36- Getting Started with Homemade Kombucha€¦ · Not make cultures, but make kombucha at home and...

Copyright © 2017 Wellness Mama · All Rights Reserved

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Episode36:GettingStartedwithHomemade

Kombucha


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Katie:Hi,andwelcometotheWellnessMamaPodcast.I'mKatiefromwellnessmama.com.Today,IactuallyhaveseveralinterestingfactsofthedayforyoubecauseIcouldn'tchoosejustone.They'reallaboutbacteriaanditsunusualroleinourlives.Humanbreastmilkcontainssugarsthatareactuallyintendedtofeedtheintestinalbacteriaofthebabyratherthanthebabyitself,whichisoneofthemanyreasonsthatwearejustlearningtounderstandbreastmilk.Otherwaysthatbacteriaareusedinhelpfulways,totreatbladdercancer.Oneofthelesser-knownmethodsoftreatmentaspracticedbydoctorsistoinjectweakenedbovinetuberculosisbacteriaintotheurethra.Thesubsequentimmunereactiondestroysthecancercells.Thistreatmenthasbeenshowntobemoreeffectivethanchemotherapy.Otherwaysthatbacteriaishelpful?Earwaxhasantimicrobialpropertiesthatreducetheviabilityofbacteriaandfungusinthehumanear,whichI'vealwaysthoughtinterestingbecauseI'venoticed,wheneverIuseQ-tipstoomuchandcleanmyearstoomuch,IwouldoftengetanearinfectionwhenIwasyounger.Andfinally,millionsofpeopledon'tactuallyneedtousedeodorant,especiallypeopleofEastAsiandescent,becausetheyhaveagenecalledABCC11thatstopsthemfromproducingsweatthatattractsbodyodorcausingbacteria.Andironically,thesearepeoplewithdryearwaxwhotypicallyhavethisparticulargene.Soasyoumayhaveguessed,we'regoingtobetalkingalotaboutbacteriatodaybecausetoday'sguestisHannahofkombuchakamp.com.Hannahstartedteachingothershowtobrewkombuchain2004.AndasdemandforherclassesandherSCOBYsgrew,KombuchaKampwasborn.Sheisnowamasterbrewer,abacterialfarmer,andconsideredoneofthecountry'sforemostexpertsonkombucha.Hervideosandtutorialshavebeenviewedbyhundredsofthousands,andHannahhasbeenfeaturedonT.V.showsforherkombucha.Shealsoinstallslarge-scalekombuchasetupsintorestaurantsandotherbigvenues.Sheandherhusband,Alex,areworkingona400-plus-pagebookabouteverythingkombucha,andthatwillbeavailablenextyear.Hannahalsospeaksmultiplelanguages,hastraveledtooveradozencountries,andisadearfriendofmine.Beforewejumpinthough,Iwantedtoquicklytellyouaboutthegeneroussponsorofthispodcast,acompanythatIpersonallysupportandwhoseproductsIusedaily.VitalProteinsofferspatchedarraysandreallyhigh-qualitycollagenandgelatinpowders.Ifyouaren'tfamiliarwiththebenefitsofcollagenandgelatin,theyareexcellentforskinhealth,digestivehealth,andsomuchmore.AndI'vebeenusingoneorbothoftheseforyearstokeepmyskinhealthyandsmooth,tospeedrecoveryafterchildbirth,tohelpimprovemyownguthealth,andaspartoftheprotocolthatweusetoreversemyson'sdairyallergy,andsomuchmore.Andtheirsponsorshipmakesitpossibleformetokeepdoingthispodcasteachweekandhavingiteditedandeverythingelse.AndIwouldhighlyrecommendthatyougocheckthemoutatwellnessmama.com/go/gelatin.Now,withoutfurtherado,let'sjumprightintotheinterview.Hannah,welcome.Thankyouforbeinghere.Hannah:Thanks,Katie.Soexcitedtotalkkombuchawithanotherkombuchaloverlikeyourself.Katie:Metoo.Let'sjumprightin.So,obviously,Ithinksomeonewouldprettymuchhavetobelivinginacavetohavemissedhowpopularkombuchaisanymore.Ievencanfinditinoursmalltowninthegrocerystore,whichisawesome.Butforanyonewhosomehowmissedthisdramaticriseinpopularityofkombucha,canyouexplainwhatkombuchaisandwhyit'sbeneficial?Hannah:Absolutely.Soweallknowwhatyogurtis,right?It'smilkthat'sbeenculturedwithaculture's


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differentstrainsofbacteriatocreateadifferenttypeofproduct.Andkombuchaisthesametypeofthing,exceptinsteadofculturingmilk,we'reculturingtea.Soweaddastarterculturetoit,whichwecallaSCOBY.That'sanacronymforsymbioticcultureofbacteriaandyeast.Sothebenefittokombuchaisthatitnotonlycontainsallofthehealthyelementspresentintheyeast,butthenyoualsohavebeneficialbacteriathatcreatehealthyacidsthatsupportproperliverfunctioning,detoxification,andjustreallyhelpspeoplefeelgood,whichiswhatwehearthemostfrompeoplewhodrinkkombucha.Katie:Awesome.Andmaybecanyougiveusalittlebitofabackstory.YourunacompanycalledKombuchaKamp,andyouguysactuallyproducealotofkombuchaSCOBYsandkombuchasuppliesforpeople.Canyouexplainthatalittlebit?Hannah:Absolutely.SoKombuchaKamp,KampwithaK,startedwhenIwasinspiredinaclasstoteachothershowtomakekombucha.Thatwasbackin2004beforekombuchawasnearlyaspopularasitisnow.Andmyhusband,atthattime,waslike,"You'recrazy.It'ssoeasy,teaandsugar."But,youknow,we'vekindoffallenoutofthehabitoffermentingfoodsathome.AndsotheSCOBY,well,it'sawonderfulorganism.Lookskindofweird.It'skindoflikehavingapetinyourhouse,andyou'relike,"Oh,no,I'mgonnamessthisup,orIdon'tknowwhattodo."Soreally,KombuchaKampstartedasawaytoeducatepeopleonhoweasyandsafeitistomakeculturesathome.Notmakecultures,butmakekombuchaathomeandotherfermentedfoods.Sothatstartedasaworkshopinmyhome.In2007,Istartedablog,again,justtoputqualityinformationaboutkombuchaoutthere.Youknow,ifyougotosomewebsites,they'lltrytoscareyouandlike,"Oh,it'sdangerous.Don'tmakethisathome."Youknow,it'snomoredangerousthananyotherfoodthatyou'remakingathome.Soifyoupreparechickenandyoudon'tprepareitcorrectly,yeah,youcouldgiveyourfamilySalmonellaandthatwouldn'tbecool.Butjustlikeanythingweprepareathome,providedwe'refollowingournormalsanitationpractices,it'sgonnabeverysafeandeasytodo.Sothen,afterIhadthebloggoingupforawhile,peoplekeptasking,"Hey,doyouhaveaculture?Doyouhavethis?"Anditbecameveryclearfrompeople'srequeststhattherewasalsoaneedfornotonlyqualityinformation,butqualitysupplies.Andthat'swhenIbecameabacteriafarmer.So,AlexandI,he'smypartner.We'vebeen,youknow,farmingbacteriaformanyyearsnowandweshipqualityculturesallovertheworld.We'vealsoinventedseveralproductstohelpsupportthebrewinghobby.Sowehaveourheatersthatweusetomaintaintheappropriatetemperatureforkombucha.We'vegotareallyneatonethatjustcameoutthat'sgottathermostatonit,soyoucanliterallyjusttapinthetemperatureyouwantittostayatandit'lldothat.Andthey'renotonlygoodforkombucha.They'regreatforyourotherfermentsthatneedtobekeptwarm.Soifyou'remakingdoughoryogurtorkefir,allofthesecanbehelpedalongwiththeirappropriatetemperaturewiththatunit.So,sufficetosayweareallaboutkombucha.Wereallyloveit.Andweloveeducatingpeopleabouthowterrificandeasyitistomakeitathome.Iknowyoumakeit.Haveyoufoundittobefairlyeasy?Katie:Yeah,absolutely.Ikindofhadthesameexperience.ItseemedalittlebitdauntingwhenIfirststartedjustbecausethereisthiskindofstrange-lookingthingonmycounterthatsmelledalittleweirdatfirstandIwasafraidIwasgonnakillit.Butreally,nowit'sjustlikeaonce-a-weekeasyprocess.Andactually,nowwe'reonacontinuousbatchferment.Soit'sreallynotanyworkatall.Icanjustdrainoutwhatweneedanaddmoreteaandit'sverysimple.Butyoumentionedotherfermentedproductsaswell.Sohowdoeskombuchadifferfromlikekefir-kefir?However,there'sadebatethere,orthingslikekvass.Dotheyhavedifferentbenefitsatdifferentcultures?Orwhat'sthedifferenceandwhat'ssimilar?


