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Kefir second ferments and flavour infusions
This is the time of year when we’re feeling ready for a bit of a fresh start, for our body that is. The usual over-indulgence that is mandatory at Christmas is done and dusted and we’re in the market for something fresh and healthy to get us back on track. We think kefir can do just the trick! Packed full of healthy probiotics, kefir is one of those drinks that is almost too good to be true. Ridiculously easy to make, lots of different varieties of flavours to try and most importantly so good for your gut health. Below we’ll give you some tips on the best way to flavour your kefir creations and how to re-culture your kefir batch. Flavours and Infusions During the Second Ferment Thanks to the fermentation process that happens in kefir there is a lovely tang to its final flavour, regardless of if you have used milk, juice or coconut water as a base. Because of this, we recommend primarily fruit, vegetable and spice flavours as infusions, unless you’re getting into the really creative realm and want sour chocolate kefir as an option. Flavouring occurs during the second fermentation of your kefir. This is when you have completed the initial step of fermenting for 24 hours to really wake up your culture and get it nice and active. The second fermentation is when you add the flavours and any additional ingredients and leave it for a further 6 – 12 hours to ferment. This is the best process for flavouring as not only is your kefir good and strong to begin with, but it means the culture has even more time to produce those beneficial probiotics for your gut. Once you have added your desired flavours and left the kefir to ferment for 6 hours, do a taste test and to see how the flavour has changed, continue for another 6 hours if it’s not quite there yet. Make sure you taste after 6 hours as the additional sugar that you have added in the form of fruit and other ingredients will make the bacteria even more active and the flavour can change quickly. Milk Kefir The best way to flavour milk kefir is in a blender! Add your favourite smoothie ingredients, pour in your milk kefir and whizz. This will remove some of the thickness that has developed over the fermentation period but whatever ingredients you have added will help thicken it up anyway. Favourite flavour combinations Mango + Turmeric Raspberries + Blueberries + Banana + Spinach Vanilla + Cinnamon Juice Kefir or Coconut Water Kefir Fruit infusions can be a delicious addition to any juice or coconut water kefir. Choose your favourite fruit and give it a good clean to make sure you have removed all bacteria that could potentially compete with the kefir culture. Cut it into small chunks to increase the surface area that will impart the flavour and add it to your jar of kefir after the initial 24 hours of ferment time. Leave it for 6 hours at room temperature, have a taste and if you’re happy, enjoy! Alternatively leave it for a further 6 hours for more flavour to develop, keep tasting until you are happy at which point move it to the fridge or drink it straight away. Favourite flavour combinations Coconut water kefir + Pineapple + Mango Apple juice kefir + Rosemary Orange juice kefir + Lemon + Ginger Re-Culturing your Kefir Your culture can be re-cultured a further two times from the initial kefir batch. We recommend re-culturing within 7 days of your first batch to ensure you are getting the strongest and most active culture from your initial batch, the earlier the better! Save 1/4 cup (62 g) of kefir from the previous batch and add it to 750 mL (25.7 US fl oz) of fresh milk, juice or coconut water. Only add the kefir to the same base e.g. milk kefir to culture milk kefir, juice kefir to culture juice kefir. The different kefir’s have different acidity levels so will react badly if you add them to different base products, plus milk and juice together is a little bit too odd even for us. Cover the jar and leave at room temperature for 24 hours. Taste after 24 hours and if you’re happy then move it to the fridge, otherwise leave at room temperature for a further 12 hours before tasting again.
