Kombucha

Kombucha
3 quarts water
1 cup sugar (it needs to be true sugar, not honey or an alternative sweetener, to work; organic sugar is fine)
4 organic black tea bags (regular tea may contain high amounts of flouride and other toxins)
1 Tb. Himalayan or sea salt--optional
1/2 cup kombucha (from a store-bought bottle or from the liquid the "mushroom" comes in)
1 kombucha "mushroom" (obtain from a friend or purchase on the internet - organic-kombucha is one source).

Directions:

Boil the water in a stainless steel pot, add sugar, turn off heat and stir sugar until dissolved. Add teabags and let soak for 10 to 15 minutes. Remove tea bags and allow liquid to cool. Pour liquid into fermenting container (a 4 qt. pyrex bowl or very large glass jar works well). Add the 1/2 cup kombucha and the "mushroom" to the container. Cover the top with a cloth and leave for one week in a place free from contaminants.

Taste to see if it is ready to drink. It should be bubbly and taste sour. If it is not, leave it to ferment a bit longer.

The mushroom forms another baby mushroom under it and now you have two. You can store the mushrooms in the refrigerator in a glass jar or bowl covered with some of the liquid. Each mushroom can be used many times as long as it does not become contaminated in some way.

If you make it frequently, you will have many extra mushrooms to give to friends! If you have way too many, you can donate some to your compost pile.