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Making Winter Kombucha
Stay Healthy
Drink Kombucha During Cold And Flu Season
Kombucha is a wonderful probiotic drink and something you should really consider drinking daily during cold and flu season. The special probiotic yeast in kombucha (Saccharomyces boulardii, which cannot be killed by antibiotics) can help you boost your immune system when sickness is all around you.
This superstar probiotic is one of the most thoroughly researched of all probiotic supplements.1 It is now used to treat Clostridium difficile, acute diarrhea, antibiotic-associated diarrhea, some parasitic forms of diarrhea, and other gastrointestinal disorders.2 It also has anti-inflammatory and antitoxin effects. It neutralizes toxins produced by harmful pathogens and sends out a signal to the body to reduce inflammation, which can lead to a number of negative health outcomes. Interestingly enough, S. boulardii can also act as a decoy to harmful pathogens. It attracts and binds with the pathogens, keeping them from attaching to the intestinal wall and doing damage.
Sore throat and coughs:
If anybody in my house has a sore throat or cough, kombucha is a wonderful way to soothe them and also load the body with probiotics. It seems to clear the junk off the back of the throat and helps clear the sinuses too. One thing to note - cold drinks can aggravate a cough and make you cough more. If this is the case for you, let your kombucha come to room temperature. It will also support your lymphatic system as it removes the viruses and pathogens that have affected your body.
Check this recipe!
Vitamin A Kombucha
Having foods high in vitamin A helps you during vulnerable cold and flu season. When you have foods that are high in beta carotene, like carrots, pumpkin, and persimmons, your body converts beta-carotene to vitamin A. This signals your body to create more white blood cells which help to fight off infection. As an added bonus, vitamin A also helps to maintain healthy mucous membranes that work to trap and fight off germs. Carrot kombucha is loaded with antioxidants and lots of vitamin A and is super bubbly and delicious!
Check out this recipe.
Tips For Making Kombucha In The Winter Time
Making kombucha in the winter can be a little bit of a challenge when temperatures drop, as kombucha likes to brew at about 75-80 degrees.
Here are my best and most helpful tips for making Kombucha in the winter when temperatures drop not only outside, but inside your home as well. If your house gets below 75 degrees, these tips can be a lifesaver!
| 1. Use a heating strip around your jar or crock, These work great to help keep your brew at a more consistent temperature. This type works great on gallon glass jars and ½ gallon jars too. |
| 2. You can keep smaller brews on top of your fridge. Remember that heat rises! |
| 3. Double or even triple the starter tea you add. This gives the kombucha more probiotic power which helps the brew finish faster. |
| 4. Use STRONGER starter tea. The more tart/sour your tea the faster it will ferment the brew. Starter Tea from SCOBY hotels work best! You can find the SCOBY Hotel info here: SCOBY Hotel |
| 5. Move the Kombucha to a warmer room. You don't have to keep Kombucha in your kitchen. |
| 6. Put your Kombucha in a spare room with a space heater, if you happen to have a spare bedroom or office. You can keep your Kombucha batch (and second ferments) in that room with a small space heater. My daughter did this for years and loved it! Just make sure your space heater doesn't get too hot (or too close to your brew). The room needs to stay below 90 degrees. |
References:
- D. Czerucka, T. Piche, and P. Rampal, “Review Article: Yeast as Probiotics—Saccharomyces boulardii,” Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics 26, no. 6 (September 15, 2007): 767–78: abstract at www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17767461.
- C.H. Choi et al., “A Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo-controlled Multicenter Trial of Saccharomyces boulardii in Irritable Bowel Syndrome: Effect on Quality of Life,” Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology 45, no. 8 (September 2011): 679–83: abstract at www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21301358; S. Uhlen, F. Toursel, and F. Gottrand, Association Française de Pédiatrie Ambulatoire, “Treatment of Acute Diarrhea: Prescription Patterns by Private Practice Pediatricians,” Archives de Pédiatrie 11, no. 8 (August 2004): 903–7: abstract at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15288079.
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Making kombucha in the winter can be a little bit of a challenge when temperatures drop, as kombucha likes to brew at about 75-80 degrees.
Here are my best and most helpful tips for making Kombucha in the winter when temperatures drop not only outside, but inside your home as well. If your house gets below 75 degrees, these tips can be a lifesaver!
References I talked about:
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