All there is to know about Mad Millie Cultures
Fermentation and cultures go hand in hand, but do you actually know the details of your culture and how to get the most out of it? Let us walk you through the different types of cultures, the best way to store them and why we love Mad Millie cultures so much. Within the Mad Millie range, we have eight different types of cultures, with one of them being our kombucha SCOBY. Each culture blend has been specifically formulated to make sure you get the best results out of your foodie creations. Whether you’re making cheese, kefir or sauerkraut, there is a specific combination of good bacteria in that little packet to get you started on the right foot. The main purpose of adding the culture is so that fermentation can happen. This is where the culture that you add feeds on the delicious, nourishing ingredients you have given it (milk, juice, sweetened tea) and makes by-products. These by-products bring about a desirable change in the food which includes increasing/enhancing flavour, preserving food and providing some gut health benefits. During our development process, specific bacterial strains are selected for specific kits e.g. yoghurt, kefir or cheese. The cultures work in similar ways but elements such as temperature during fermentation and acidity of the end product will vary. Different cheeses require different temperatures during the process, and therefore different cultures are used to provide different textures and tastes across the range of cheeses. It is possible to use different cultures for different products but unless you have an in-depth understanding of bacterial strains it isn’t advised. The cultures themselves will be mesophilic or thermophilic. Mesophilic means medium-temperature loving bacteria which will ferment the best at temperatures up to 30oC or 90oF. Thermophilic is a heat-loving bacteria which will ferment best when above 30oC or 90oF. The best way to tell which kind your cultures are is to follow the instructions! We will specifically tell you what temperature your delicious creation needs to be held at to make the best product. This is also why it’s so important to maintain the temperature of your bacteria as otherwise, they will struggle to do their job. The culture you receive in your Mad Millie Kit is dehydrated (apart from the kombucha SCOBY, this is processed differently). When the cultures are dehydrated this involves removing all of the moisture from the microorganisms and effectively puts them on hold so they can be kept and used as needed. We’re all about convenience and with dehydrated cultures, it takes away the hassle of having to maintain your cultures constantly – this is particularly helpful around the holiday period! When you get your cultures they will be at room temperature unless you are getting blue or white cheese mould cultures, these will be refrigerated and should always be refrigerated. The rest of the microorganisms will be fine for their whole shelf life at room temperature if the warmest they get is around 25oC or 78oF, but there is a trick to this – the cooler you are able to store them, the longer they will remain active. All our cultures are freeze-dried which means that the environment inside the packet is perfect for freezing without any negative impact. Once in the freezer, this will extend their shelf life by one whole year! A top tip is to write the date you put them into the freezer on the sachet, this makes it easier to track the actual shelf life if you have stored them frozen. If you have opened a packet and only used a small amount, this can still be frozen, but you need to make sure this is put in a sealed container to avoid moisture. Some tape across the opening can help with this! We may be biased but we tend to think that Mad Millie cultures are pretty great, particularly if you’re wanting to get creative and need a convenient solution. If you have any questions on the different types of cultures, their storage or the process don’t hesitate to get in touch, we’re always here to help.
Yoghurt, Kefir or Skyr, what are the differences?
Kefir, yoghurt and skyr; all delicious, all great for your gut but what is the difference between the three? Let us guide you through a culture revelation (bacterial culture we mean) and provide some clarity on what’s what and why you might choose one over the other. All three products go through a fermentation process where the added culture converts sugars into acids. This gives the tart flavour that is synonymous with yoghurt, kefir or skyr. From there the differences start to become more obvious than the similarities. Kefir, yoghurt and skyr; all delicious, all great for your gut but what is the difference between the three? Let us guide you through a culture revelation (bacterial culture we mean) and provide some clarity on what’s what and why you might choose one over the other. All three products go through a fermentation process where the added culture converts sugars into acids. This gives the tart flavour that is synonymous with yoghurt, kefir or skyr. From there the differences start to become more obvious than the similarities. Kefir A traditional fermented drink, kefir can be made with milk, plant milk, juice and water (water is only possible if you have kefir water grains). It can be made with kefir grains or culture – both contain a wide range of yeast and bacteria. Due to this wide range there is a higher level of probiotics in the finished fermented product which is great for promoting digestive health. Kefir is always quite runny and consumed as a drink, not with a spoon out of a bowl like yoghurt and skyr. There is yeast in the culture which can make a fizzy product if that’s what you’re after. Seal your kefir jar with the lid to catch the carbon dioxide that is produced during fermentation. Kefir is able to ferment at lower temperatures than milk, it still prefers to be between 20 – 30oC/68 – 86°F but is less affected by temperature than yoghurt due to the presence of mesophilic cultures. Yoghurt/Yogurt Yoghurt is a food produced by the bacterial fermentation of milk (there is no added yeast in yoghurt, just bacteria). For a product to be classified as yoghurt it has to be produced using at least Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus bacteria. These are thermophilic cultures and need heat to be able to be active. Yoghurt is only made with milk or plant milk and to get the thick, creamy consistency of Greek yoghurt it must be full fat milk. To increase the thickness of your product you can further strain it through a muslin cloth. Yoghurt is primarily made up of thermophilic cultures which require heat to work their magic. With warmth (around 40oC/104oF) the cultures will become active and more rapidly turn the sugars into acid, causing the thickening step. Skyr An Icelandic cultured product, skyr has been around for a long time but is only just being discovered by the mainstream market. The primary differences between skyr and yoghurt are the addition of rennet and the use of low fat/skim milk. Skyr is technically classified as a cheese thanks to the rennet but is enjoyed more like yoghurt in both sweet and savoury dishes. There is a specific draining step in skyr that concentrates the product to produce the delicious thick, creamy consistency; despite it being made from low fat/skim milk. This concentration step leads to a higher level of protein in the skyr while still having the same gut friendly cultures as yoghurt. Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus bacteria must be present in skyr, which means you also need to maintain the temperature at 40oC/104oF during the culturing step. With lower fat and higher protein than yoghurt, plus a milder flavour and thick consistency, Skyr is well worth giving a try. All three options can be recultured and help support good digestive health. Whether you prefer a more traditional product like yoghurt, a drinkable high probiotic kefir or a higher protein and lower fat option like skyr; all have their benefits and all are delicious!!