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Hannah:Absolutely.Sokombuchaisanaceticacidferment.Andyoumightknowthattermfromyourvinegarbottle.Kombuchaisverysimilartovinegar.And,infact,wecouldthinkofitkindoflikeamildteavinegar.Mostvinegarsaregonnacomeinat4%to7%,andthat'sdiluteddowntothatratio.Kombuchaisnaturallyarounda1%.Soit'saloteasiertodrinkkombuchathanvinegar.Butallofthebenefitsthatcomewithvinegar,youcanalsoimaginearetherewithkombucha.Intermsofkefir-kefir,tomato-tomato,orkvass,thosearewhatwecalllacto-ferments,andtheytendtohavelactobacillusasamoredominantbacteria.Althoughwhilethat'strueinmilkkefir,waterkefiractuallyhasothertypesoforganismsthataredominant,astheculturesarenotactuallyrelated.They'retwodifferentcultures,buttheybothhavethiskindofsimilarlooktothemintermsoftheirgrains.Butsufficetosay,kvasstooisalsoalacto-fermentwherethebacteriafromthebeetsiswhat'screatingthefermentationprocessifwe'redoingbeetkvassorafruitkvassthat'scomingoffofthefruitpeel.So,thebenefitsaredifferentinthatkombucha'saceticacidnaturealsoleadstothecreationofotherhealthyacids,gluconic,glucuronic,hyaluronic.Alloftheseacidsserveaveryspecificbenefitinthebody,todifferentpartsofthebody.Oneofthemainbenefitsisthatithelpsthelivertomaintainproperfunctioning.Andthen,ofcourse,we'refermentingtea.So,allofthebenefitsknowntoteaarealsomaximized,infact,enhancedthroughthatfermentationprocess.Whereaswithourkefirs,youknow,withthemilkkefir,we'reenhancingthequalitiesofthemilk.We'remakingiteasierforustodigest.We'reallowingthatcalciumandmagnesiumpresentintheretobeeasiertoabsorb.Withthebeetkvass,there'salltheheart-healthyaspectsofbeetsthatwe'remakingevenmorebioavailablethroughthatfermentationprocess.So,weneversayjustdrinkoneferment.Drinkalltheferments.Youwannahaveahugevarietyoffermentedfoodsinyourdiet.So,forinstance,wehaveyogurt,sauerkrautwithmostmeals.Inadditiontokombucha,wealsodrinkkefirandjun.Ilovemakingbeetkvass.It'soneofmyfavorite.Igetthatlittlepinkmustache.Youknow,yourguthasover500typesoforganismspotentiallyinthere.Youdon'tknowwhichonesyouneedtomakeyoufeelgreat.Andthat'swhytrustingyourgutorlisteningtothefermentsthatmakeyourbodyfeelgoodissoimportanttoincorporateonaregularbasis.Katie:Yeah,Iabsolutelyagree.Andit'ssofuntoreallyexperimentwithallthedifferentonesaswellandtomaketheminyourownkitchen.Socanyoukindofwalkusthroughtheprocess?Iknownow,havingdoneit,thatbrewingkombuchareallyisasimpleprocess.Butcanyouwalkusthroughthestepsofthatforsomeonewhomaybenewandisalittlemaybeapprehensiveofhowtobrewit?Hannah:Absolutely.AndI'msureyou'llincludealinktoourDIYguideandrecipepage.Soyoudon'thavetotakenoteshere,people.Youcangograbthatinformationthere.Butbasically,we'rebrewingapotofsweettea.Sowebrewapotoftea.Andhere'sthething.We'renotevenusingthesameamountofteapercupaswewereifwewerejustdrinkingbythecup.WhatImeanbythatis,youknow,youtypicallyhaveoneteabagtosixtoeightouncesofwater.Withkombucha,we'reusingfourtosixteabags.And,ofcourse,youcanincreaseordecreaseperyourtastepreference.Butbasically,fourtosixtybagsforanentiregallonofkombucha.So,partofwhyImentionedthathereisbecausesomepeoplehaveconcernsaboutcaffeineandthingslikethat.We'realreadyusinglessteathanwenormallywouldifweweredrinkingitbythecup,andthen,someofthecaffeineisusedinthatfermentationprocess.Okay,nowIjustsidetrackedtheretocaffeine,butletmegetbacktotheprocess.Sowemaketea.Weaddonecupofsugar,whichsoundslikealotofsugar.Andifyouweretotastethissweetteajustonitsown,you'dbelike,"Ohmygosh,that'ssosweet."Thesugarisnotfor


