At the river

Nothing quenches life like the river on a humid day...

'booch

So here it is folks, my recent "spare" time has been gobbled up in kombucha making.  Yes, the oober hip kombucha (or fermented tea).  I am hooked...quite possibly addicted to fermented bubbly.  And, while the drink may have some controversy...i will spare no time talking about that.  What ever you decide to put in your body is your business...but right now my body is loving its daily dose of homemade kombucha and it is delicious!  Health benefits aside, this drink is a perfect companion on a hot day and it is darn-tootin' easy to make.  And while I do know there are plenty, if not hundreds, of demos and recipes online here is my take on 'booch makin...enjoy loves!

Supplies

Tea (I use 2 tbs of black or green…but go ahead get crazy….i would not use any flavored teas)

Sugar (I use refined)

SCOBY (Symbiotic Culture Of Bacteria & Yeast) & starter tea (tea from the last batch)

Gallon glass jug (or ½ gallon depending on how much you make….)
Sealable jars for bottling

Flavor stuff….ginger/herbs/fruit…you name it you can booch it (maybe…)

Make the tea

For 1 gallon of booch I bring 14 cups of water to a boil and turn off, add a cup of sugar and 2 tablespoons of tea (I have also experimented with adding dried rosehips at this stage), stir and let it cool. Once cooled, pour into your glass jug (make sure you strain if you are using loose tea without a bag), add a SCOBY and approximately 2 cups of tea from your last batch.

S.C.O.B.Y
(or snotty mama)

Ferment

Cover your gallon jug with a clean dishtowel and secure with a rubber band.  I’m into a sweeter tasting booch so in this weather I am doing my first ferment for 4 days at the most.  To find out what you like…use a straw and slurp up a taste as it is fermenting…just be sure not to back wash!  In colder climates this step will most certainly take longer - taste daily to make sure it doesn't get vinegery.

Bottle

With clean hands remove your SCOBY…separate if she has become a monster (the old mama can be passed to a friend, composted, eaten by your chickens...or i have even seen a recipe for candied SCOBY...totally not going there...but if you do, let me know!)… Put your new mama in a jar with 2 cups of that batch tea.  Using a funnel pour your booch into bottles (we like the grolsch style…but you can use anything as long as it is glass and creates a good seal).  Leave about 2 inches or more if you plan to use fruit or just 1 inch head space if you don’t plan to add anything else.

jug of fermented tea getting ready to be bottled and flavored with lemon and grated ginger

Flavor

Add anything you want.  I would clean any fresh fruit or herbs you decide to throw in.  So far we love raspberry/lime/ginger, strawberry/mint, lemon/lavender/ginger,  blueberry/lime/ginger, strawberry/rhubarb.  When I made rhubarb I cooked the rhubarb in a little water and then strained it…you could do that with any of the fruit if you were looking to get fancy and not have globs of fruit floating in your booch.  Really do whatever sounds fantastic in your head…the sky is the limit

Ferment

After you have flavored, clean off bottle tops and cap.  Let sit on counter (in this weather) for 2 or more days.  Move to the fridge once she is ready!

Drink

The most obvious step!  If you put whole fruit in you will want to strain it (or not)....i like to use a little tea strainer to catch all the globs!  Oh and side note...the batch of late obsession is ginger-lavendar-lemon...and she is delightful paired with a splash of rum and a lime sqeeze!

the final product
(this was raspberry lime ginger)

NOTES

•Always use clean hands and bottles.  I run my bottles through a cycle in the dishwasher…that is as sterile as I get.

•Keep your fermenting batches out of direct sunlight (a cabinet or dark corner is ideal)

•At first booch can be tricky and then once you have it “figured out” the season will change and you may have to play with your fermentation time a bit.  If your first batch comes out crappy you can always go down to a ½ gallon batch at a time…that is what I did until I “nailed it”.

•There are a million and more sites online that give comprehensive picturesque demonstrations…if this isn’t enough…google it.

•If your SCOBY ever looks funny (green/black/really white or fuzzy) throw her out…there is no hope for her. Find a friend...with a SCOBY and get a new one!  If you don't have a friend with a SCOBY there are several online resources...google it!

•From what I have read there is a chance that your booch will have over the legal limit of alcohol content…that being said…it is probably very minimal…I have never had a booch hangover!  I’ve read that the second ferment with fruit is where the alcohol level may be affected…so maybe a shorter 2nd ferment is the way to go if you are worried about it. 

