBY and reserve 1 cup of starter liquid for your next batch.<\/li>\n<li>Add your final flavors to this batch.<\/li>\n<li>To carbonate, add a bit of sugar, either in the form of juice, cane or fruit sugar. This will reignite the yeast and create carbonation during this second stage.<\/li>\n<li>Seal your fermentation vessel with a plastic lid. If you want to transfer your batch into separate bottles, do that now. Seal them with a lid to trap in the CO2, and let sit for another two to three days.<\/li>\n<li>While this batch is finishing, you can start a fresh batch with your leftover starter liquid and SCOBY. Repeat steps 1 through 7 to create a continual supply of kombucha.<\/li>\n<li>You can keep your kombucha in the fridge for upwards of one month. After that, it\u2019s still safe to consume, but will taste more like vinegar the longer it sits.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Enjoy! <em>SWM <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.hollylowery.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Holly Lowery<\/a> is a Syracuse-based health coach. She and her brewing partners are in the midst of developing a microbrewery and taproom in the downtown Syracuse area. Keep watch this fall for the KTTL Storehouse &amp; Fermentory taproom to experience their lineup of raw kombucha, kombucha beer, craft beer and fermented food offerings.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Power of Kombucha By Holly Lowery | Photography by Mary Grace Johnson\u00a0 \u201cKam-boocha.\u201d \u201cKom-booka.\u201d \u201cKoom-baka.\u201d Despite the fact that most people have a hard time pronouncing kombucha (come-booch-uh, for the record), that hasn\u2019t stopped the drink from making an appearance in an increasing number of households lately. So why all the fuss? Kombucha is&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":892,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[99],"tags":[278,264,135,263,279,280,262],"class_list":["post-853","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","tag-fermentation","tag-food-wine-edition","tag-holly-lowery","tag-july-2017","tag-kombucha","tag-kttl-storehouse-fermentory","tag-syracuse-woman-magazine"],"gutentor_comment":0,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Holly-1.jpg?fit=5218%2C3483&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2749,"url":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?p=2749","url_meta":{"origin":853,"position":0},"title":"FITNESS FORUM: The influence of gut bacteria on mental health","author":"Staff","date":"January 3, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"By Christie Donato In just the past few years fermented foods and beverages have made a big comeback. Kombucha, sauerkraut, miso, kimchi, kefir and other fermented options from across the globe have officially gone mainstream, making their way into both professional and home kitchens everywhere. It should come as no\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Features&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Features","link":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?cat=101"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/gut-health.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/gut-health.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/gut-health.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/gut-health.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/gut-health.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1278,"url":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?p=1278","url_meta":{"origin":853,"position":1},"title":"How to Eat for the Holidays","author":"Staff","date":"December 1, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Staying Happy, Healthy and Sane Amidst the Chaos By Holly Lowery | Photography by Mary Grace Johnson\u00a0 You\u2019re likely reading this article during some form of holiday madness. There\u2019s always something to be doing \u2014 shopping, wrapping, planning, socializing with out-of-towners, baking, decorating \u2014 on top of your normal responsibilities.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Food&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Food","link":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?cat=102"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/Holly-8.jpg?fit=1200%2C801&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/Holly-8.jpg?fit=1200%2C801&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/Holly-8.jpg?fit=1200%2C801&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/Holly-8.jpg?fit=1200%2C801&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/Holly-8.jpg?fit=1200%2C801&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":526,"url":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?p=526","url_meta":{"origin":853,"position":2},"title":"Escaping the Diet Culture","author":"Staff","date":"February 27, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Dropping Thin Aspirations By Holly Lowery\u00a0 Have you ever wondered when your desire to lose weight began? It might be easy to blame parents or mentors for their role in \u201cunhealthy\u201d habits, but culture\u2019s drive to be thin started before our parents\u2019 parents had their own struggles with food and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Health&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Health","link":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?cat=126"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/Z_special-feature_0317_ONLINE.jpg?fit=1200%2C762&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/Z_special-feature_0317_ONLINE.jpg?fit=1200%2C762&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/Z_special-feature_0317_ONLINE.jpg?fit=1200%2C762&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/Z_special-feature_0317_ONLINE.jpg?fit=1200%2C762&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/Z_special-feature_0317_ONLINE.jpg?fit=1200%2C762&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2864,"url":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?p=2864","url_meta":{"origin":853,"position":3},"title":"SELF-CARE Ophelia\u2019s Place carries a message of self-empowerment","author":"Staff","date":"March 3, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"By Nichole A. Cavallaro \u00a0 When I think of empowerment, I think of the sparkle or magic each of us is born with, and whether or not that magic was harvested into a brilliant, healthy autonomy that we carry throughout life. Sometimes it isn\u2019t, sometimes it is, sometimes it\u2019s a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Causes&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Causes","link":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?cat=104"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/ophelia.png?fit=1200%2C400&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/ophelia.png?fit=1200%2C400&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/ophelia.png?fit=1200%2C400&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/ophelia.png?fit=1200%2C400&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/ophelia.png?fit=1200%2C400&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3813,"url":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?p=3813","url_meta":{"origin":853,"position":4},"title":"Inspire: Lauren Miter &#8211; Teacher travels to Kenya to raise autism awareness\u00a0","author":"syracusewomanmag_c4lfdt","date":"December 1, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"By Janelle Davis\u00a0 \u00a0 Lauren Miter, special education teacher at Elmcrest Elementary in the Liverpool district, recently returned from a journey to Kenya, Africa for the Global Autism Project. Her time in Kenya lasted two weeks, during which she collaborated with team members, local educators, families, and children to build\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Special Feature&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Special Feature","link":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?cat=4"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/image_123650291-1.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/image_123650291-1.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/image_123650291-1.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/image_123650291-1.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":293,"url":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?p=293","url_meta":{"origin":853,"position":5},"title":"All Who Wander","author":"Staff","date":"January 26, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Getting Crafty in the Suburbs By Hayleigh Gowans | Photography by Steven J. Pallone Long-time friends and natives of Liverpool, Dan Chapman and Joe Ori have been lovers of craft beer for some time \u2014 and recently the pair opened a new bar in Manlius in the hopes of bringing\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Featured&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Featured","link":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?cat=99"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Platter-Chatter_0217_online.jpg?fit=1200%2C799&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Platter-Chatter_0217_online.jpg?fit=1200%2C799&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Platter-Chatter_0217_online.jpg?fit=1200%2C799&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Platter-Chatter_0217_online.jpg?fit=1200%2C799&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Platter-Chatter_0217_online.jpg?fit=1200%2C799&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/853","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=853"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/853\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":893,"href":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/853\/revisions\/893"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/892"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=853"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=853"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=853"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}