I have used yogurt for marinating various meats and it suddenly occurred to me that kombucha would make a good marinade. It did, the meat was so soft, it just melted in our mouths. This recipe is fantastic. The rosemary comes gently through the meat–it is just amazing how well rosemary goes with lamb.

Serves 2

• 2 lamb shanks (grass-fed is best!)
• 1/2 c kombucha (or thereabouts)
• 2 sprigs of rosemary, chopped
• 3 toes garlic, minced
• 2 onions, sliced
• 3 c meat stock
• 4 carrots, medium dice
• 1/2 lb green beans, cut into pieces

Method: Place the lamb shanks into a dish and cover them with the kombucha, add the rosemary and garlic and roll the shanks around. Place in fridge overnight.

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I finally realized that even though I spend a lot of time raving on about the wonders of kombucha I haven’t posted a basic description for how to make it. Every ten days I follow this routine which provides me and my man with tasty kombucha tea while the next batch ferments on the countertop. Halve the recipe if you are the only one drinking the kombucha tea.

• 6 liters (quarts) water
• 8 bags strong black tea
• 2 c sugar
• kombucha mushroom (SCOBY)
• 3/4 – 1 c kombucha tea

Method Bring the water to a boil, add the sugar and dissolve. I often like to use unrefined palm sugar or raw cane sugar instead of refined sugar, but this gives the kombucha a different sort of flavor, the refined sugar is meant to be the best to use for kombucha and gives it a light and crisp flavor. I just don’t like using Rogers sugar as I heard they were using GM sugar beets. Add the tea bags and cover the pot (I use a stainless steel stock pot). Let this steep well and cool to at least room temperature.

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Published in Far West Almanac.

Mutual assistance enriches even the poor

Chinese Proverb

A couple years ago I finally had a chance to start making kombucha. My sister had gotten a hold of a kombucha mother/starter (known as a SCOBY – Symbiotic Colony of Bacteria and Yeast) while doing a house call, (she’s a nurse). Kombucha is a fermented tea created by a mysterious symbiotic colony of yeasts and bacteria. It looks and feels like a rubbery pancake, and floats on the top of strong black tea and sugar for 7-10 days. The resulting liquid is similar to fizzy iced tea and is very good for cleaning out toxins, supporting the liver and digestive system.

After making a couple batches I didn’t know what to do with all my SCOBY’s (a new baby is born every batch) so I posted my email onto the site www.kombu.de offering the babies to whoever wanted. To my surprise a steady stream of all kinds of people arrived at my door, each with their own kombucha experiences. The most recent being a South African lady who started drinking kombucha while living in Malaysia, she had gotten her SCOBY from someone in Kuala Lumpur via www.kombu.de.

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