•If you are so excited about your booch and want to share it with everyone make sure you don’t inundate someone with too much booch…”they say”….to gradually increase consumption starting at maybe 4 oz a day…..basically don’t let grandma chug 16 oz the first times she has it.

•Keep your fermenting jugs covered at all times to decrease your likelihood of contamination and keep other fermenting goodies (like sour dough) and compost heaps on the other side of your kitchen

•I’ve read booch can hang in your fridge for up to 2 months safely (probably longer)…if you don’t go through it so fast then it might be worth labeling with a date.

camping

in style

dishing out the goods

night one: sausages/smoked white fish potato salad/homemade mustard/cornbread and a scrumptious caramelized onion lentil and rice dish i am failing to remember the name of...

there were games too...of course with the perfect accessories (bug eye glasses)

camping braids

evidence of a little too much night time fun

bug collecting

swimming

baby love

watch out mama...

the biggest cornball i know

no camping trip is complete without a foot shot

taco prep station
ever wonder what to do with all that extra juice from fresh salsa...?....strain it and make it into a cocktail!

hand pies...my new favorite neighbor makes hand pies....did i say she was my favorite neighbor!

Hot dogs are a thing of camping past people.  With this group of food enthusiast, this weekend excursion was more of an epicurion delight rather than camping in the woods.  There was no shortage of sausages made by our friends new employer, breakfasts to please the gods & goddesses, fish tacos that were simply finger lickin' good, and hand pies...oh my...those hand pies.....

Oh yes, and there was the camping part too.  We stayed in our dear friends cabin again up in Sugar Hill and, as usual, had a blast.  Great company, swimming, a little too much fun at night and thankfully no (really bad) hangovers - camping in style success!

hip high....

by the 4th of july!

yes...isabelle was this excited to take this photo...
in her defense it is super hot...

we got our corn in some crazy fertile soil up here and we have beat the old saying "knee high before 4th of july"
now i am just waiting for the deer, bears or raccoons to find it....

happy 4th!

{owen} 18 months

At 18 months:

• you are saying "no" to everything
• sometimes you slip and you say....mama, dada, dah (dog/adele), uh oh, iwah (i want)
• you shake your head no and yes (on occasion), sign all done, more, and are an expert waver 
• you climb on everything...we find you on the dinner table, in the rocking chair, in our bed, up the loft ladder, and on top of the singer sewing machine on any given day
• you love water, dirt and sand play
• you wind up to throw things at people all.the.time.  And usually you are coaxed into gently putting things on the floor (mainly because we all give you a big round of applause after)
• if we say "no owen don't do that" you are interpreting it as "yes please do it more and more and more"
• you love adele, the cats and the chickens
• you love to play pass with balls (and have a mighty strong arm at that)
• you are fast on your feet and have a sneaky grin 
• you furrow your brows so deep it makes us laugh
• you love pasta, rice, yogurt, cottage cheese on occasion and fruit (you are a picky eater my friend...)
• you are the best snuggler i know (only when you want to of course)
• your kisses are tough boy kisses and usually leave me with a bruised lip
• you sleep through the night...there have been night time rumors of you moving into sissy's room soon
• you have 12 teeth....that are terribly crooked
• i can not bring myself to cut your hair...it is beautiful and when you sleep you look like an angel
• you are 18 months and i'm sure there are plenty of things i am missing...but you are perfect owen..... just perfect

more from two weekends ago....

uncle ryan and the two cutest kids

serious grampy time

tree climbing

...is serious stuff

a french braid will hide a 1000 sins

I have a little blogger guilt over last week...so I'll try to make up for it (but no promises)!  Here is a photo dump from two weekends ago in RI.  

belated

Quite possibly the worst daughter ever....yesterday I forgot to call my dad on his birthday.  SO...me...being terribly horribly sorry for such carelessness have dedicated this blog post to you dad...don't you feel terribly lucky!

My dad has taught me many things...to be myself, to not care what others think of you, how to laugh at yourself and how to talk.  I still fail on so many levels to talk about what is really going on in my head but my dad never misses an opportunity to encourage me to open my brain and my mouth.  So, happy belated birthday... i'm so happy you are my dad!