I bumped into this quote this morning. It took me on a whole new path of thought and logic, great fun!
“The chains of habit are too weak to be felt until they are too strong to be broken.”
Samuel Johnson
1709 – 1784
Hot today, and humid!
Attila is working on the north siding today, to stay out of the sun. It is hot in the shade, but brutally hot in the sun if you are working. He first has to scrape off peeling paint. When we scraped the house siding about 12 years ago, not all of the old paint layers would come off. We painted over them, and now those layers are peeling. So that is what Attila is taking off, right down to the wood in most instances. The areas he has finished repainting are looking very nice, and the project is going a lot faster than I though it would.
Yesterday I researched possibilities to get rid of the old hot water tank, which has been sitting in the driveway for months now. There is a scrap yard near us that said they would take it. So yesterday Attila loaded the old hot water tank into Blue the car, also taking the old well pump, and headed over the to the scrap yard. He came home with $15.00, we did not have to pay to discard the items, and they will be stripped of their reusable components and recycled for profit. It feels great to finally move those items out of our lives.
I am staying in the climate controlled house during the heat waves. The day-to-day tasks around here keep me happily busy. My days consist of sewing/bill-paying/cooking/baking/fermenting/canning/freezing/dehydrating, also reading, and watching a wide range of videos from do-it-yourself offerings to Chinese dramas.
This morning I baked a dozen Chocolate Zucchini Muffins. After storing the muffins in the freezer for next week breakfasts, I turned my attention to the Kombucha, which I started eight days ago, and it is now ready. I made two gallons this time, as Attila likes it too, and we drink it daily. When I first made Kombucha it was a bit stressful, not knowing what to expect, if it was progressing the way it should, etc.
My first batch of Kombucha created a huge mess in the kitchen, as I changed my mind about the equipment I was using, and discovered new things about the process, such as straining the Kombucha through a sieve, to removed the blackish bits of yeast growth. Now the process is becoming much smoother, I know the steps I need to take, and it gets easier to do each time I make a new batch. Since I know what I need, and what to expect, the kitchen can be kept organized and clean throughout the process.
This morning I stored five litres of fresh Kombucha in the refrigerator, and I am starting two more gallon jars. To start a new batch I need two cups of Kombucha, and I include pellicle(s).
Are there really benefits from drinking Kombucha. At our house there seems to be. Although we can’t measure most of the postulated benefits, gut health is easy to detect, and our daily Kombucha has definitely improved our gut health. As for my concern about the cup of sugar I put in each gallon to ferment, I doubt there is much sugar left by the time we consume it. I tasted the brew before it fermented, it was very sweet, and tasted like sweetened tea. Once fermented it does not taste sweet at all, does not taste like tea, and has a definite tang. The sugar, I believe, has been transformed into things that are good for us. The only research to back up this belief was conducted on commercially sold Kombucha, and the results varied wildly depending on the brand; so there is no scientific evidence to back up my belief in my home brewed Kombucha.
Attila brought me a bouquet of Heliopsis from the garden, so bright and beautiful in a vase by the window, where they catch the sun.
Worldly
Weather
30°C
Feels Like 38°C
Date: 1:00 PM EDT Thursday 1 August 2024
Condition: Mainly Sunny
Pressure: 101.5 kPa
Tendency: Rising
Dew point: 23.3°C
Humidity: 85%
Wind: S 19 km/h
Visibility: 16 km
Quote
“Sorrow was like the wind. It came in gusts.”
Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings
1896 – 1953
What does kombucha taste like, Maggie?
Except for grocery shopping, we are also staying indoors. I’m very susceptible to poor air quality, especially ozone. Even when it’s in the upper Fair ranges, it can start me coughing. I’ll be glad when things cool down in a few days.
Teri, the Kombucha tastes very tart, a little like a mild apple cider vinegar. I drink it with a quarter cup of juice, which is very nice tasting. Attila likes it without anything added to it. Some people do a second ferment with fruit, and that tastes very nice, my sister let us try hers. I don’t do the second ferment with juice, the health benefits are the same for the first and second ferment, so I just add the juice and enjoy.
I too will be very glad when the temperature falls!
We’ve been in the 90’s in the Midwest and very humid. It’s still better than snow. Your view out the window is beautiful, Maggie. I don’t think I’ve ever had kombucha. Is it anything like switchel? That has apple cider vinegar, water,and honey I think. Stay cool!
Sandy, your weather sounds very uncomfortable. I feel the same way you do, better than snow!
Kombucha is a little bit like Switchel, perhaps not so sweet, as the sugars are fermented into things that are good for us. Since it is a bit more tart than Switchel, I add a bit of fruit juice, which is very nice! I wouldn’t have tried it if it hadn’t been for my sister, who makes it all the time now, she let us taste hers and I was sold. I’ve known I should be consuming something fermented every day, but being low sodium the salt fermented items were off my list, and being lactose intolerant and not liking yogurt were further limitations. Liking the Kombucha has been a real bonus!