Free Culture Instructions....

The cultures have started shipping out! Yesterday was the first batch and I'm so excited to see how these babies do :)

This post is just some basic instructions for people starting out with these cultures.


Kombucha Instructions~

While available, I'm sending out my big, huge babies and at least 1/2 a cup of starter tea (I may send out more than that, just depends on how much we have available. )

*Before you get started, remove your rings/watches etc and scrub your hands well. Wash, rinse and splash with vinegar all utensils or containers you may be using...you can not use metal with Kombucha*


You will need-

~ 5 cup (or larger) glass or ceramic container
~Spring water
~Black Tea
~White sugar
~starter tea and scoby



~When you get the package in the mail, carefully open the bag and pour the liquid into a clean bowl and carefully slide the scoby out with it. Cover it with a paper towel or cloth for now.
~Boil 4 cups of spring water and pour into a safe, glass jar.
~Put 2 black teabags (with tags removed) into the jar.
~5 minutes after the tea bags have been added, pour in 1/2 cup of sugar. Stir until dissolved and then recover and let cool to room temp.
~When the sweet tea has cooled, take out 1/2 a cup of sweet tea (you can dump or drink it) and pour in your starter tea liquid. Swirl with a spoon to make sure the starter tea has blended with the sweet tea.
~Carefully slide your scoby into the container.
~Cover with a paper towel and rubber band ( to deter fruit flies etc.) and leave in a safe, warm place for a week. After one week, taste the kombucha liquid and see if it's to your liking. If you like it, you can start another batch with these same instructions or you can make a bigger batch following these instructions. If you want it a bit more sour, you can let it brew longer and check it every couple of days until it gets to a point you are happy with.

Any questions, please feel free to contact me! :)


Kefir Instructions

Kefir is extremely easy to make! I'll be sending you at least 1 heaping tablespoon of kefir grains. The liquid that is in with the grains is liquid kefir and is fine to drink (or you can add it to your first batch of kefir to give the grains an exta kick.)

*Before you get started, remove your rings/watches etc and scrub your hands well. Wash, rinse and splash with vinegar all utensils or containers you may be using...you can not use metal with Kefir*

What you'll need~

~ Milk (any kind is fine...raw, homogenized, pasteurized, skim, 1%, 2% whole etc.)
~Glass container (you can start of with a pint size canning jar and move up from there)
~Small mesh, plastic or nylon strainer to strain the grains and a bowl to put under the strainer to catch the liquid kefir.
~Kefir grains



~Carefully unwrap the kefir and grains and pour into clean pint size jar. Slowly fill jar with milk. Leave about 1 1/2 inches of space at the top for expansion and screw on the lid.
~Put in safe spot to culture for 24 hours (if it's very warm, you may only need to let it culture for 12-16 hours.) You will know that it's done when you start seeing little pockets of whey throughout the jar.
~ When your kefir is ready,set your plastic strainer on top of a glass or ceramic bowl.
~While it's still in the jar, stir the kefir with a plastic spoon and then pour it into your strainer. ~Carefully stir the grains to seperate any curds that may have attached themselves to the grains.
~Once you have the grains seperated, scoop them up with your spoon and put them back in the jar they were in (re-using the same jar will actually help give the kefir a boost. It helps to adjust the ph of the mixture right off the bat. I use a clean jar about every 3rd batch.) and re-fill with milk.
~Pour the contents of the bowl (which is fresh kefir you've cultured!!) into another jar. The kefir is perfectly fine to use, but you can either cover and refrigerate or you can also leave it out for another 24 hours. This is called a secondary fermentation and it reaaaalllly boosts the nutritional value of the kefir.
~ You can continue re-batching your kefir every 24 hours, or if you have an abundance and need to use it up before making more, just put your grains in their jar, fill it with milk and put them in the fridge. This slows the fermentation process and they can safely stay in there for up to 1 week. As your kfir grains double, you can either use a bigger jar and add more milk, or you can pass them on to a friend!

Any questions, please feel free to contact me :)


Sourdough Starter~

Sourdough is another very easy culture to work with!

What you'll need~

~Clean, sterilized glass, or ceramic (you can use plastic but I try to avoid it whenever possible) container. This will be your sourdough starters home, so think big here.
~Rye, wheat, or spelt flour. Fresh ground is best, but store bought will work fine.
~Plastic or wooden spoon to stir with.


~Carefully unwrap the package and pour the 1 cup of sourdough starter into it's new home.
~Stir in 1/2 cup of flour and 1/2 cup of water each day until you have enough starter for whichever recipe you may be interested in using. (Here's one you can try if :) Always keep one cup of starter back to keep your starter going.
~You can refrigerate if you start getting too much starter, but I've found feeding my starter daily and keeping it right on the counter gives the best flavor :)




Again, any questions, please feel free to contact me! :)



Water Kefir~

Another very easy, wonderful culture! You will receive at least 1 heaping tablespoon of water kefir grains.

*Before you get started, remove your rings/watches etc and scrub your hands well. Wash, rinse and splash with vinegar all utensils or containers you may be using...you can not use metal with water kefir*

You will need~

~glass container or jar 4 cups or larger.
~Small mesh, plastic or nylon strainer to strain the grains and a bowl to put under the strainer to catch the liquid kefir.
~sugar
~spring water
~molasses (optional)
~baking soda (optional)
~lemon
~Sterilized egg shells (boiled in water) ground into a powder. (optional)

~Pour 1 cup of spring water into the jar. Add 1 tablespoon of sugar and stir until dissolved. Add one drop of molasses and a tiny pinch of baking soda into the water and stir well. Not add a pinch of the ground egg shells ( these will dissolve completely. They are good for the kefir grains and give a calcium and magnesium boost that is unbeatable!)
~Carefully unwrap the package and pour grains and water kefir right into the clean, sterilized jar.
~Stir gently, put on cover and set in safe place for 48 hours.
~After 48 hours has passed, set your plastic strainer on top of a glass or ceramic bowl. Pour the water kefir into your strainer (discard the lemon).
~Pour your fresh, water kefir from the bowl into another clean jar and refrigerate until you are ready to drink it.
~Now, take your grains (that should still be in the strainer) and rinse them with some fresh spring water. They are now ready to go for another batch! Follow the same instructions (until the grains start to multiply...when they have doubled, you can double the ingredients you are using.

Once you are familiar with the water kefir, you can start experimenting with different recipes and ingredients (always make sure to keep some of your grains back in case the recipe is a failure...trust me, I found this out the hard way :P )

Once again, any questions, please feel free to contact me! :)