label/rookie tips

Last time in PART 1: Kombucha Tea - What is it and what are the health benefits?

This time in PART 2: 15 tips for making it correctly (Note: I’ve corrected an error I made below related to Fluoride in tea…)

***Also, see this link with info from Ann Marie on Lipton tea vs. organic tea (discussed in #5 below)

“HOW DO I KNOW IF I’M MAKING IT RIGHT?”

Betsy from Laurel Farms® said she is amazed at how many bad recipes are floating around. When talking to her, I found out that I did many things wrong in my first recipe, so I couldn’t use my Kombucha starter again. I started fresh with one from her, so I knew that I was getting a healthy Kombucha (you can’t tell by looking at it). Kombucha isn’t difficult to make by any means, it’s actually very simple, but it really does need to be done in a certain way, to be sure that toxins aren’t forming and that you are getting all the health benefits possible from drinking it.

I’M NOT TRYING TO BE AN ANNOYING KITCHEN “KOP”, HONEST!

As you read through this (warning: it’s lengthy), please try not to get frustrated or annoyed with me! I had a friend take a sneak-peak at this post yesterday and she thought these 15 tips were a bit nit-picky. I asked Betsy about this (she’s been so gracious about answering all my questions this week!) and she said that although they try to make the instructions that come with their Kombucha starter very simple to follow, this really is a scientific process that must be done correctly. The growing medium has to be consistent in order to prevent toxicity and to get all the health benefits from the broad range of B vitamins, glucuronic acid, and other beneficial nutrients.

“WHO IS THIS EXPERT?”

The following information and tips are from Betsy at Laurel Farms. She has a best-selling Kombucha book out and was the first to bring the Kombucha to the U.S. in 1993 (from a remote village in Northern China). I’ve spoken to her at length in the past week. Not only is she very sweet, she’s also unbelievably knowledgeable about everything to do with the Kombucha.

15 TIPS FOR MAKING IT CORRECTLY (links to the recipe below) – DID YOU KNOW…?

1. You really should use distilled water or you could permanently damage your Kombucha. (Unless you’re on a good well.) “Reverse Osmosis or carbon filter systems do not remove the ammonia and other small molecule chemicals added as a purifier to ALL municipal water systems. Also, home filtration systems do not remove the fungicides and other chemical protectives now being added to most municipal water systems since 9/11.”
2. When you’re done, you can give one to a friend, so they can make Kombucha tea, too. If you get one from a friend, that’s great, just make sure they’re aware of these tips, so you’re getting a good starter.
3. Even though you’ve heard how bad refined table sugar is for you, it is the only sugar you should use in the recipe because it produces the most vitamins and beneficial nutrients that way, as found by Russian researchers in the 1950’s. (Mineralized sugars, honey or other sweeteners can kill or cripple some of the Kombucha’s healthy bacteria.) Don’t worry; most of the sugar is gone when it’s done fermenting anyway.  Update! I forgot to mention before:  Use organic table sugar to avoid GMOs & pesticides though!
   
4. You can use green tea, but if you do, you should use at LEAST one black tea bag “to give the Kombucha the dose of tannin it needs”.
5. You should NOT use herbal, organic or decaffeinated tea. (And never Earl Grey tea! It contains “bergamot”, which is harmful to the Kombucha.) Betsy recommends plain Lipton black tea (“100% Natural”) – Lipton does not use tea brokers or middlemen. (They’ve owned their own plantations for over 200 years – this is important because all green and black tea is grown outside the U.S.) She tells me that Lipton tea is never sprayed with pesticides, so it is organic without the organic label. (Although they now sell black and green tea labeled “organic”, but at the store I see they are the exact same price.) Because of how most organic or decaffeinated tea comes into the U.S., it usually isn’t really organic (50% are sprayed with pesticides at customs as a precaution), and this can cause the Kombucha to mold. Herbal teas diminish the health of the Kombucha, and some can even kill it. The caffeine in the tea is mostly gone by the time the tea is ready. (Correction: originally I had said, “By the way, she assures me that Lipton tea does NOT have Fluoride in it – that was an urban myth.” I misunderstood and had that wrong. There is naturally occurring Fluoride in all tea – from the soil that it’s grown in. The urban myth was to do with a lady that supposedly died from drinking tea – that wasn’t true.) ***See this info from Ann Marie about Lipton tea vs. organic tea.
   
