APPLE KOMBUCHA
Makes: 2 litres
4 lbs 7 oz (2 kg) unfiltered apple juice
7 oz (200 g) unpasteurized kombucha (or the liquid that comes with a packaged SCOBY ) 1 SCOBY (see note)
Equipment notes:
1. You’ll need a glass or plastic container of at least 10-cup (2.5-L) capacity. Don’t use metal containers — they can react negatively with the acid in the kombucha; plus, you won’t be able to see what’s going on inside. You’ll also need a breathable kitchen towel to cover the vessel, and larger rubber bands to secure it. The SCOBY is best handled while wearing nitrile or latex gloves.
2. Pour the apple juice into the fermentation vessel. Backslop (see note) by stirring in the unpasteurized kombucha. Wearing gloves, carefully place the SCOBY into the liquid.
3. Cover the top of the fermentation vessel with cheesecloth or a breathable kitchen towel and secure it with a rubber band. Label the kombucha and set it in a warm place.
4. Leave the kombucha to ferment, tracking its progress each day. Make sure the top of the SCOBY doesn’t dry out; use a ladle to moisten it with some of the liquid if necessary.
5. Once you’re happy with the flavour of your kombucha — probably between 7 and 10 days from the start — transfer the SCOBY to a container for storage and strain the kombucha. Consume immediately or refrigerate, freeze, or bottle it.
Note: As the microbes perform their work, they form a visible raft called a SCOBY (Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast; a.k.a. kombucha “mother”). You can purchase SCOBYs online or at natural foods and homebrew shops.
Backslopping preps microbial environments for fermentation by giving them a boost of beneficial microbes — a dose from a previous batch of that same ferment.
SUGGESTED USES: Apple kombucha herb tonic
Blending apple kombucha with fresh herbs infuses the liquid with ethereal aromatic qualities. For example, find young Douglas fir branches to make a brisk apple-pine tonic. Whirr 1 oz (25 g) fresh fir needles with
18 oz (500 g) apple kombucha in a blender, strain and serve.
But you can also find plenty of suitable dance partners for apple kombucha at your local market. Use a stand blender to whirr half a bunch of basil or 0.5 oz (10 g) picked rosemary needles with 18 oz (500 g) apple kombucha. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve for an invigorating pick-me-up.
Apple-vegetable smoothie
Blending cooked vegetables with fruit kombuchas is absolutely delicious (and also a great way to sneak more vegetables into your kids’ diets). Good matches for apple kombucha include spinach, sorrel, cabbage or baked beets. Because the vegetables are so full of fibre, they will thicken up in a blender nicely. Aim for a 4:1 ratio of kombucha to vegetable, and blend for at least a minute before passing it through a fine-mesh sieve and serving.