Kombucha drink is characterized by its healing, tonic and taste properties that have been known since ancient times.
Today, not only supporters of alternative methods of treatment, but also official medicine recognizes its benefits to the human body.
To make it as useful as possible, it is necessary to properly grow and maintain it.
How to care for kombucha: conditions of detention
Depending on the conditions created for Kombucha, not only its taste, but also its useful characteristics and chemical composition will change. In order for kombucha to develop correctly, it is necessary to adhere to the conditions of its content:
1. Kombucha can perfectly live and develop in a spacious glass container, for example, in a three-liter jar. This may be other dishes, but it should be the size of the mushroom.
2. The glass bowl with the mushroom should not be in a bright place. Direct exposure to sunlight slows the growth of Kombucha, so do not put the container on the windowsill.
3. The recommended temperature for the normal growth of Kombucha is in the range of 23-27 degrees. With a decrease in temperature, the development of the fungus slows down, which can lead to the appearance of algae and its death.
4. After the mushroom is cooked, do not close the container with a tight lid. In this case, there will be a lack of oxygen necessary for the respiration of the fungus. It will be enough to fold clean gauze 3-4 times and put it on top of the container.
5. It is not recommended to pour raw water into Kombucha, as it is saturated with calcium. Water must be boiled.
7. Before pouring water, it is necessary to dissolve sugar and tea leaves in it. Do not pour tea on top of the mushroom or put it in water in which there is undissolved sugar. As a result of such actions, he will get a burn and cover with brown spots. The same applies to tea brewing. Petals or granules from brewed tea should be completely removed.
8. To ensure the normal functioning of Kombucha, it is necessary to wash it with clean water from time to time. Water can be tap, but it is better if it is boiled or spring.
9. Care must be taken to ensure that Kombucha does not die. This may be the result of a long stay in one solution. A sign may be a color change on the top of the mushroom. It becomes a brown hue. In this case, it must be removed from the tank, washed in clean water, remove and discard the upper part.
10. If you have been gone for a long time or if you just forgot about the mushroom, then it can remain without liquid. He will begin to live again if it is poured with tea solution or sweet water. The mushroom has the ability to be stored dry.
How to care for kombucha: what is poured into it
As you drink a drink from Kombucha, there is a need to replenish the habitat in which it is located. In order for him to be healthy, his proper nourishment becomes a regular procedure. To do this, prepare a tea solution diluted with sugar. In boiled, 1% tea solution, dilute sugar in a ratio of 1 to 10. In such a prepared solution, you can move the mushroom itself or add this solution to the one in which it already lives.
It is necessary to ensure that the prepared solution is not very strong or saturated. This will slow down the growth of the fungus. Concentration can be reduced by adding boiled, cooled water.
Fertilizing the mushroom or replacing the solution is carried out constantly, about once every 3-4 days. With a decrease in ambient temperature, this procedure decreases to once every 6-7 days. In order to make the mushroom drink more saturated, the feeding process can be carried out more often.
How to care for kombucha: how to wash and share
Kombucha needs constant care and attention. It is not enough just to put it in a container, drain the drink and replenish it from time to time. So what kind of care does Kombucha require?
To ensure that the mushroom does not die, it must be washed periodically. Usually it is washed in cool, better running, and clean water. It must be washed very carefully, since if the water pressure is strong, then the structure of the fungus can be damaged.
Also, while washing it must be kept gently. Mechanical damage can damage the integrity and it will die. Having finished "bathing", the mushroom returns to its usual environment, filled with a weak, sweet tea solution.
In summer, at higher ambient temperatures, the fungus is more active than in winter. You have to wash it and change the tea solution more often. The washing process is recommended to be carried out once every 3-4 weeks in the winter and at least once every 1-2 weeks in the summer.
In addition to the fact that the mushroom is undergoing constant care, a thorough cleaning of the container in which it lives is necessary. The jar in which the mushroom is located must be thoroughly washed, removing mucus, possible algae and other substances. After this, the can is filled with a new tea solution and a new product is prepared.
Reproduction of Kombucha is very simple. To do this, it is necessary to separate the upper part of the mushroom and move it to a clean container with warm water. A new mushroom should settle in a dark place at room temperature for at least 24 hours. As soon as the film of the mushroom begins to rise and exfoliate, you can move the young mushroom into a sweet tea solution. 2-3 days after the mushroom is moved, it will noticeably increase in size and the drink can be consumed. The period of life of Kombucha when it gives out the highest quality drink is a couple of months.
How to Care for Kombucha: Beginner Mistakes
The drink of their Kombucha is not only tasty, but also healthy. However, all the taste and healing properties of the fungus are preserved if it is properly looked after. Beginners "mushroom pickers" make some mistakes that prevent the tea mushroom from making a drink:
1. Having placed a young Kombucha in a glass container, do not wait for an instant result. There is a period of growth and maturation. Be patient and let the mushroom grow.
2. An attempt to fill sugar over the fungus and thereby increase its productivity will lead to negative consequences. The consequence of this may be a burn of the fungus and its death. Sugar is added exclusively in a diluted state.
3. The mushroom must be constantly bathed. In no case should you tear off the lower, nondescript layers of the fungus, and leave a beautiful upper one. It is the lower layers that produce those elements, as a result of which a tasty drink is obtained.
4. The mushroom should swim only horizontally, with its smooth side up. If it is upside down, then it must be returned to its normal position, as otherwise there will be no drink.
5. It is necessary to constantly refresh the water with the mushroom after drinking the drink. If the water does not freshen, the acidity in the tea solution will increase. If you do not want to drink a drink, just pour some part of it and pour a fresh solution.
6. It is impossible to use metal utensils for the solution, since the fungus produces acid. The reaction of acid and metal will cause the product to deteriorate.
7. More often than not, a mushroom dies when it is poured onto it from an unrefined tea from a mug or teapot. If you accidentally "cooked" a mushroom, do not throw it away right away, remove the top part, maybe it will survive and will delight you with a healthy drink for a long time.
