Kombucha and Fermented Garlic

How to Make KombuchaKombucha is so very easy to make yourself. i recommend you give it a shot because brewing your own unpasteurized kombucha is rewarding when you consider the cost of purchasing store-bought bottles ( I PAID $11.00 for one the other day at lunch with doc!!!)
Here is a simple recipe for making your own kombucha at home. This recipe makes about eight cups of kombucha, but you can also double the recipe to make more, and you still only need one SCOBY disk. (FOR THOSE YOU WHO KNOW ME RECIPES ARE HARD FOR ME, i do not follow them - so writing them down is also difficult too - i am trying to video tape myself in order to TRANSCRIBE them)

Kombucha Recipe
You need

• 1 large glass container with a wide opening **Avoid using a plastic jar or bowl because the chemicals in the plastic can leach into the kombucha during the fermentation period** 
• 1 large piece of cloth or a dish towel (flour sack towels work the best)
• 1 SCOBY disk You can find a SCOBY disk in health food stores or online for relatively inexpensive amounts. A SCOBY disk can be vacuum-sealed in a small pouch and shipped directly to your house for only a few dollars, while still preserving all of the active yeast ingredients.
• 8 cups of FILTERED water I would use filtered water/distilled water, which contains less contaminants or metals than tap water. Distilled water is inexpensive (around 88 cents a gallon) and can be found at most large drug or convenience stores.
• ½ cup organic cane sugar or RAW HONEY
• 4 organic tea bags
  
  

Directions:
1. we use hot water from the kitchen facuet (ours is 2x filtered through the facuet and once THROUGH the filtration system as well) OR Bring your water to boil in a big pot on the stovetop. Once boiling, remove from heat and add your teabags and sugar, stirring until the sugar dissolves.
2. Allow the pot to sit and the tea to steep for about 15 minutes, then remove and discard tea bags.
3. Let the mixture cool down to room temperature (which usually takes about one hour). Once it’s cooled, add your tea mixture to your big jar/bowl. Drop in your SCOBY disk
4. Cover your jar/bowl with your cloth or thin kitchen towel and try to keep the cloth in place by using a rubber BAND
5. Allow the kombucha to sit for 20+ days, depending on the flavor you’re looking for. Less time produces a weaker kombucha that tastes less sour, while a longer sitting time makes the kombucha ferment even longer and develop more taste. Some people have reported fermenting kombucha for up to a month before bottling with great results, so taste test the batch every couple of days to see if its reached the right taste and level of carbonation for you.

​we bought some bottles on amazon (LINK BELOW)

(https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B072Q417JQ/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)

We also put fruit in ours to further the taste we wanted

GARLIC BREATHE 101
WHY SHOULD YOU TRY HONEY INFUSED GARLIC? GARLIC BENEFITS YOU THE MOST AS A RAW FOOD, DID YOU KNOW IT’S ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO CONSUME ENOUGH RAW GARLIC?! THE TWO TOGETHER CAN KEEP YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM OPERATING AT ITS BEST!

IMMUNE BOOSTING
COMBINE THE TWO INGREDIENTS AND YOU’VE GOT A NATURAL REMEDY TO STRENGTHEN THE IMMUNE SYSTEM. WHY HONEY:HONEY IS AN ANTIOXIDANT THAT IS ANTIBACTERIAL AND ANTIMICROBIAL. IT’S LOADED WITH VITAMINS AND MINERALS AND ALMOST ACTS AS A MULTIVITAMIN ITSELF. IT CAN BE USED TO HELP BOOST ENERGY, BOOST THE IMMUNE SYSTEM, REDUCE ALLERGIES, SOOTHE COUGHS, SOOTHE SORE THROATS, FIGHT INFECTIONS AND PREVENT CANCER. LEARN MORE ABOUT HONEY

GARLIC IS GREAT FOR ITS ANTI-INFLAMMATORY BENEFITS AND IT IS ANTIBACTERIAL AND ANTIVIRAL. GARLIC CONTAINS HIGH AMOUNTS OF MANGANESE, CALCIUM, PHOSPHORUS, SELENIUM, VITAMIN B6 AND VITAMIN C. USE GARLIC TO DECREASE BLOOD PRESSURE, IMPROVE CARDIOVASCULAR HEALTH, LOWER TOTAL CHOLESTEROL, PREVENT CANCER AND METABOLIZE IRON.
THANKS DR TREV FOR THAT MOUTHFUL <3 love him

