Kombucha in Garden Park
Last Friday we safely gathered in Garden Park for a free kombucha making workshop. TBD resident, Alex Gallus from Farmacy Nutrition, hosted a free kombucha workshop for our residents – thank you Alex! Alex is a nutritional therapy practitioner and a health and wellness coach. She started her business so that she could help people achieve healthier lifestyles through nutrition, supplementation, and blood panels. “At Farmacy Nutrition, we believe that the foundation of health begins with what we put in our bodies. We work to restore bio-individual balance.”
The evening started off with kombucha sampling. Participants were able to sample some of Alex’s delicious homemade apple juice and strawberry kombucha. While the residents enjoyed their samples, Alex shared the benefits of Kombucha with us. Kombucha is high in antioxidants and can improve your immune system, energy levels, detox your liver, improve your digestion, and so much more. By the end of the evening, we were all converted Kombucha enthusiasts.
Alex then walked us through her entire kombucha fermentation process. She taught us all the kombucha lingo and now we are all kombucha, jun tea, and scoby experts. Did you know that Kombucha is a fermented tea made from scoby? (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast), starter tea, black tea and sugar. Yes, sugar! Gasp! We were surprised too!
Side note: We’ve included Alex’s kombucha recipe at the bottom of this post for those who are interested.
When Alex isn’t working on her business she can be found on the riverwalk riding her bike with her husband, Jeremy, and spending time with her adorable 10-month-old daughter, Penelope. We’re so lucky to have Alex a part of our community and are glad that she got to show off her kombucha skills to the neighborhood.
If you’re bummed you missed out on this event don’t worry, there will be more opportunities.
RECIPE
Boil about 12 cups of water, don’t worry this does not need to be exact. Add one cup of pure cane sugar. I like organic because that means less pesticides. Remove from heat and add 7 black tea bags. Wait for the tea to brew (5 minutes – then remove tea bags) and to COMPLETELY cool. If you leave the tea bags in, it will taste bitter. This is the second hardest part. The first being that you will want the 7-14 days to fly by so you can taste your science project.
You will not want to use any metal spoons, ladles or utensils with your SCOBY. I have read many articles and blog posts that swear by cleaning all utensils and glass jars with vinegar before handling them. I do this about 50% of the time and the other 50% I use a normally washed jar and utensils. I have never noticed a difference.
After cooling, add your tea to a one-gallon glass jar and add the SCOBY and starter tea. Starter tea can be an original flavored kombucha from your local co-op, from your past batch of tea or from a friend. Add at least one cup. Cover the jar with a coffee filter and secure with a rubber band. Store your kombucha in a dark place for 7-14 days.
P.S. We would love to hear and see how your kombucha adventure is going! Share your thoughts and photos on your favorite social media site with @farmacynutrition + @thebridgedistrict #tbdlife