6. When starting your tea, if you cool for more than 2 1/2 hours (or if you don’t cool it long enough), it could cause mold. (It needs to be room temperature before adding in your starter.)
7. It is best to make it in a bowl. The Kombucha needs the width of the container to be greater than its depth, so it has a sufficient surface supply of oxygen. You can store it in any plain glass container in the refrigerator. (We use 1 gallon glass jars.) To assure accuracy, Betsy checked over these posts, and she asked me to let you know that if you do make a bigger batch in a pickle jar, fill it only 2/3 full and cool the sugar tea water in smaller bowls before continuing the recipe, or else it will take too long to cool in the big jar and could cause mold.
8. If you use the wrong kind of bowl, it can make your Kombucha tea toxic. Just like it works to de-toxify our body, in bowls made of plastic, some glass, ceramic, etc., it will try to detoxify the bowl! Only use PLAIN, CLEAR, UNLEADED, inexpensive, clean glass bowls. (Good brands: Pyrex, Anchor-Hocking, Libby, Ball.)
9. You should not use cheesecloth to cover it, only thin, clean, white cotton.(Cheesecloth attracts fruit flies.) Betsy recommends flour sack towels (5 for $5 at many stores like Meijer, Walmart, Bed Bath & Beyond, etc.), or a clean white cotton t-shirt. (Be sure they are washed before each use – no bleach or fabric softeners.)
10. You don’t want to use a heating tray, heating pad, or place your Kombucha near any electromagnetic fields. (To do so can destroy critical healthy bacteria in the Kombucha.) To keep it between 70*F and 90*F, try a small space heater kept a few feet from the Kombucha. (Betsy says those temps are ideal, but if your room is cooler than that it’s OK, it just takes longer.)
11. You should never grow your Kombucha in a closet, cabinet, or pantry, even if you’ve left the door open a smidge. (“If your Kombucha doesn’t get enough oxygen, it will be thin and weak and could attract mold.”)
12. When done fermenting, you should not strain it with a coffee filter, because it can leave particles and traces of chemicals in the Kombucha. (And you don’t have to strain it at all, if you don’t mind the “pulp”.) I just strain it with the white cotton t-shirt that I covered it with while it was fermenting.
13. It is normal for the taste or amount of fizz to be different each time you make it, depending on the weather, the phases of the moon, seasons of the year, etc. (Isn’t that wild?)
14. You shouldn’t store the Kombucha starter “mushroom” in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for more than 2 weeks. (It can substantially weaken or even contaminate them.) It’s better to store in a covered glass container such as a mason jar or glass bowl (see #7 above for the type of glass) up to 3 months in the frig, covered with Kombucha tea – about 6 oz. or enough to cover it, but no closer than 1″ down from the lid.
15. Betsy recommends you don’t try to sweeten the tea after it’s done fermenting or add anything else to it, because it changes the tea. She said it’s fine for something different once in a while, but for major health benefits or if there are physical reasons why you are drinking it, just drink the original. She could only clarify by saying that additives may make it beneficial in different ways than the original tea. I spoke to someone who adds in frozen raspberries and crystallized ginger (after it’s done fermenting) and it tastes like red pop! I may try it someday, but I’m afraid to mess with it, since I know how good the original is for us and my family already loves it just how it is.

I did most of the above things wrong the first time I made it. Betsy concluded that when I was done, I no longer had a Kombucha starter, but just a plain old “vinegar-yeast patty”!

“ENOUGH RAMBLING…HOW DO YOU MAKE IT?”

All this and more is thoroughly and simply covered in the packet from Laurel Farms that comes with their Kombucha starter. (Or if you get a starter from a friend, they will hopefully also give you this recipe with it.)

Check out the Laurel Farms website for more information and the RECIPE showing HOW TO MAKE IT correctly.

“I JUST DON’T THINK I’LL MAKE KOMBUCHA”

If you don’t think you’ll make it yourself, Betsy does recommend a couple brands: Synergy & Pronatura. (Remember there is that homemade difference, though.) Betsy also wanted me to tell you to be sure to save the bottles, they are great for storing your homemade Kombucha tea.

HAVE I SCARED YOU OFF?