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you.Thesugarisfortheorganisms.Andyoucantellthatbecauseafteryouallowthekombuchatothensitthereforaweekor10days,dependingonyourbrewingconditions,ithasasweet-sourflavorwheremostofwhatpeopletastefirstissour,butIoftenfindthere'slikealittlesweetundertone.It'slikeit'sboththingsatonceinaproperlymadekombucha.Ithasthatgreatbalancebetweenthesweetandthesour.Andthat'sit.Soweputourculturein.Weputouronecupofliquid.Wecoveritwithaclothcover.Wegiveitsomekindwords,somecommunionwithitsotospeakoratleast,that'swhatIliketodo.Andthenwejustleaveitalonefor7to14days,again,dependingonyourtastepreferenceandbrewingconditions.Wecomeback.There'sanewSCOBYontop.Themotherisunderneath.Youknow,itcanfloat.Itcanbeonthebottomofthejar.Itcanbeonitsside.Itdoesn'treallymatterwherethemotherlives.Thenewlayerisalwaysgonnagrowacrossthetop.Soonceyou'vediscoveredthenewlayersthereandyoutasteitandithastheflavoryoulike,you'rereadytojuststartthewholeprocessoveragain.Katie:Awesome.SoImentionedthatI'veexperimentedwithbothofthebrewingmethods,thebatchmethodandthecontinuousmethod.Canyoukindofbreakdowntheprosandconsofeachoneandhowthey'redifferent?Hannah:Absolutely.So,alotofpeoplestartwithbatchbecausethey'rejustkindofgettingthehangofthefermentationprocess.They'remakingsure,"Hey,doIreallylikethis?IsthisahabitI'mgonnakeep?"Andoncetheykindoffigureoutthat,yes,thatisthecase,thencontinuousbrewreallystreamlinesthewholeprocess.Soinabatchbrewwehave,youknow,inourgallon,wehave90%sweettea,10%starterliquidandculture.Andthattakes,again,our7to14daysatouridealtemps,whichare75to85,with78to80beingoursweetspot.Incontinuous,we'redoingitinalargervessel.So,typically,there'sourtwoandahalfgallonsorlarger.Sowemakeoursweetteajustlikewewouldinournormalprocess.Youdoneedtoscalethenumberofculturesandstarterliquidssothatyourbatchdoesn'tgotomold.Partofhowkombuchaprotectsitselfisitacidifiesquickly.SoithasaverylowpH,andit'sthatlowpHthatpreventsotherorganismslikemoldfromcolonizingwiththebrew.Now,itisgonnatakealittlebitlongerforthatfirstbatchtobeready.Itmighttaketwotothreeweeks.Butoncethatfirstbatchisready,insteadofdrainingtheentirevessel,we'reonlyremovingabout25%orinthecaseofatwoandahalfgallonvessel,halfagallon.Onceweremovethathalfagallon,andyoudoitrightthroughthespigot.Soyoudon'tneedanyfunnels.You'renotliftinganyjars.Itjustmakesitaloteasier.Youdecantrightfromthespigotintoyourbottle.Thenyoutopoffwiththehalfagallonofsweettea.Now,Istillmakemytopoffteainone-gallonbatches.I'llusehalfontheCBandthenI'llsticktheotherhalfinthefridgebecausenowwe'veleft75%alreadyfermentedkombuchainthere.Itonlytakesacoupleofdaysforthatsweetteatoturnintothekombuchayoulove.Andwhatarethebenefitsofthat?Sowhatdoesitmatter?ThekombuchacreatesthehealthyacidsImentionedbefore.Theypeakatthe15-daymarkandagain,atthe30-daymark.Now,ifwedidagallonofkombuchafor15days,thatmightbeokay.Butifwediditfor30,formostpeople'stastepreferences,theyjustwouldnotliketheflavorofit.Andsoyou'rekindofshootingyourselfinthefootsotospeakinthatyou'recreatingaproductthat'sreallyhealthy,butthatyoudon'treallycarefor.Sowhenwedoitinthecontinuous,becauseweleavesomuchofthatkombuchafermentinginthereallthetime,itallowsthattocreatethosehealthyacids,butthenwe'retemperingtheflavorwiththatsweettea.Moreover,ifwegoonvacationorwejustneedtotakeabreak,youleaveeverythingaloneinthevessel,it'sinapHprotectedenvironment.ItactskindoflikejustaSCOBYhotel.Then,whenyoureturnandarereadytostartyourkombuchaagain,yousimply


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drainsomeout.Ifit'sverysour,youmightdrainanentiregallonoutorhalfthevessel,andthenyoutopoffwithyoursweettea.Nowyou'rebacktoyourkombuchainjustacoupleofdays.Youdon'thavetowaitawhole7to14daysforanewbatchtobeready.Katie:Yeah,that'sagreatbenefit.Itdefinitelyissosimple.Andyouguyshavesomegreatoptionsforcontinuousbrewaswell.AndI'dlovetotalkaboutevenmorethebenefitsofwhyyoushouldbrewitathomebecauseit'sverywidelyavailablenow.Youcanbuykombucha.Ievenseenitatgasstations.Infact,Irecentlyspentabout$5for16ouncesofitwhileIwastraveling.So,obviously,there'sagoodcost-benefitifyoumakeitathome.Butwhataresomeotherbenefitsofbrewingyourownkombuchaversusjustbuyingitatthestore?Hannah:Well,it'ssimilartothecommercialyogurts.Youknow,wheneveryou'rescalingafermentationproduct,somethingthatpeopletraditionallymadeintheirhomes,ontheircounters,thoseculturesarereallybestsuitedforthosesmallbatchesbecausethat'showtheyevolve.Sowheneveryoutrytoscalesomethingtoalargercommercialproduction,youmayhavetoadjustthewayinwhichyoufermentitinordertoaccommodatethoselargerqualities.Andsometimeswhatthatmeansisthere'sonlyacoupleofstrainspresentasopposedtothefullpanoplyofstrainsthatyou'llfindinakombucha.We'vedonesometestingonours.And,youknow,theymaybepresentinverytraceamounts,butweliterallyhaveover30differenttypesofbacteriathatwefoundinourkombuchaand10or15typesofyeast.Again,theymightbepresentinverysmallamounts,butwhenyouthinkaboutwhatitiswe'refeeding.Iknowwethinkwe'refeedingthisbighugegianthuman.Infact,we'refeedingthebacteriathatliveinourgut,sothosetraceamountsprovidedthereinalivingform,thatthoseorganismshaveevolvedtorecognizeandutilize.Whoknowswhatotherbenefitsthey'reprovidingforus?Youknow,sciencehasn'tevennamedallofthebacteriathatarepotentiallypresentinourgut,letaloneinourfermentedfoods.Sothere'ssomuchthatwestilldon'tknowinthatregard.Soyou'regettingamuchmorediversebeveragewhenyoumakeitathome.Moreover,it'sadaptingtoyourenvironment.Imean,Ipersonallythinkitalsoadaptsonacertainleveltoyourneedsbasedontheenergythatyouaregivingitthroughyourfermentationprocess.Sothat'soneofthebenefits,isyougetthatmorediverserangeofculturespresent.Plus,makingitathome,likeyoualreadysaid,it'ssomuchlessexpensive.Andthisiswhykombuchacostsalotofmoney.It'snottosay,"Oh,they'rejustoverchargingyouorthisorthat."Ittakestimetofermentabeverage,tocontrolforquality,makesureittastesgood,getthecarbonationinthere,versusasodawhereyoujust,youknow,twosecondswithaflavoredextractchemicalandsomecarbonatedwater.Thattakesnothing,right?There'snotimeinvolvedinthatkindofaprocess.Andsoyoucanhavethosetypesofbeveragesforalotlessmoneythansomethingthatreallyrequirescraftartisanshipandthingslikethat.Katie:Awesome,yeah.Sowhenitcomestokombuchabrew,I'veseensourcesthatsaythatyouonlycanuseblackteaandyoushouldonlyeverusewhitesugar.AndI'vehadalotofpeoplethatkindofresistthatbecausealotofpeopleareveryanti-whitesugarortheypreferothertypesoftea.Sowhat'syouropiniononthis?Doyouthinkyoucanuseothertypesoftea?Orwhathaveyoufoundworksbest?Hannah:Absolutely.Youknow,kombuchaistraditionallyablack-teawhite-sugarferment.Forwhateverreason,that'showthecultureevolvedbackintheannalsoftime.Ofcourse,ifweassumethatthecultureisthousandsofyearsold,sugaris5,000yearsold,althoughithasn'talwaysbeenavailableinagranularform.So,certainly,othertypesofsweetenersmayhavebeenusedwiththeoldestkombucha.Butintermsofourexperiencethroughthe20thand21stcenturies,blackteaandwhitesugarwasthestandard.Andifyou're


