New Fermentation Book: "Real Food Fermentation"

My friend Alex Lewin, author of the blog Feed Me Like You Mean It, has recently written a book titled Real Food Fermentation.

The book covers fermentation of all kinds of foods and beverages, including lacto-fermented vegetables, dairy such as yogurt and kefir, fermented fruit condiments, and kombucha of course! I even contributed a few pages to the kombucha section of the book, offering tips on how to take care of kombucha cultures!

Alex Lewin is a graduate of Harvard, The Cambridge School of Culinary Arts, and the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. He calls himself a health strategist, advocates for real and healthy food, and serves on the board of the Boston Public Market Association. Read more about Alex Lewin here.

Why buy the book? Lewin says on his blog:

"It is a photo-illustrated, step by step cookbook that shows you how to make fermented foods. The photos really make the recipes come alive (pun intended!). And they are beautiful photos; my photographer is an ace. There are other fermentation books out there, including some new ones, but to be honest, mine is the prettiest by far, and the step by step pictures make my recipes very easy to follow."

The photographs in the book really are gorgeous. In addition, I would highly recommend Alex's sauerkraut recipe (also provided in his book), which I have been using ever since he did a Sauerkraut Demo with Slow Food BU!

To purchase Real Food Fermentation, ask your local independent bookstore to order it for you, or purchase it on Amazon this Monday, June 18, which will help to promote the book and help it to rise on Amazon's best-sellers list. Of course, if you cannot purchase the book on June 18, purchase it anytime!

For more information and updates about Real Food Fermentation, visit http://RealFoodFermentation.com.

Cautions about Kombucha and How Much You Should Drink (Updated May 22, 2012)

It all depends on your body.

Kombucha is an acidic drink. While all of the beneficial acids may not be developed in an under-fermented brew, an over-fermented brew may be too acidic and create stress for the digestive system. (However, kombucha that has been brewed/fermented longer will also have less sugar).

It's usually suggested to drink kombucha in the morning on an empty stomach. Some also say to drink kombucha before meals to lose weight and after meals to gain weight.

If you are new to kombucha, you may want to start by drinking 1-2 or 4 fluid oz daily/at a time to let your body adjust to it. You may work your way up to 4 or 8 oz a day, but it's been recommended that you stop at the abosolute max of 32 oz./day!- there is such a thing as too much kombucha! For me, 4 oz. a day (such as 2 oz. in the morning and 2 oz. at night) is plenty.

Happy Herbalist does not recommended kombucha for pregnant or nursing women, or children under the age of 4. Meanwhile, others suggest that kombucha is ok for pregnant women, and that kombucha can be safe for young children. One particular concern is kombucha fermented with honey, especially raw honey, which may contain spores of Clostridium botulinum. Adults can usually tolerate the spores, but because of the possibility of infant botulism, it is not advised to give honey or kombucha fermented with honey to children under the age of 1. In addition, kombucha may interfere with certain medications. 

In conclusion, people have different opinions on how much kombucha one should drink and on whether or not kombucha is appropriate for certain groups. What works for one person also may not work for another person. If you are unsure of whether you should be drinking kombucha or not, you may want to consult your doctor or a health care professional. Finally, remember that how much kombucha to drink depends on you.

For some more information on this topic, visit these links:

• http://www.happyherbalist.com/cautions.htm#Pregnant,_Nursing_and_children_under_the_age_of_4
• http://www.kombu.de/children.htm
• http://www.organic-kombucha.com/kombucha_use.html and http://www.organic-kombucha.com/kombucha_should_not_use.html
• http://www.kombuchakamp.com/2011/06/kombucha-tea-pregnancy-safety-probiotics-fermented-foods.html

Kombucha and Mead Homebrewing Demo

I hope you all are enjoying the New Years, with plenty of kombucha! I'm looking forward to another kombucha demo on Sunday, January 22, in conjunction with a mead homebrewing demo as well! The details are below, and I hope to see you there!

Kombucha and Mead Homebrewing Demo
This is a two part demo. First kombucha, then mead.
When: Sunday, January 22, 2012, at 2 pm

Where: The Whirlybird Coop at 36 Faneuil St., Brighton, MA 02109

Cost: Free, but to take home a Kombucha Mother would be a cost of $15
RSVP at: http://www.meetup.com/Urban-Homesteaders-League/events/43812992/

Kombucha Homebrewing Demo:
Presenter: Annabelle Ho
Kombucha is a fermented tea traced back to Chinese origins to around 220 B.C. Numerous health benefits have been attributed to kombucha, including curing cancer, reducing blood pressure, boosting the immune system, and aiding digestion. Kombucha is also said to have probiotics and detoxifying effects.
Brewing kombucha is quite easy to do at home, and it's fun! Annabelle Ho, author of the blog Kombucha Fuel, will demonstrate and explain the basics of brewing and bottling kombucha. Topics to be covered include required materials, the traditional and continuous brewing methods, how to grow your own kombucha mushroom, and more.
Samples of home-brewed kombucha tea will be available to taste. SCOBYs will also be available for individuals to take home. For those interested in adopting a kombucha mushroom, bringing a clean, glass pint jar would help to facilitate distribution.
For more information on kombucha and how to brew it, visit http://www.kombuchafuel.com.
Have questions about this event? E-mail Annabelle at kombuchafuel[at]gmail.com.
Annabelle Ho is the author of Kombucha Fuel and has been brewing kombucha for the past three years. She is a recent graduate from Boston University with a degree in nutrition, and she is currently training to be a holistic health coach at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. Annabelle’s interests include herbalism, gardening, agriculture, food, sustainability, and playing the cello.
Mead Homebrewing Demo:
Presenter: Nathan Larson
Description: Mead is an alcoholic beverage similar to wine in it's alcoholic content. It is made from honey, water, and yeasties. I heard about how to make and watched some you tube videos about it so obvi I'm an expert now (not quite) but I've done a batch once already and can explain how it was done. It's pretty easy.
This event is co-sponsored by the Urban Homesteaders' League (http://www.meetup.com/Urban-Homesteaders-League), Boston Collective House Assembly (assembly.bostoncoops.org, http://meetup.bostoncoops.org/) and Branches (branches.bostoncoops.org).