I hope not! It’s really not as complicated as all this might make it sound. Once you get your system down, it is fast and easy, and you can relax knowing that you’re making something very healthy for you and your family. If you have more questions, comment below and I’ll try to help. Remember, though, I’m very new at this; hopefully others who are more experienced will join in the conversation, too!

• Life Changes: 5 Ways They’re All the Same
• The many benefits of Coconut Oil
• Feeling overwhelmed? Scroll down through past Rookie Tips
• Caring for your baby/natural mothering

Subscribe in a reader

Learn more from the COMMENTS BELOW - join the conversation!

{ 72 comments }

Do you suffer from allergies? Normally I don’t post on a topic without doing plenty of research on the issue first, but since I’ve never had to deal with allergies myself, it’s something I haven’t looked into much yet. So here are three things off the top of my head that I’ve heard about allergy relief, and then I’m asking you to add more by commenting below if there is something else that has worked for you.
photo by andryone

• Just recently my friend, David, told me that Shaklee’s Alfalfa Complex completely took away his allergy symptoms. He’s also talked to others who suffered for years and tried many different things that never worked until this. My distributor ships to you for $3, e-mail me if you want to order and I’ll forward it to her.

This is hardly a comprehensive look at allergies or remedies, so if something else has worked for you, please let us know.

• Feeling overwhelmed when trying to eat healthier? Scroll down through all the Rookie Tips and take it one step at a time!
• Wondering what supplements I suggest? You might be surprised…
• Water bottle safety/5 plastics safety tips
• Organic homemade oatmeal bars/granola recipe

Subscribe in a reader

Learn more from the COMMENTS BELOW - join the conversation!

{ 18 comments }

Scroll down at this link (Marilyn Moll’s blog) for healthy & inexpensive alternatives to creamed soups.

photo by Gio JL

The homemade recipes at that link are healthiest, obviously, and I make soups like that often. But sometimes I also just buy organic creamed soups for recipes. Non-organic soups have MSG and other harmful ingredients.

RELATED POSTS/LINKS:

• Feeling overwhelmed with healthier eating? Scroll down through the Rookie Tips
• Feeling like you want more challenge? Read Lynn Cameron’s Guest Interview
• Scroll down through a couple crock-pot recipes

IF THIS POST HAS BEEN HELPFUL TO YOU, will you help spread the word by clicking the little white envelope you see below to e-mail this post to your friends or family?

DON’T MISS ANY NEW POSTS!

• Click here to sign up for FREE automatic e-mail updates 3x/week to your in-box from Kelly the Kitchen Kop.
• Or to subscribe via RSS, scroll to the bottom of the yellow section.

Information found on the Kelly the Kitchen Kop site is meant for educational and informational purposes only, and to motivate you to make your own health care and dietary decisions based upon your own research and in partnership with your health care provider. It should not be relied upon to determine dietary changes, a medical diagnosis or courses of treatment. Individual articles and information on other websites are based upon the opinions of the respective authors, who retain copyright as marked.
© Kelly the Kitchen Kop. All rights reserved.

Subscribe in a reader

Learn more from the COMMENTS BELOW - join the conversation!

{ 1 comment }

The issue of Omega-3’s, especially those found in good quality Cod Liver Oil, is something I touch on often in my blog, but only because it is SO important! I’m using it for this week’s Rookie Tip because it is such a SIMPLE one to put into practice. You buy the liquid or capsules (pictures below) and start taking them daily. There are many reasons why you should (see part 1 below). Just make it a habit and do it!

Complete listing of cod liver oil posts

RELATED POSTS/LINKS:

• What are the benefits of getting more coconut into your diet?
• My favorite kitchen gadgets
• It’s spring, time to find a way you’ll exercise and stick with it!
• Have you seen my other blog? (I don’t update this one often.)
• Rookie Tips

Subscribe in a reader

Learn more from the COMMENTS BELOW - join the conversation!

{ 0 comments }

Don’t freak out on me, this time for the Rookie tip of the week I’m not going to suggest you totally avoid the microwave…yet. I only want you to start thinking about it more. That’s how it started for me. For example, as you’re popping something in there, start saying to yourself something like, “I wonder how Kelly might warm up her…(fill in the blank)?” Then feel free to leave a comment and ASK ME! I’m ALL about convenience in my life, so if I can do this, so can you. It’s really not that big a deal. I’ll tell you about ways I’ve gotten around using the microwave, but first you probably wonder why we don’t use it anymore

WHAT’S THE BIG DEAL?