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newtokombucha,youmighttrythatrecipeandseehowyouliketheflavor.However,weknowthatkombuchacanalsoworkwithahugevarietyofteasandsugarsources.Soexperimentationisalotoffun.Andit'soneoftheotherreasonstomakekombuchaathome,isbecauseyougettotweakallofthosevariablestocreatetotallyuniqueflavorprofilesandhealthbenefitsthatyoumightnotgetfromjustacommercialbrand.Sosugarisalwaysourfirstgo-to,butyoucanusethingslikemolasses,pasteurizedhoney,maplesyrup,agave,coconutsugar.Now,someofthosesugarsthathaveahighermineralcontent,likeyourmolassesoryourcoconutsugarorevenagave,theyhaveahigherfructosecontentandthatcansourmorequickly.Sowheneverwe'redoingexperiments,whenwe'retweakingourteasortweakingoursugars,wedowanttotastefrequentlyanduseaculturefromourSCOBYhotel,useabackup.Don'tuseyouroriginalmotherbecauseincaseyoudon'tlikeitortheculturehasanissue,youcanjusttosseverythingandyoustillhavegoodculturesinyourhotel.Andthen,youcanevenusethingsthataren'tteaintheprimaryfermentation.Again,werecommendyoudothatwithaspareSCOBY.Soyerbamate,rooibos.Youknow,yerbamatehascaffeine.Rooibosdoesnot.Otherherbsarereallygreattousewithitaswell.Hibiscusandgingerandsomeoftheseotherthingscanalsobeincorporatedintoaprimaryferment,again,providedwe'reusingthatextrajustbeso.Youknow,we'vedoneavarietyofdifferentexperiments.We'vebreweditwithcoffee.We'vebreweditwithcoconutwater.Webreweditwith,youknow,juice.Soyoucangetreallycreativewiththefermentationonceyoukindofgetthebasicsundercontrol.Katie:Iagree.Andactually,I'vegotitonmylist.I'veexperimentedwiththecoffeeoneandIhavearecipeforcoffeekombuchathatI'llbepostingsoon.Butyoumentionedtheflavoroptions.AndawaythatI'vealwaysflavoreditiswiththesecondaryferment.Socanyouexplainwhatthatisandhowsomeonecanuseasecondaryfermenttogetboththecarbonationandtheflavorinkombuchathattheywant?Hannah:Absolutely.SocarbonationisCO2.Itisanaturalbyproductofallfermentationprocesses,andyoucanevengetcarbonatedmilkkefir.ButtheCO2arethebubbles,andpeoplearehardwiredtoseekoutCO2.Ibelieveit'sbecauseitallcomesfromtheyeast.Andtheyeastrepresentnutritioninaviableform.IthasalloftheBvitamins.Sowe'rekindofhardwiredtolookforcarbonation.That'spartofwhat'ssoinsidiousaboutthesodas,isthattheyhavetheappearanceofafermentedbeverage,buttheydon'tdeliveranyofthehealthbenefitsthatyou'relookingfor.Sothesecondaryfermentiswherewecancreatealotofcarbonationinthebottlebecausewhatwe'redoingiswe'repouringthekombuchaintothebottle.We'remakingsuresomeoftheyeaststrandsgetinthere.Thosearethelittlebrownflecksthatyoumightseefloatingonthebottomofthejar.Andthenweaddsugarintheformoffruitorginger,somethinglikethat.Now,whenwecapthebottleniceandtight,thatCO2staysintheliquidanditdoesn'tevaporateout.Andso,peoplewholikeareallyfizzykombucha,thisisaneasywaytonotonlygetauniqueflavorintoyourkombucha,butalsotocreatemoreofthatfizzthatpeoplereallylove.Sofruitisagreatthingtouse,andusually,alittlebitgoesalongway.Sostartwithsmallamountsandthenincreasefromtherebasedonyourtastepreference.Also,ifyoupureefruitorusejuice,thesurfaceareaissmallerthanifyou'reusingpiecesoffruit.Soyoucantypicallyuselessifyouhaveamoreconcentratedflavor.Andyoumightwanttojustforsafetysakebecausesometimes,itcanbeverycarbonated.Andsometimesit'llbeflat.Butjustbeingawarethatsometimesifyouleaveyourbottlesout,youmaywannaputtheminaboxorjustsomeplacewhereshouldsomethingexplode,atleasttheexplosioniscontained.Onewaywecanpreventthatisbyburpingonaregularbasis.Butifyouoverburpyourbottles,youletalloftheCO2out.Soit'sreallyfindingthatbalance.Andeveryone'skombuchaworksdifferently.Sothelongeryou