INGREDIENTS AND ITEMS YOU’LL NEED:
MASON JAR:
BE SURE THE MASON JAR IS CLEAN AND STERILIZED, AS YOU WOULD IF YOU WERE CANNING.
HONEY: RAW HONEY VERSUS PASTEURIZED
RAW HONEY WILL HAVE MORE HEALTH BENEFITS. RAW HONEY IS NOT PROCESSED AND CONTAINS MORE NUTRIENTS THAN FILTERED HONEY. ONE PIECE OF ADVICE IS TO LOOK FOR CLEAN, LOCAL HONEY FREE FROM PESTICIDES AND FROM A SOURCE LOCALLY, IF POSSIBLE, TO HELP WITH ALLERGENS IN YOUR AREA. THE BEST BET IS TO FIND LOCAL, RAW HONEY.
GARLIC:
FRESH. IF YOU DON’T GROW GARLIC, GET THE FRESHEST YOU CAN BUY.

1. CLEAN AND STERILIZE THE JAR AND LID.
USE A JAR SIZE APPROPRIATE FOR THE AMOUNT YOU ARE PROCESSING. YOU’LL NEED THE HONEY TO COMPLETELY COVER THE GARLIC, WHILE LEAVING A LITTLE HEADROOM IN THE JAR.

2. PREPARE THE GARLIC.
PEEL THE FRESH GARLIC. USE THIS BAD BOY (https://www.amazon.com/Ginsco-Silicone-Garlic-Peeler-Kitchen/dp/B01MCRAH5S/ref=sr_1_16?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1536160799&sr=1-16&keywords=garlic+peeler)
YOU CAN CRUSH THE GARLIC CLOVES OR LEAVE WHOLE. WITH CRUSHED GARLIC CLOVES (JUST SMASHED WITH A FLAT SIDE OF A KNIFE, NOT MINCED), THE HONEY WILL INFUSE THE GARLIC MORE QUICKLY. THE WHOLE GARLIC CLOVES REMAIN FIRM AFTER SITTING IN THE HONEY FOR WEEKS. TRIM THE GARLIC ENDS, AS NEEDED.
YOU CAN ADD CRUSHED GARLIC AND WHOLE GARLIC CLOVES TO SPEED THE PROCESS. JUST USE THE SMASHED GARLIC CLOVES FIRST.

3. PLACE CLOVES IN JAR AND COVER WITH HONEY.
LEAVE SPACE IN THE TOP OF THE JAR. IF YOU ARE USING RAW HONEY, DELICATELY RAISE THE TEMPERATURE OF THE HONEY TO MELT IT. YOU CAN DO THIS BY PLACING IN A WARM WATER BATH. DO NOT OVERHEAT, DESTROYING ITS HEALTH BENEFITS.

4. SECURE THE LID AND LET SIT FOR A FEW DAYS AT ROOM TEMPERATURE.

5. STORE IN REFRIGERATOR.
YOU CAN USE THE GARLIC AFTER A FEW DAYS, BUT THE FLAVOR MELLOWS AFTER A WEEK OR TWO. THE CLOVES WILL LAST IN THE HONEY FOR MONTHS. SOME WILL REPLACE CLOVES AS THEY EAT THEM.
YOU MAY NOTICE THE HONEY BUBBLING, AND THAT’S PART OF THE FERMENTING PROCESS. IF YOU’RE CONCERNED ABOUT BACTERIA IN THE INFUSION, REMEMBER HONEY IS A NATURAL PRESERVATIVE AND IS ANTIMICROBIAL. JUST BE SURE TO USE CLEAN JARS.

WHILE YOUR BODY IS FEELING COMPROMISED, (LIKE I AM RIGHT NOW) EAT A CLOVE EVERY HOUR OR TWO. YOU ARE TRYING TO EAT ABOUT 5 CLOVES A DAY. ONCE YOU FEEL YOU’VE BOOSTED YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM, REDUCE THE AMOUNT OF CLOVES. BUT, CONTINUE TO EAT FOR HEALTH MAINTENANCE.

USE THE HONEY.
USE IN COOKING, TEA (TEA FOR ME) , TONICS OR AS A COUGH SYRUP.

​love the journey 

XOXO Kaci elizabeth