Well I’m not going to tell you that it’s been proven to be harmful to your health, because the jury is still out on that one. And I’m not going to tell you that “it changes the whole molecular make-up of the food”, because whenever a food is cooked it is changed and less nutritious, no matter how it is heated up. (Which is why everyone should incorporate some raw foods into their diets for better nutrition, and remember, the more gently food is heated, the better.)

Photo by SmartGoat

But what I will tell you is why we don’t use our microwave anymore:

• There are enough questions out there surrounding its safety to make me leery. Google it and you’ll have plenty of reading about the free radicals and possible cancer connections. There’s too much we still don’t know. (I try not to use my cell phone a lot for the same reasons.) This site from Dr. Mercola will make you re-think the whole microwave safety issue for sure.
• Just the sound of the word “microwave” sounds very unnatural to me and makes me want to avoid it! That may sound lame to you, but I’m just being honest, the word itself puts my radar up.
• How many of you Moms out there would step away from the microwave when you were pregnant to avoid any possible harm to your baby while it was on? Well, if it is a concern for babies in the womb, don’t you think it’s a concern for all of us?
• The microwave always heats things up unevenly anyway, with one part over-heated and hard, and another part still cold.
• Even though food is changed and less nutritious no matter how it is heated, according to Nina Planck, in her book, Real Food, “The microwave destroys antioxidants, enzymes, and vitamins dramatically more than conventional heat.”
• I hope by now everyone knows to never use plastic in the microwave…right? But did you know there are also some concerns about toxins from paper used in a microwave, too?
• Have you ever done a taste-test with microwave popcorn and oh, I don’t know…MY popcorn? No comparison! Microwave popcorn just tastes like all the fake butter and chemical preservatives that it’s chock full of.

Don’t worry, here are some ways that I still have plenty of convenience built into my life:

1. I use our toaster oven a LOT, and I love it. It has 5 different ways to heat (toast, broil, defrost, convection bake & bake), and the “convection bake” feature works great for warming stuff up. You pop it in, go do one thing, come back and it’s done.
2. Another gadget I love is my hot water faucet. This saves a lot of time. I use it in a variety of ways: to melt a few chocolate chips I put them into a glass bowl, set that bowl in some hot water, and in 5 minutes they’re melted. To thaw some blueberries for pancakes, I just run hot water over them and drain – done. Same thing for frozen peas, and then babies and toddlers will scoop them up, believe it or not. Works great for tea, obviously, or even to warm up my coffee.
3. Here’s a very helpful post on how to heat up foods without a microwave.
   
4. Turning the oven on or getting a saucepan out to warm up leftovers with a little water or milk in the bottom really doesn’t kill you, even though I used to think it surely would.

RELATED POSTS/LINKS:

• Another great post on this topic:  Living Without a Microwave
• Scroll down through all the past Rookie Tips (this one will come up again, just scroll past it)
• My favorite kitchen gadgets
• Why take cod liver oil?
• Trans fat dangers

Subscribe in a reader

Learn more from the COMMENTS BELOW - join the conversation!

{ 19 comments }

Unless you’re like my friend, Lyn, who plans her meals two weeks in advance, keeping your freezer and pantry properly stocked is something we all really must do to keep on top of the whole, “what’s for dinner?” dilemma. I actually used to plan my meals ahead of time, too (I wouldn’t plan exactly what we’d have each day, but I’d make a list of options for the next couple weeks and choose off of that each morning when deciding what to pull from the freezer), but lately I have trouble finding the time to sit and plan all that at once. If you can do it that way, great, but if not…

Here’s another way to keep on top of meal planning:

Once you’ve made your list of family favorite meals (by the way, mine has been updated and added to since the original post), go through it and make sure you have the ingredients you need for most of them, so you can pull off a last minute meal when necessary. Almost all the meals on my list call for ingredients that can be stocked ahead in the pantry or freezer. You may need to fill in with fresh produce from the farm market or grocery store, but there should always be some meals you can pull together easily without leaving the house. (If you’re blessed with your own garden, even better!)