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workwithyourkombucha,themoreintuneyouwillbewithitspatternsandhowitbehaves,especiallyastheclimatechanges.Youknow,insummer,ofcourse,whenit'swarmer,yeastlikeswarmertemperatures,youmaybuildmorecarbonationthaninthewinter.Whenit'smuchcooler,youmaynotfindasmuchcarbonationpresentinyourbottles.Youknow,youjustkindofebbandflowwiththeseasonswhenyou'remakingaproductathomelikethis.Katie:Arethereanythingsthatshouldnotbeusedinasecondaryferment?I'veneverhadgoodluckwithpineapple,forinstance.Maybeit'sjustwhatI'mdoing,butaretherethingsthataretypicallynotasgoodtouse?Hannah:That'sagreatquestion.It'snotthatthingsaren'tgoodtouse.Ifindthatmostanythingcanbeusedtoflavorkombucha.However,whenyou'reusingthingsthathavealotofessentialoilslikeclovesor,youknow,reallyintensespices,youmaywanttojustdialbackontheamountyou'reusingbecausethekombucha,becauseit'savinegar-typeferment,justlikeweputherbsinvinegartoextractandcreatenutrition,thesamethinghappensinthekombucha.Itwillextractallofthegoodstuffoutofwhateveryou'reputtinginthere.Andsoifwhatyou'reputtingintherehasanintenseflavor,youmightjustbackitoff.Butwedobaconkombucha.Wedocucumber-mintkombucha,beetkombucha.Youknow,youcanmakethemsavory.Youcanmakethemsweet.So,there'salotofdifferentoptionsavailabletopeople.Katie:Awesome.Isthereagoodstandardruleofthumbabouthowmuchkombuchaapersonshouldconsumedaily,oritdoesreallydependontheperson?Andmaybehowmuchdoyoudrinkeachday?Hannah:Greatquestion.Letmeaskyouthis.Doyoueverthinktoyourself,"WhathappensifIeattoomuchyogurt?"Right?Thisisthethingaboutkombucha.Again,it'sbecausepeoplearen'tfamiliarandthey'veheardtoomany,youknow,scarystoriesaboutit.Butreally,it'safoodjustlikeanyother.It'sahealthyfoodjustlikeanyotherhealthyfood.Soifyourbodydesiresthathealthyfoodandsays,"Hey,givemesomekombucha,"doit.Ifyourbodythenendsupinthetoiletfortwohoursbecauseyou'rehavinganexperienceasaresultofconsumingthatfood,thenyoumightwannacutbackonhowmuchyou'reconsuming.Ourbasicadvicetopeoplewhoarenewtokombuchaisstartwithfourouncesoreightounces.Sothat'shalfacuptoacup,firstthinginthemorningonanemptystomach.Thisallowsyoutofeelhowthekombuchaisworkinginyourbody.Personally,forme,whatIexperienceisI'llstartsippingit,itfeelsreallygood,andthenI'llexperiencejustthislikerelaxationofallmyorgansfromtheinsideasaresultofdrinkingthekombucha.Andthatfeelsreallygreat.Youknow,somepeopledrinkitatnightandsleepwithnoproblem.Otherpeoplefindthey'remoresensitivetoitandtheycan'tdrinkitatnight.Youknow,howmuchandwhentodrinkyourkombuchawillreallydependonyou.Andhere'stheotherthing.It'satonic.Soit'sbestconsumedinsmallfrequentquantitiesversushugemassivedosesatatime,sotospeak.AndIdrinkkombucha.Mostofthedays,Ihaveabout16ounces,butsomedaysIdon'thaveanyatall.Andotherdays,I'llhave32ounces.Soitjustkindofvariesdependingonwhat'shappening.Youknow,sometimesIgoaperiodoftimewithoutitandthenmybodystartsgoinglike"Ah-ah-ah."AndI'mlike,"Oh,yeah.Don'tforgettohavethekombucha."Soyourbodywilltellyouveryclearlyifyou'reoverdoingitornotdoingitenough.Nowthatsaid,Idowannamentionthatpeoplewhohavecompromisedimmunesystems,maywannastartveryslowlybecausepartofwhatkombuchadoesisithelpssupporthealthyliverfunctioninganditwillstarttopulltoxinsfromthebody.Andwhenthathappens,peoplemightexperiencewhat'scalledaherxheimerreaction.Andthistypeofreactionhappens,oftentimes,wheneveryoustartanykindofhealingprotocol


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wheretheactofremovingthetoxinsfromthebodycreatesareactioninthebodythatfeelsasifyou'reexperiencingthatillnessalloveragain.SoweseethisalotwithCandidasuffererswhodrinkkombucha.First,ifyouhaveCandidaordiabetes,youwannamakesureyou'refermentingituntilit'sverysour.Normally,apersonwoulddoaone-weekfermentinaonegallon.You'regonnawannadoatwo-week,justtomakesureyou'regettingmoreofthesugarout.Andifyou'rewonderinghowmuchsugarisinthere,justtasteit.Yourtonguewilltellyou.Sostartingwithreallysourkombucha,nowwhathappensiskombuchacreatescertainhealthyacidsthatareCandidaside,soPhenethylalcohol,Caprylicacid.ThesearethingsthatnaturallyoccurinkombuchathathelptogetridofCandida.However,whenyoufirststartdrinkingit,theCandidaislike,"Hey,Idon'twannadie.Don'tkillme."Andsoitfightsback.Andsoyourbodyhasareactionasifyou'regoingthroughaflare-up.Butusually,ittakes,youknow,anywhere...everybody'sbodyisdifferent.Butitusuallytakesaroundtwoweeksorsoforyourbodytofullytransitionawayfromhavingthosekindsofreactions.Infact,LenPorzio,whocoinedthetermSCOBYbackinthe90s,wasdrinkingitforthatbenefit.Andyoucanreadalittlearticleabouthimonouronourblogifyou'recurious.Katie:Yeah.I'llmakesuretolinktothatbecauseIhavereadthatone.AquestionIgetallthetimeisifit'ssafetodrinkkombuchaduringpregnancy.AndIknow,asyoumentioned,kombuchaisjustafood,buttherearealsofoodsthatwomendoavoidwhenthey'repregnant.Sopersonally,I'vealwaysfeltcomfortabledrinkingkombuchawhenIwaspregnantbecauseIwasdrinkingitbeforeIwaspregnant.Butwhat'syourtakeonkombuchaduringpregnancy?Hannah:Again,it'strustyourgut.Nobodyknowstheirbodylikethemselvesandnobodyexperiencesyourbodyinthewaythatyoudo.So,forinstance,Ihadafriendwhoreallylovedkombucha.Shedrankitallthetime.Shegotpregnant,couldn'tstandthesmellofit.Well,there'syourbodygivingyouareallyimportantsignal,"Hey,don'tdrinkthatrightnow.That'snotwhatIneed."I'vehadotherwomentellmetheydrinkkombuchaallthroughtheirpregnancies.Andwhentheywerebreastfeeding,theyfeltithelpedtoimprovethemilkflowthatwasoccurring.Soagain,it'sapersonalchoice.It'sbasedonhowyourbodygivesyoufeedbackaboutit.Andtheymightbethatatonepointinyourpregnancy,it'snotgoodforyoutodrinkandthenatanotherpoint,you'recravingit.It'sagain,it'snotanabsoluteonewayortheother.Itreallydoescomebacktolisteningtoyourownbiofeedbackandtrustingthatlook,we'vegotamillionplusyearsofevolutionencodedintoourDNA.Andourbodiesareactuallyanincrediblysensitivebiofeedback,notmachinebutorganism.Andsoifwetakethetimetotuneinandlistentothesignalsthat'sgivingus,thatisgonnabeareallyterrificguideforknowing,"Isthissomethingthat'sgoodformeornot?"Katie:That'sagoodruleofthumb,forsure.Hannah:Andsamewithkids.Doyourchildrendrinkkombucha?Katie:Yeah,theydo.Theylikeitalot.Hannah:Anddidyouwaituntiltheywereacertainageordidyougiveittothemrightaway?Whatwasyourphilosophyonthat?Katie:SomytakewaslikeIdidn'twantittobenecessarilytheirfirstfoodbecauseIfeltliketheyreallycravedmoreproteinswhentheywerefirstexperimentingwithfood.Butoncetheyweretryingavarietyoffoods,I


