Teeschwamm, Wunderpilz, Hongo

The beverage rage, known in English as kombucha, has taken over the world,and my kitchen counter.

The traditional beverage, rich in probiotics and enzymes, has been consumed for centuries in Russia, although its origins are in China.

In 2014, American consumers were reported to have bought nearly $400 million worth of kombucha, a fermented, slightly alcoholic, slightly sweet black or green tea drink.

That’s a lot of brew.

Markets and Markets, American market research company reported in 2016 that the kombucha market is "poised for huge growth by 2020, growing 25% each year".

You can purchase flavors such as blueberry mint, lemon ginger, and coconut lime for three to six dollars, in a returnable bottle with a fancy label, or easily make your own for the price of some tea bags and sugar.

Essential to the process is the SCOBY(Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast), commonly called a mother. This slippery, globular mass transforms sweetened tea into kombucha. The scoby is similar to the mother you find floating in unrefined apple cider vinegar.

Those of you who have been making this healthful, antioxidant-rich drink know that the scoby grows layer by layer (without any effort whatsoever on your part) each time you ferment a batch. Over time you have extra cultures, to give away to friends.

What an unusual gift and treat! Need a new Mamma? Need more than one?

Last summer, I had a couple customers respond to my note on the neighborhood Buy Nothing group

“Scoby mammas up for adoption. Come with simple kombucha making instructions.”

It’s the gift that keeps getting paid forward.

Or it dies neglected and unattended, if it doesn’t end up in the compost pile.

I make a gallon at a time in the winter, and two in the summer. It takes about two weeks to complete the process in cooler temperatures, instead of five to seven days during summer. I use less sugar than some recipes call for— 2/3cup per gallon, 6 tea bags, and 6 herbal bags. After the tea has cooled, you add the scoby and ½ cup kombucha tea, which you have saved from the last batch. Cover with a cotton cloth and rubber band to keep out dust while allowing the mixture to breathe.

It is a quiet breathe, rest assured.

Then you forget about your brew until you cannot resist the urge to test for effervescence, which means it is ready.

My friend Shirley suggests adding freshly grated ginger and turmeric root to the finished product, letting it sit on the counter overnight to gain extra oomph (fizz and flavor), before refrigerating the corked jugs.

I prefer my kombucha made with green tea, which has less caffeine, and more health benefits than black tea. I add flavored teas for variety, and fruit juice before swigging it.

For crafters who might enjoy a scoby-related project, check out the sustainable and biodegradable outfits on this site:

http://www.kombuchacouture.com/

Kombucha culture, when dried, becomes a leather-like textile which can be cut and stitched like fabric or molded onto forms to create seamless clothing.

Not practical if you sweat or get caught in a down pour, but definitely a conversation piece.

My son once rescued a neglected, overgrown, dehydrated scoby. He had to smash the jar to free the mass, but discovered that he could cut and form the blackened mass into a lone ranger mask for Halloween.

Want to try this easy and satisfying fermentation project?

I can mail you a mamma.