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Store kombucha if you need a break, you need to properly. After all, a gelatinous strange-looking substance is alive, it is a symbiosis of two microorganisms – an acetic acid bacterium and a yeast fungus. When mixed with a nutrient solution of weak tea leaves and sugar, it turns the liquid into a soft drink called kombucha.
Delicious, with many medicinal properties, the infusion is especially pleasant in summer. In winter, most people prefer hot drinks. In addition, you can’t constantly use kombucha – every 2-3 months they take a break. And people tend to go on vacation and guests. There can be many reasons for the suspension of kombucha production, and the issue of storing kombucha for a long time becomes relevant.
With a long absence of owners, the issue of the safety of kombucha becomes urgent
How can you store kombucha at home
Usually, the infusion is prepared in a three-liter jar, pouring 2 liters of nutrient solution. The same amount of drink is obtained at the exit. Since the process is continuous, every 5-10 days, 2 liters of kombucha appear in the house.
For some families, this amount is not enough, and they insist on several containers with kombucha at once.
Some people specifically do not drink the infusion of jellyfish immediately. They bottle the drink, seal it, leave it to “ripen” in a dark, cool place, like wine. Yeast bacteria continue to work, alcohol levels rise in kombucha.
Here it is important to ensure that the kombucha does not ferment, otherwise it will turn into vinegar. And it is good to think over the way of capping the containers, since the produced carbon dioxide can tear off a poorly fitted lid. Usually, with additional infusion at room temperature, they are limited to 5 days.
Do not leave kombucha fermented in a jar of kombucha, because the acid produced can damage the body of the medusomycete (the scientific name of the symbiont). It is difficult to determine the moment when the solution turns from nutrient to dangerous for a colony of microorganisms. Therefore, the infusion is filtered and poured into bottles.
How to store prepared kombucha
At room temperature, ready-made kombucha does not last long. Even if you boil it. But you can put kombucha in the refrigerator. At the same time, all processes in the drink are greatly slowed down, but do not stop at all. Useful properties remain the same, and the content of acids and alcohol increases slightly.
Is it possible to store ready-made kombucha in the freezer
If there is a jellyfish at home, it does not make sense to store the finished drink in the freezer. But if you really need it, you can.
Since yeast and acetic bacteria make the environment aggressive for many materials, it is better to store kombucha in the freezer in glass. To do this, the drink is poured into a container, for example, a liter jar, without filling it to the brim (the liquid expands when frozen), put it open in the tray. Do not spill the infusion will help the usual caution.
In the factory, kombucha is easier to hermetically seal than at home.
How long does kombucha drink last
Kombucha infusion from kombucha can be stored at home at room temperature for 5 days. In a cool room, at 18 ° C and below, the period increases slightly. But there is a danger that the drink will turn into vinegar. So it is better not to keep it in the room or in the kitchen for more than a week.
If a bottle of kombucha is sealed tightly, it will keep in the refrigerator for 3-5 months. We are talking about impenetrable containers – a nylon lid, even very firmly attached to the neck, is not good. It will explode, and the refrigerator will have to be washed quickly and thoroughly – the infusion is dangerous for rubber gaskets and plastic parts.
You can store kombucha from kombucha for up to a month without airtight sealing. Before putting in the refrigerator, the neck is tied with several layers of clean gauze.
How to store kombucha when not using it
The body of a medusa mycete can be stored in a variety of ways. It all depends on how long he has to be idle.
How to store kombucha in the refrigerator
During the holidays, kombucha can be stored directly in the nutrient solution by placing the jar in the refrigerator. The action of microorganisms will slow down, and the medusomycete will safely stand there for 20 to 30 days.
Upon returning, it must be pulled out of the refrigerator, allowed to warm to room temperature naturally. Then the medusomycete is washed, filled with a new nutrient solution and put in its usual place.
How to save kombucha during a long absence
If the owners are leaving for a long time, the above method will not work. Kombucha can be kept in the refrigerator immersed in the solution for no more than a month, then it and the jar are washed, if necessary, put back.
In any case, human intervention is indispensable. It is out of the question to leave a container with a medusomycete at room temperature unattended for a long time. The returning owners will most likely see something dried up at the bottom of the jar, covered with fluffy spores, which, if carelessly handled, scatter in all directions.
For a long time without intervention Kombucha can be stored:
- in the freezer;
- drying the body of the medusa mycete.
In this form, Kombucha can lie in the freezer for up to six months.
How to save kombucha until next summer
Young and mature, multilamellar medusomyces work differently. This property should be used if long-term storage is required. It is recommended to remove one or two top plates, mix them in a small amount of normal nutrient solution until they float to the surface. And only then prepare for storage.
How to properly store kombucha in solution
In a weak solution of tea leaves, you can save kombucha in winter by placing the jar in a cool, dark place. Then the infusion should be drained once every 2 weeks, the jellyfish and the container should be washed.
You can keep kombucha in the refrigerator without hygiene procedures and replacing the solution twice as long – up to a month.
How to dry kombucha
There is a way in which the symbiont does not need to be taken care of at all. It can be dried. To do this, the medusomycete is washed, dipped in a clean cotton napkin (the usual one will stick to a damp surface, and the linen one is too rough). Then spread on a clean plate.
She, in turn, is placed in a deep pan or bowl, covered with gauze. This is done in order to protect the surface of the symbiont from debris and midges, without blocking the access of oxygen. Dishes with high edges will allow you not to put gauze directly on the body of the jellyfish.
It is necessary to ensure that the mushroom dries evenly and does not become moldy. To do this, it is turned over to the other side from time to time, and the remaining moisture is wiped off the plate.
Medusomycete will turn into a thin dry plate. It is neatly put away in a bag and kept in the vegetable drawer of the refrigerator or kitchen cabinet. Keep for a year or more.
If necessary, the medusomycete is placed in a small volume of nutrient solution, put in its usual place. The first finished kombucha is drained, even if it seems tasty to someone. The second portion can be used for its intended purpose.
Is it possible to freeze kombucha
The frozen body of a medusa mycete can be stored for 3 to 5 months. Kombucha is removed from the nutrient solution, washed, and excess moisture is removed with a soft, clean cloth. Put in a bag and clean in the freezer section with the lowest temperature.
Then it can be moved to another tray. It is necessary to freeze kombucha quickly, because small ice crystals form inside and on the surface, which do not violate its structure. Slow promotes the formation of large pieces that can damage the body of the medusomycete.
When the time is right, the frozen cake is placed in a small volume of nutrient solution at room temperature. There, the kombucha will thaw and begin to work. The first portion of kombucha is poured. The second is ready to use.
The first portion of kombucha obtained after long-term storage of medusomycete must be poured
How not to store kombucha
In order for the medusomycete to survive during storage, and subsequently quickly get to work, no special efforts are required. But the owners manage to make the same mistakes. The most common of these when stored in solution are:
- Leave Kombucha in its usual place, just forgetting about it.
- Make a too concentrated solution for storage in a jar.
- Do not rinse periodically.
- Shut off air.
- Finished kombucha doesn’t seal well. Fermentation processes will continue even in the refrigerator, only slowly. Sooner or later the lid will be torn off and the drink will spill.
When drying and freezing it is impossible:
- Send Kombucha for storage without pre-rinsing.
- Cool the jellyfish gradually. This is how large pieces of ice are formed that can damage the body of the symbiont.
- Forget to turn the mushroom over when drying.
Conclusion
Store kombucha if you need a break, perhaps in different ways. They are light and effective, you just have to choose the right one and do it right. Then the jellyfish will not suffer, and when the owners want, it will quickly recover and start working.