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wouldletthemexperimentwithitanddrinkoutofmycupbecausetheywerealwayscurioustotrywhateverIwasdrinkingoreating.Andtheniftheylikedit,Iwouldletthemhavesmallamounts.Andifnot,Iwouldjustletthemtryagaininafewmonthsandnotreallypushitonthem.ButIdidfindtheyactuallylikediteventhemorevinegarykombuchabecausesometimesIwouldletitgotoolonganditwouldgetreallystrong.Andtheyevenlikedthatatayoungage.Ifeellikemaybeyoungkidshaveagoodtastereceptorforthatsometimes,andwedon'treallyletthemdevelopitverywell.Hannah:Iabsolutelyagreewithyoubecause,infact,mostofthehealingfoodshaveabitterorasourqualitytothem.Andreally,thosearethefoodsthathelpsupporthealthyfunctioning.It'sananomalyinhistoryasaresultofthisprocessedfoodsrevolutionthat'soccurred,thatwecansooverconsumesugar.Andagain,wehaveatendencytogoblackandwhite,"Oh,well,thenallsugarisbad."It'snotthatallsugarisbad.It'slike,whatformisitin?Whereareyouconsumingthesugar?Isthesugardoingwhatyouneedittodo,whichissatisfyingthosereceptorsorit'sbalancingoutthesavory?Youknow,incooking,weuselikeapinchofsugarhereordashofvinegarthere.Allofthathelpstoroundouttheflavorsandgiveourbodieswhatthey'relookingfor.Soitisfunnybecausewhenwesampleourkombuchatodifferentpeople,theadultswillelike,"Oh,no,thekidswon'tlikeit."I'mlike,"Ah,Ithinkthey'regonnalikeitbetterthanyoubecausetheyjusthaven'tbeenexposedtothesamenumberofyearsofsodasandwhatnot,thattheirpalatehasn'tbeentotallyshiftedover."SoIagreewithyou.Ithinkthereisaninstinctualdesirefromkidstohavethattypeofabeverage.SoIthinkformoms,itmakesagreatinexpensivewaytohaveavarietyofflavorsavailabletoyouforjustpenniesaglass.Katie:Yeah,definitely.Iagree.AnotherissuethatIhearalotofpeoplehaveaconcernwithkombuchareallygoesbacktothetea,notthekombucha.Butthatthereissomenaturallyoccurringfluoridethatcomesfromthesoilthat'sfoundinalotofdifferentvarietiesoftea.Haveyouseenanythingonthis,ordoyouhaveanopiniononewayortheotheronthat?Hannah:Absolutely.Solikewitheveryvitaminornutrientormineral,there'sanaturallyoccurringformandthenthere'sachemicallycreatedform.Andifwelookatthechemicaldrawingofeachofthosemolecules,they'regoingtohaveadifferentshape.Andpartofhowourbodyhasevolvedtorecognizegoodforusversuswhat'saforeignbodyis,"Doesitfitintotheshapesthatwe'veevolvedtorecognize?"Andso,thereisnaturallyoccurringfluorideinteaanditvariesbasedon,youknow,thegrowingconditionsofthetea.Sochoosinganorganicteaisgonnabeagoodchoice,notbecauseofthefluoridequantityperse,butbecausethey'regoingtobeusingdifferenttypesofpesticidesthatwon'taddadditionalfluoridetoit.Soreally,theriskoffluoridepoisoningcomesfrompeoplewhooverconsumetea.Andthat'sjuststraightteabyitself.And,youknow,that'slikesomeonewho'sdrinkinggallonsofteaeveryday.Andwewouldneverrecommendanyonetodrinkgallonsofkombuchaaday.And,infact,ourbodyneedsacertainamountoffluoride.Butthefluorideyoufindinteaiscalciumfluorideversuswhatwefindinourwatersupplyissodiumfluorideorfluorosilicicacid.Andsothesekindofchemicalizedversionsoffluoridearetheonesthathaveareallyadverseeffectonourbodiesovertime.Andthat'swhymanycountriesaroundtheworlddon'taddittotheirwatersupply.Thebenefitshaven'tbeenfoundtomatchupwithwhattheysaytheyhave.And,infact,mostdentistsrecognizenowthatjusttopicaluseoffluorideratherthaningestingitthroughyourwatersupplyismorethansufficienttopreventcavities.Sothatbeingsaid,ourculturesaregrowninwaterthatisfluoride-free.Soweverymuchcareaboutintermsofourprocess.Sowhenwecultivateallofourcultures,weusewaterthatisfluoride-freebecausethere'sno


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pointinaddingextrastuffinthere.Katie:That'sagoodruleofthumb,andIdefinitelyagreewiththedifferencewiththenaturallyoccurringversusthenone.AndfromwhatI'veread,ifyou'reusinganorganicteathat'sfromagoodsourceandyouknowwhereyourteacamefrom,thatit'sreallynotthatmuchofanissue,especiallybecause,likeyousaid,you'reusinglessconcentratedteainkombuchathanyouwouldevenbydrinkingit.Soit'sreallyminimalthere.Butontheoralhealthnote,I'vealsoheardpeopleclaimthatkombuchaisn'tsafebecauseit'stooacidicanditcanhurtyourtoothenamel.AndI'mcuriousyourtakeonthat.Hannah:Well,everybodyisdifferent,right?Somepeopleproducemoresaliva,whichnaturallyprotectstheirteethbetterthanotherpeoplewhodon'thavethosesamegeneticcharacteristics.Soitcanbenotbeneficialforsomepeople.Andifyounoticethatyourteetharesensitive,again,youmightjustwannaincreasetheamountofwateryou'redrinkingthere,dilutethekombuchaalittlebitsothepHisn'tasintense.Whereasmostpeoplefindtheyhavenoissuewithitatall.There'sno,youknow,"Acrosstheboard,italwaysdoesthis,"intermsofhowthekombuchaworkswithyourbody.Buttypically,thathappenswithpeople'smouthswhenthey'remaybeimbalancedortheydon'thavethepHoftheirbodiesalittlebitdifferent.Soagain,it'slisteningtoyourbodyandmakingadeterminationbasedonhowyourbodyisreacting.Andthen,asyoucontinuethroughyourhealingjourney,right?Nobodyhealsovernight.Italwaystakesaperiodoftime.Revisititifit'ssomethingthatcallstoyouandjustseehowisitaffectingmenow.WecangetworriedaboutX,Y,andZ,butreally,it'spayingattentiontohowit'sbehavinginyourownindividualorganism.That'sthemostimportant.Katie:Yeah,that'salwaysagoodruleofthumb.Sotoswitchgearsalittlebit,we'vehadthisconversationbefore,butI'dloveustohaveitagainforthesakeofpeoplewhoarelistening.Whataresomeunusualusesforkombucha?Mostpeoplethinkofitasjustadrink,butyouweresharingsomereallyunusualandfunwaysthatyouandyourhusbanduseit.Canyousharethose?Hannah:Absolutely.And,youknow,ourbookwhichiscomingoutFebruary2016,isgoingtohaveloadsofrecipesonsomeofthethingsyoucando.We'regonnahavealmost300flavoringideas.Wehave50cocktailrecipes.Butsomeofthereallyneatthingsthatwe'vebeenworkingonincludeSCOBYfruitleather.Sodidyouknowyoucouldeatyourmother?It'strue.Thecultureswillbuildupovertime.Andyou'llhavelike...Ifyoujustkeepallofthem,yourwholecountertopwillbecoveredinjarsandSCOBYsandsomepeoplefeelbadgettingridofthem.Youknow,youcancompostthem,whichisreallygreatforthesoil,puttinghealthybacteriainthere.Also,plantsthatloveamoreacidicpHreallythrivefromtheadditionofalittlebitofkombucha.Again,youwannafollownormalfertilization,whichislikeabouta10%solutionifyou'reusingitinthegarden.Butyoucanalsoeatit.Sowhatwedoiswetakeouroldmothers,weputtheminablendertopureeintoafluff,andthenwe'lladdaboutthesameamount,anequalamountoffruit.Wepureedallthatuntilit'sthislightfluffykindoffunkystuff,andthenyoujustlayitoutontoadehydratortray.Atalowtemperature,wedoitunder110degreesfor24to36hours.Andtheresulting,itliterallyjusttasteslikefruitleather.Youwouldhavenoideathatthere'sevenanySCOBYinit.Butthebenefittoconsumingbacterialcelluloseisthatitgoesthroughthebodyanditsweepsout.It'sindigestible.Soyoudon'tactuallyabsorbit,butitactslikeabroomanditwillsweepoutanykindofimbalancesinyourgut.Italsohelpstosweepoutexcesssugarandhormonesasaresultofthat.Soifyoulookupinsolublefiber,you'llseesomeofthosebenefits,andkombuchahasthat.