Another hint:

I don’t know about you, but I cannot STAND going to the pantry or freezer and finding I’m out of something. Here’s what I do: I always buy at least two of everything (more if it’s on sale), and when I take the last one I go immediately to my palmer and add it to the grocery list. If you already do that and are thinking, “duh!”, I’m sorry, but I had to add what might be an obvious hint to some, just in case others haven’t thought about it that way.

Check out what Marilyn from Urban Homemaker has posted: a Master Pantry List with what she recommends keeping on hand.

RELATED POSTS/LINKS:

Subscribe in a reader

Learn more from the COMMENTS BELOW - join the conversation!

{ 4 comments }

For any regular readers, you’ll probably agree that I pretty much beat the topic of healthy milk choices to death. But it’s a major pet peeve of mine, in case you haven’t noticed, and I thought it was an obvious choice for the next Rookie Tip of the Week.

Read through the links below for each suggestion:

• Find a local source of fresh/raw milk if you think you’re ready to make the switch to the ultimate superfood. (At that link you’ll read about the benefits of raw milk & answers to questions about the safety of consuming unpasteurized dairy products.)
• If you don’t think you’re ready to ‘go there’ yet, read this post about healthy milk, to find out your next best options, which include only WHOLE MILK for reasons you’ll read about at that link, and NEVER ULTRAPASTEURIZED dairy!

RELATED POSTS/LINKS:

• Scroll down at this link for all the ROOKIE TIPS
• Organic fettuccine alfredo recipe
• Why you should take cod liver oil (or capsules)
• My favorite kitchen gadgets

Subscribe in a reader

Learn more from the COMMENTS BELOW - join the conversation!

{ 2 comments }

Remember Julie’s guest interview? This post idea comes from her sister, Laura. Laura & her friend, Susan (my neighbor) think Julie & I are a couple of crazies. (We love to laugh about it!) She said that since she doesn’t know what something like “fermentation” even IS (mentioned in Julie’s interview), and she doesn’t see herself doing something as “radical” as switching to raw milk,for example, (how ironic that it’s seen that way these days, when for centuries that’s all people drank!), she suggested I give tips now and then for beginners. I’ll try to give a new, simple Health & Nutrition tip each week.

If reading this blog overwhelms you, I know how you feel, I felt this way in the beginning, too (and still do some days). Just take baby steps, and do what you can!

Julie, Laura, Susan

• HEALTH & NUTRITION ROOKIE TIP OF THE WEEK #2 – MARCH 6TH, 2008

This week I’m giving another suggestion that involves reading labels - can you tell I want you to get into that habit? It’s very important for good health to know what you’re putting into your body! For this week, start avoiding high fructose corn syrup! Yes, this means NO SODA POP! (Unless you find the kind made only with real fruit juice and sparkling water – my kids love to drink an “Izze” now and then for a special treat!) ***This ingredient is similar to trans fats in two ways:

1. High fructose corn syrup, like trans fat, is also a HEART KILLER – and there is no debate over it – it is widely know that these will significantly increase your likelihood to get heart disease, diabetes & obesity – the “big three” that are like an epidemic here in America.

2. Also like trans fat, a few years ago it was nearly impossible to avoid it unless you totally went organic, but now more food manufacturers are realizing that if they want your money, they’d better make options without it. If you can’t find options without it, like bread for example, then you’re only choice is to buy organic – so in that case start by making the switch on things your family eats a lot of. If you’re a big bread-eating family, go organic. If your kids put ketchup on everything, go organic. But if you can’t afford to totally get away from it for now, don’t worry so much about the things you eat rarely.

Believe it or not, soon you’ll get so good at this that your eyes will be able to quickly scan labels and the junk will be back on the shelf and NOT in your cart in no time at all!

• HEALTH & NUTRITION ROOKIE TIP OF THE WEEK #1 – FEBRUARY 29TH, 2008

Start reading labels and avoid anything with trans-fats. This shouldn’t be too tricky, as manufacturers are finally catching on that consumers want to avoid it. If you are having trouble finding what you want, you may need to buy organic. Remember, don’t believe the label if it reads, “Zero trans fats”! Look on the ingredient list, and if you see, “partially hydrogenated _____ oil” (the type of oil varies), then don’t buy it! Read more here about trans fats.

So that’s it, only one new thing to do this week to bring you and/or your family to better health, you can do it!

RELATED POSTS/LINKS:

Subscribe in a reader

Learn more from the COMMENTS BELOW - join the conversation!

{ 0 comments }