Different types of milk
Good quality milk is where all cheese making starts. Along with quality, it’s so important to make sure you’re buying the right type of milk, otherwise, you may find your cheese making doesn’t work out quite as expected. There are three main types of milk that you will find in the supermarket, they are all pasteurised but use slightly different methods during the production process. Good quality milk is where all cheese making starts. Along with quality, it’s so important to make sure you’re buying the right type of milk, otherwise, you may find your cheese doesn’t work out quite as expected. There are three main types of milk that you will find in the supermarket, they are all pasteurised but use slightly different methods during the production process. Pasteurisation is the process of heating the milk to kill all the nasty bugs that are naturally present. Unpasteurised milk is often referred to as ‘raw’ milk and it is illegal to sell this in supermarkets due to the high risk of microbial contamination. If you know someone who can provide you with raw milk straight from a farm, we strongly recommend you pasteurise this prior to cheese making. Below are some details around the three different types of milk that are regularly found on the shelf, why they are different and what cheese you can make with them. Homogenised milk This is the most common milk on New Zealand, Australian and UK supermarket shelves. The process of homogenisation is when the fat globules that are naturally present in the milk are broken up into tiny little molecules. Once this is done, the fat is evenly distributed throughout the milk and you have a homogenous milk product where the texture is the same throughout. When Mad Millie products specify homogenised milk, we are referring to fresh, homogenised milk and not UHT milk (see below for UHT milk). Fresh, homogenised milk will normally be in a plastic bottle and have a shelf life of fewer than 3 weeks. Make sure you go for the full-fat version for the best cheese-making results. Cheeses that require fresh, homogenised milk include cottage cheese, cream cheese, quark and ricotta. Unhomogenised milk This is the best milk for cheese making. With unhomogenised milk the fat globules aren’t broken up and the milk may form a layer of cream at the top of the bottle. This is the least processed milk you can buy in a store and will always be found in the refrigerator with a relatively short shelf life. This milk is more common in gourmet or organic supermarkets, keep an eye out as it will state on the label that it is unhomogenised. If the cheese recipe you are making requires unhomogenised milk, then it will only work with unhomogenised milk. Cheeses that require unhomogenised milk include mozzarella, specialty cheeses like camembert, brie and blue cheese, all hard cheeses. Feta and halloumi will also work better with unhomogenised milk. UHT Ultra-High Temperature (UHT) milk has been heated very quickly to high temperatures for a short period of time. Due to the high temperatures during processing, this milk is not very good for cheese making as all the proteins have been denatured (broken up). UHT milk is usually found in a cardboard carton at room temperature, as it’s sterile so it doesn’t require refrigeration. Some supermarkets will store UHT milk in the refrigerator to encourage you to purchase it. If you’re not sure, check the best before date; a shelf life greater than 1 month is probably UHT. We do not recommend UHT for cheese making.