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Now,kombuchacanalsobegiventochickens,horses,dogs,cats.Imean,anythingthathasaninstinct,forthemostpart,reallygravitatestowardskombucha.Youdon'thavetoteachthemtoeatit.They'lljusteatthecultures.Anotheruseissomepeoplehavebeendryingthemoutandcreatingclothing.So,forinstance,therewasaTEDtalkbySuzanneLeewhereshewasgrowinghugesheetsofculture,dehydratingit,sewingittogether.Andit'sadelicateleather.It'sonebecausekombuchaholdsoverahundredtimesitsweightinliquid.Youwannabecarefulyoudon'twearthejacketoutsideintherainoritmightgettooheavyandfalloffofyou.ButthereissomepotentialfutureusesforthisifwecanfindawaytocuretheSCOBYinaway.Inthisway,we'dbemakingabiodegradableleathersubstitute.Somepeoplehavemadedrumheadorcoinpursesoutofit.AndanotherusethatIthinkwemightseeinthefutureiskombucha,there'sbeenseveralstudiesthatshowhowitwillremoveenvironmentaltoxinsaswell.Soforinstance,we'vejusthadanoilspillinSantaBarbara.Icanimagineadaywhenwe'retakingmassiveamountsofSCOBYandputtingitintheretohelpsoakupsomeofthosetoxins.Youknow,maybethat'smyimagination,butIthinkthatwewillfindothermeansofutilizingitforthatbenefit.Katie:Verycool.Whataboutkombuchaontheskinorthehair?BecauseIthinkyouevenmentionedsomecoolwaystouseitthatwayaswell.Hannah:Absolutely.Sokombuchanotonlydetoxesbyconsumingitinternally,itwillalsodetoxexternally.Sofolkswhosufferfromeczemaorreallydryskinorifyouhaveaburn,youcanapplyeitheraSCOBY.Somepeoplewillsavelittlepiecestouseasbandages,oryoucantakethatpureeandinsteadofputtingfruitinit,youcanaddsomevitaminEorsomeotherkindof,youknow,skinsoothingpropertiestoit.Youplopitonyourskinandit'sgonnabeallkindoflookweirdandbehigh.Youjustputalayeronthere.Butthen,whatwillhappenisasitdries,itwillliterallysoakintotheskinandbecome...You'llbeabletopeelitofflikeit'sskinonyourownbody.SoIusethatonmyhands.Andifyouputitononehandandleavetheotherhandalone,whenyougobacktotouchthehandthathadtheSCOBY,itissosoft.Sopartofitsbenefitsisitsoftenstheskin.Ithelpstodetoxtopicallythroughtheskin.Andthenalso,becauseit'snotsoap,there'snosoapscum.Wedoactuallyhaveakombuchasoapthat'smadewiththeculturesandtheteathatyoucanuseonyourskin.Ithink,actually,youreallylikeit.Don'tyou,Katie?Katie:Ido.It'sgreatsoap,yeah.Hannah:Andthenmyhusbandmakeshairtonic.Sobasically,we'lltakereallyoldkombucha.Solet'ssayyouhavesomekombuchathatwenttovinegarandyou'relike,"Oh,Idon'twannathrowthisaway,butIdon'twannadrinkit."Letitkeepaging,addsomeherbsthataregoodforyourhair.Wehaveawholepostontheblogaboutwhichherbsaregoodtousewiththat.Youkeepitintheshower,andthenyoujustputalittlebitonyourhair.It'snotasintenseastheapplecidervinegar.Sosomepeopleouttherewhoaredoingtheno-poo,ifyoufindthatit'salittletoointensewiththeapplecider,usethekombuchavinegarinstead.It'smuchmilder.Itleavesyourhairreallysoft.Ithelpstodegrease.Butthenitdoesn'tstripasmuch,soyourhairdoesn'tfeelalllikestrawwhenyou'redonewithit.Katie:Yeah,that'sbrilliant.I'vebeensubstitutingitinalotofmybeautyrecipeswithwhereIwouldputnormallyvinegar.Andsothat'sactuallyanotherpostthat'scomingsoon.Itisusingkombuchainlikeafacemaskwithhealingclaysandherbsandstuff,becauseithasenoughacidtohelpwiththemask,butit'sverygentleontheskin.