Kombucha Happenings Around Town!

This past year has been great for kombucha in the Cambridge area. I've been making numerous additions to my Google map, Where to Buy Kombucha Around Boston, MA, and want to highlight the latest additions:

• Life Alive, located at 765 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA 02139
• Greenhouse Café at the Science Center of Harvard University, 1 Oxford St. Cambridge, MA 02138
• Formaggio Kitchen at 244 Huron Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138
  
• Pemberton Farms and Garden Center at 2225 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA 02140

In addition, Culinary Cruisers, which just started up this past year, has been up to a lot of kombucha fun. From their Facebook Page: "The Culinary Cruiser Team is made up of siblings, Josh and Leah Danoff, and our friend Jennifer Johnsrud. We are all incredibly passionate about food and completely obsessed with the current mobile food revolution. Here at Culinary Cruisers we specialize in custom-built, pedal powered bicycle food carts. We've recently partnered up with Katalyst Kombucha, and our first bike, the Kombucha Cruiser, can be found serving up our delicious, raw and organic kombucha on tap at:"

• The Science Center at Harvard
  
  Every Monday and Wednesday from 11am - 5pm.
  
  At 1 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA 02138.
  
  
• Harvard Farmers Market:
  
  Every Tuesday, noon – 6:00 pm, June 14th through October 25th
  
  At the intersection of Kirkland St & Oxford St, Cambridge, MA 02138. On the lawn between the Science Center and Memorial Hall.
  
  
• Medford Farmers Market:
  
  Every Thursday, 3:00 – 7:00 pm, June 16th through October 13th
  
  At the Whole Foods Market Parking Lot, 2151 Mystic Valley Parkway (Rt. 16), Medford, MA 02155
  
  
• Cambridge Farmers Market:
  
  Every Friday, noon – 6 pm, Charles Square, June 3rd through November 18th
  
  Every Sunday, 10 am – 3 pm, Charles Square, May 22nd through November 20th
  
  At the intersection of Eliot Street and Bennett Street in the Charles Hotel Plaza at Harvard Square, Cambridge, MA 02138.

Sounds pretty awesome. Visit the Culinary Cruiser Facebook page for their latest updates.

All of these locations and more can be found on my map, Where to Buy Kombucha Around Boston, MA. And if you discover that I'm missing a location, please let me know!

Happy kombucha drinking!

Kombucha Demo at The Boston Local Food Festival

I am very excited to be participating in The 2nd Annual Boston Local Food Festival on Saturday, October 1. "Produced by the Sustainable Business Network of Greater Boston (SBN), the festival is built upon the principals of creating a local, green, and fair economy and promotes the benefits of eating local food and to offer a diversity of locally grown and sourced dishes at affordable prices of $5 or less."

The festival will take place along Fort Point Channel near the Boston Children's Museum (which is located at 300 Congress St., Boston, MA) and on Children's Wharf Park form 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. For more information about The Boston Local Food Festival, visit their website.

My kombucha demo will take place at the DIY how2heroes booth from 12:15 - 12:45 pm. Unfortunately, I will be unable to provide any kombucha samples or kombucha mushrooms due to regulations. Thus, the demo will focus on the basics of brewing and bottling kombucha, as well as how to grow your own/how to source a kombucha mushroom. There will also be other presenters at the Do-It-Yourself Demo tent throughout the day, for plenty of DIY fun! Check out the schedule for the DIY Demos here.

I'm looking forward to the demo, and I hope you'll join us at the festival!

Update: Kombucha Fuel Page on Facebook

Hello kombucha friends,

I've really been enjoying Kombucha Fuel on Facebook, it's great to interact with all of you lovely readers and fellow brewers! However, it is time to move my Kombucha Fuel Facebook profile to a Facebook page, and better to do it sooner, rather than later, for various reasons. Over the next few days I will be attempting the conversion, and according to Facebook, this is what will transfer: my profile pictures, and all of my friends as people who like my page. If you somehow accidentally get lost in the conversion process, find Kombucha Fuel as a page on Facebook! This may also mean that I will need to restart the Facebook note, "Kombucha SCOBY Exchange." Stay tuned, and thanks for your patience!

Addendum September 3, 2011

I have completed the conversion to the Facebook page, and luckily I believe most people were not lost in the process! You can find my Facebook page here, and my new note for the Kombucha SCOBY Exchange here. Thanks, and I hope you are enjoying this labor day weekend with some kombucha! :)

Want to share your kombucha story?

Hello kombucha enthusiasts,

I hope you all are having a great summer, with plenty of kombucha! I am looking for kombucha stories, and hope to share these stories with others! I'm looking for all kinds of stories, but I am particularly interested in stories about how kombucha has affected your lifestyle, changed your life, how it has influenced someone close to you, etc. Funny stories are welcome, too! This can include stories involving homebrewed kombucha, or even store-bought kombucha if you haven't gotten your homebrewing on yet. If you have a story to share, please e-mail it to me at kombuchafuel [at] gmail.com. If you submit a story and give your permission, I'm hoping to republish some of these stories on my blog, giving the author credit or anonymity as desired. I will be taking these stories on a rolling basis, so feel free to submit stories whenever you like!

Thanks, and I look forward to hearing from you!

Happy brewing,

Annabelle