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theunixbeard

Alternative to expensive probiotic supplements: fermented foods. It is easy to:

1.) Brew your own kombucha

2.) Turn milk into kefir

3.) Make your own sauerkraut.

I do all 3 of the above, feel free to email me w/ questions!

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Also Kimchi! My gf and I make kimchi about once a season (in a large Chinese ceramic fermentation jar). It's a great ritual; it takes a few hours but is very enjoyable... every batch comes out unique, and the result is delicious.

Or, if you're in a hurry: make pickles. All you need is salt and water (vinegar-based pickles are not actual ferments).

Good point! I've been meaning to make Kimchi but unfortunately my gf hates the smell so much that she's banned me from making it...

Another (banned) item on my list is homemade natto... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natt%C5%8D)

One of the best fermented foods to have is the South Indian Breakfast of Idli( Iddly).

This batter can be bought in Indian Grocery stores or prepared at home

A similar batter is used to make Indian pancakes called Dosa as well.

There are also a host of Appams & String Hoppers made with different fermented batters in South India and SriLanka.

In addition many South Indians enjoy fermented rice which is basically leftover cooked rice that gets soaked in water and left overnight. Its a staple breakkie or Lunch for many poor families with some Yogurt, pickle, chutney or a green chilly.

1. https://www.quora.com/Is-idly-truly-the-healthiest-Indian-br...

Idli isn't probiotic unless you eat the batter raw though.

Why would you make your own vs. buying it from a shop?

For me it's a fun hobby. With that said, as a software developer making $XXX,XXX per year, your time is worth more than the money you save by DIY. So it's up to you.

The final caveat is that w/ milk kefir in particular, the stuff you buy in the store is different that making it yourself. Commercially made milk kefir is inoculated w/ ~7 specific bacteria strains whereas homemade kefir is made with kefir "grains" --- a symbiotic culture of 40+ different strains. Interesting scientists have not been able to directly synthesize kefir grains in a lab due to how complex the symbiotic ecosystem is. All Kefir grains around the world today are from other grains stretching back thousands of years to when the first grains were discovered (people suspect in the digestive track of a ruminant).

Because it's very easy, fun, and much cheaper. Any geek or hacker should find fermentation at home rewarding.

I've done 2 & 3. What's the best way to go about doing 1? Pointers to a good guide would be much appreciated.

Instructions I use:

https://www.kombuchakamp.com/kombucha-recipe

SCOBY Sources:

http://www.kombuchabrooklyn.com/cultures.html (Where I purchased)

http://store.kombuchakamp.com/Kombucha-Mushroom-Cultures/

http://www.amazon.com/Organic-Kombucha-Scoby-Live-Culture/dp...

Glassware (Gallon Jug + 1 pint bottles)

http://www.fillmorecontainer.com/One-Gallon-Glass-Jars-for-C...

http://www.fillmorecontainer.com/110-CT-White-Plastisol-P264...

http://www.fillmorecontainer.com/16-oz-Amber-Boston-Round-Gl...

http://www.fillmorecontainer.com/28400-CT-Black-Ribbed-PolyC...

Then all you need is granulated white sugar + black tea.

Brewing Kombucha is insanely easy. Way, way easier than beer or anything else.

1. Buy a large glass dispenser with a stainless steel spigot at the bottom (this is important and will make life WAY easier).

2. Buy a Kombucha starter kit online or locally. I usually use green tea as my base. I buy my kits from Amazon and they come with the scoby (mother) and tea bases. Some come with glass jars, etc. I'm looking at them now and there are a LOT more options than when I got into it a few years ago.

3. Cover the top with cheesecloth so it can breathe. Make sure mold stays out. If you get mold toss the batch and start over. As the scobys grow and break apart and you drink (using the spigot at the bottom) they float to the top, with the bottom spigot you can easily pour without having to move the scoby out of the way.

How do you tell the difference between mold and scoby? Is the mold black or dark?

I haven't brewed it in a few years, but my first batch ever wound up getting mold in it. I'm not really sure why, or how, the rest of my batches were fine.

It was very obvious, it looks like just the white/green mold that will grow on top of a drink if you leave it out.

edit: Oh, the scoby is always obvious, it's basically a gelationous alien looking thing that should star in Xfiles. Every few weeks the scoby will split off and you'll have multiples, you take out the second one and can give it to someone else or make a new batch.

https://www.kombuchakamp.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/5-Si... -- the white thing on top with "laywers" is the scoby. The layers detach every so often and become independent.

Smell is supposed to be a big clue as well. Kombucha generally does not smell nasty (sulphurous): http://www.naturalkombucha.com/how-to-tell-if-kombucha-is-sp... .

Realistically, what are the chances of bad bacteria being generated with these made at home ?

I understand the benefits, but when cultivating any bacteria, how do you know what you've made without lab testing ?

It's relatively low. The fermentation process tends to increase acidity and lactobacilli then out-compete other bacteria in that environment. That said, the advantage of fermentation in terms of food safety is that in general if you have a batch turn on you, you will know it. Anything that would make you sick you would not want to put in your mouth in the first place. (Unlike, say, meat, where you can have a perfectly tasty piece of meat that will still make you violently ill.)

the wiki on kombucha is rather scathing indicating that its therapeutic benefits do not outweigh its potential risks.

Made me wary of it being mostly a blind trend.

oh nice. Saw the kefit suggestion above by someone else but don't get along with dairy so will give the other two a try. Will shop bought sauerkraut work? e.g. In a glass.

Some people make kefir with milk substitutes like coconut.

Interesting. Pure coconut juice is reasonably easy to obtain here so that might be feasible.

Wow, kefir made with coconut? That sounds wonderful, I'll have to read more on that.

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