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Hannah:Itis.And,infact,there'ssomebeautyproductsnowthathavebeenfeaturingkombucha.Soyoucanbuy.IthinkAndalouhasafacewashthathasit,someotherbrandshaveshampoo.Andthenwedosee,it'snottechnicallyfromthekombuchaculture,butit'sthesamebacteria,isusedtocreatesheetsinKorea,inAsia.Andyoubuyitjustlikeapre-packedsheet.It'sgottheeyeholesandeverythingcutout.Youjustlayitonyourfaceandthathelpstofillinthefinelinesandwrinkles,itsaturatestheskin,itmoisturizes.Italso,becauseofthatmildacid,helpstosloughawaydeadskin,butdoesn'tleaveyouwiththesamekindofchemicalburnthatyoumightexperiencefromotherproducts.Katie:Yeah,that'sfascinating.Ifeellikethere'skindofanendlessnumberofuses,andIcan'twaittillyourbookcomesoutbecauseI'msurealotofthemwillbeinthere.Hannah:Absolutely.Katie:Canyougiveusaquickteaseraboutthebook?Obviously,Ican'tlinktoityetbecauseit'snotout.Butcanyoujustgiveusapreview?Hannah:Sure.Soit's400pages,allaboutkombucha.It'sthefirstbookofitskindthat'sthiscomprehensive.We'vegotthehow-tosofbatchbrewing,continuousbrew,carbonation,flavoring,likeIsaid,almost300flavoringsuggestions,justideastogetyougoing.We'vegot50cocktailrecipes.Thisbookalsocoversthehistoryandtheresearchthat'sbeenconductedonkombucha.Youknow,there'salotofpeopleouttherewhosay,"Oh,there'snoresearch."Infact,that'snottrue.Thisproducthasbeenresearchedbyscientistsallovertheworldforthelast150years.Sowegoin-depthtolookingatthatprogressionofhowourknowledgeofkombuchahasevolvedovertime.Andthenalsothehistoricalperspective.Wherediditcomefrom?Whataresomeofthelegendsandmythsaboutit?Andthenwealsododispelsomeoftheoldwivestalesthathavecomewithkombuchaalongthewaysothatpeoplekindofdispelsomeofthefeararoundworkingwithit.Katie:Awesome.We'llhavetohavemaybeyouandAlexbothonforaroundtwowhenitgetsclosertoabooktime.Butfornow,whatwouldbeyourbestadviceforsomeonewho'sjuststartingoutwithkombucha?Hannah:Qualityingredients,qualityculture,allofthatisgoingtoleadtobrewingsuccess.CanyougrowaSCOBY?Sure.Isitgoingtobe...?Youknow,justlikeifyoutrytouseacommercialyogurttostartayogurt,itmightworkforabatchortwo,butitwillprobablyfailagainbecauseitlacksthatdiversityoroftentimesdoes.I'mnotspeakingabouteverykombucha.Butstartingwithaqualityculture.Notonethat'sdehydrated,onethat'sfullyhydrated.You'llhaveabatchofkombuchareadyinsevendays.Moreover,atleast,IcanspeaktoKombuchaKamp,weofferahugeamountofcustomersupport.So,whetheryougetyourSCOBYfromusornot,ourwebsitehasawealthofinformation.Andtheneveryoneiswelcometodropusanemailanytimetocustomerserviceatkombuchakamp.comandwe'rehappytohelpeducateyouabouttheprocess.Soifyou'vegotquestions,we'retheretohelpsupportyou.Andthen,wealsohavetheothercultures.Sowe'vegotthemilkkefir,thewaterkefir,andthejun,whichIknowwedidn'ttalktoomuchabout.That'sarawhoneygreenteaferment.Soforthoseofyouavoidingsugarwithagoodrawhoneysource,youmightcheckoutthejun.It'sgotalittlebitofalighterflavor,morefloral.Butqualitysupplies,qualityinformation.Andthendon'tgiveup.Patienceanddon'tgiveupbecausethat'shardestpartisforpeople,iswaitingforittobereadyandthenfeelinglikeifitdoesn'tturnoutperfectthefirsttime,givingup.Don'tgiveup.Justkeeptrying.Kombuchaisveryforgiving.


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Katie:Awesome.AndIwillbesuretolinktoallthoseresourcesyoumentioned.Butwherecanpeoplefindyouonlinejustsotheycanfindmoreinformation?Hannah:Sure.It'skombuchakamp.com.Andthenfromthere,youcanalsofindourstorebyclickingontheshopbasketorthestorebutton.Andthenyoucanseeallofthedifferentproductswehaveavailable.Imentionedthefermentfriend.Wealsohavet-shirtsandstickerscomingoutsoon.So,lotsofreallyfunstuffthatnotonlysupportsthehabitbutalsotellseveryoneelsehowmuchyouloveyourkombuchaandfermentation.Katie:Awesome.Hannah,thankyousomuch.Youareawealthofknowledge,andIhavereallyenjoyedthisinterviewandI'msurethateveryoneelsewilldo.Hannah:Thankyou,Katie,reallyenjoyedtalkingwithyouaboutit.Katie:AndthankyouforlisteningtotheWellnessMamaPodcast.Ifyouenjoyedthispodcastoranyofthepastepisodes,IwouldreallyappreciateitifyouwouldtakejustaminutetogotoiTunesandgiveitareviewandarating.Thisishowotherpeopleareabletofindthepodcast,andIwouldreallyappreciateyourtwominutesoftimetodothat.Also,ifyouwouldliketogetmy"SevenSimpleStepsforHealthierFamiliesGuide"plusmy"QuickStartGuide"andafreeweekofmealplans,headonovertowellnessmama.comandyoucouldenteryouremailandgetitrightaway.Andalso,anotherhugethankyoutoourgeneroussponsor,VitalProteins,GelatinandCollagenPowder.Theyofferpasture,healthygrass-fedgelatinandcollagen.Andbasically,ifyoudon'tunderstandtheforms,gelatinistheonethatwillgelinliquids.Sothat'sgreatformakingjelloandmarshmallowsandanythingyouneedtothicken.Andcollagenwilleasilymixintoanykindoffoodordrink.Soifyoudon'twantsomethingthatthickenandyouwannajustbeabletosneakgelatinandthebenefitsofgelatinandcollagenintoyourfoodanddrinks,thencollagenpeptidesarethewaytogo.Andgelatinisoneofmyfavoritedailysupplementsinsomeformoranother.I'msoamazedatallthebenefitsithas.It'sknowntosupportskin,hair,andnailgrowth,andbegoodforjointsandhelpjointrecovery.Itcanhelptightenlooseskin.Likeforme,thekindsyougetafterhavingfivebabies.Itcanimprovedigestionbecauseit'sgreatforthegut.Somepeoplesayithashelpedforcellulite.It'sagreatsourceofdietarycollagen.It'sadecentsourceofprotein.Andit'scomposedoftheaminoacidsglycineandproline,whichmanypeopledon'tgetenoughofintoday'sdiet.Soifyouwannacheckitout,youcangotowellnessmama.com/go/gelatin,andyoucangeta10%offdiscountatthatlink.Andifyou'veneverusedgelatin,therearesomeawesomewaysyoucanuseit.Iuseitinhomemademarshmallowsandsmoothies,inteas,tomakejello.Ievenuseitasahairtreatmenttothickenmyhair,tomakehomemadechildren'svitaminsthatarechewable,inmyshampootomakemyhairthicker,andthenonmyfaceasamasktohelpreducewrinkles.Andthere'sjustsomanygreatusesforit.Soifyou'venevercheckeditout,Iwoulddefinitelyencourageyoutohoponovertowellnessmama.com/go/gelatinandcheckitout.And,asalways,thankyousomuchforlisteningandhaveahealthyweek.

36- Getting Started with Homemade Kombucha€¦ · Not make cultures, but make kombucha at home and...

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Transcript of 36- Getting Started with Homemade Kombucha€¦ · Not make cultures, but make kombucha at home and...