Kefir Culture vs Kefir Grains
Kefir can be made with grains or culture, but sometimes the difference between the two gets a tad confusing! They both produce delicious kefir but are two quite different things. We have given you a brief overview of the two and some details to help you choose which method is right for you. Kefir can be made with grains or culture, but sometimes the difference between the two gets a tad confusing! They both produce delicious kefir but are two quite different things. Below we’ve given a brief overview of the two and some details to help you choose which method is right for you. Kefir Culture If you have a Mad Millie Kefir Kit, then you have used Kefir Culture. This is the small packet of culture that you sprinkle into your milk, juice or coconut water before giving it a good shake (with the lid on of course!). Inside this packet is a mixture of freeze-dried bacterial strains and yeast that are ready and waiting to be woken up. Once you’ve given the cultures the right conditions to grow, they will proliferate, change the composition of the liquid through fermentation and give you kefir. Some positives and negatives of kefir culture, in no particular order: - Used to make kefir whenever you want, just add the packet. - Each sachet of microorganisms can be re-cultured twice from your original batch of kefir. - Can only be re-cultured twice, then you need a fresh packet. - Minimal maintenance required. - Easy to use, it’s a fine powder that is just poured into your kefir base. - Can be used with milk, coconut water, fruit juice, and coconut milk. Kefir Grains If you’re after more of an involved experience when making kefir, grains are the way to go. The bunches of bacteria and yeast look like little cauliflower florets and need to be kept alive and well. Like a kombucha scoby, kefir grains require maintenance and will become stronger the more often they are used. A few different points on kefir grains: - Grains are specific to the base product you use e.g. milk grains for milk kefir, water grains for water kefir. - Grains have a huge range of bacteria and yeasts present which will change depending on where you source them. - As they are living, your grains need to be fed/maintained regularly. - Kefir grains can be used endlessly. - It can be tricky to tell if grains are alive or dormant, to figure it out some trial and error with making kefir will be required. Watch out for rancid milk! With positives and negatives for both culture and grains, the choice is up to you. If you have time and the inclination, then definitely give grains a go for a more traditional kefir ferment. If you prefer a more convenient method that can be used for all types of kefir, then culture is the best option. Either way, you’ll be enjoying your own homemade kefir in no time and all the good gut health that comes with fermented foods!
Mad Millie Culturing Flask
We’ve been listening to feedback and know from experience how tricky it can be to maintain the temperature of your Mad Millie creations overnight. You spend time getting everything just right, add your culture and leave it in the warmest spot you can find. Only to come back the next morning to find…..nothing has happened. The Mad Millie Culturing Flask is finally here! We’ve been listening to feedback and know from experience how tricky it can be to maintain the temperature of your Mad Millie creations overnight. You spend time getting everything just right, add your culture and leave it in the warmest spot you can find. Only to come back the next morning to find…..nothing has happened. It can be the most frustrating thing with yoghurt, coconut yoghurt, kefir and skyr! Temperature is crucial to ensuring you give the cultures the right type of environment to grow and multiply. There are two different types of cultures used with Mad Millie food products, mesophilic and thermophilic. Mesophilic is a non-heat loving culture, this is the most common type of culture used for cheese making and can only be heated to 40oC (104oF), any higher and you will start deactivating it. The more optimum the temperature, the better the culturing process which is why for a lot of cheese making a water bath and ripening period is required. Thermophilic is a heat-loving culture and is used to make yoghurt, coconut yoghurt, kefir and skyr. It likes to be heated up to 55oC (130oF) and maintained at a warm temperature over a longer period so the cultures can do their job! This is where things get tricky as if you aren’t able to maintain the right temperature then the cultures won’t be working, and you’ll end up with a less flavoursome, runnier product. This is where the Culturing Flask steps in! Designed to perfectly fit the Mad Millie 1 L (1 US qt) jar this little flask of goodness will take out any issues with temperature. When designing this it needed to look appealing when sitting on the kitchen bench, be ridiculously easy to use and not require electricity as who wants to plug something in if they don’t have to? At the very start of your yoghurt making experience boil a nice full jug of water. Pour this into the Mad Millie Culturing Flask and seal. Go about your yoghurt/coconut yoghurt/ kefir/skyr making until you have sealed your jar and it’s ready to ripen. Pour the water out of your Culturing Flask which is now nicely pre-heated and pop the jar in. Seal and leave on the kitchen bench overnight. It’s as easy as that! If you need to culture longer than 12 hours, we recommend opening the flask up in the morning, removing the jar and refilling the flask with boiling water. Let it sit, sealed for a couple of minutes to ensure the inside is nice and warm again before pouring out the water and replacing the jar. This will ensure the most optimum temperature throughout the whole process. We hope you love it as much as we do, making yoghurt has never been so easy.
What is Skyr?
Our new Skyr Kit has launched and there have been some highly amusing attempts at pronunciation. From skier to skur (with a serious rolled r) and everything in between. This delicious, high protein and low-fat product is pronounced skeer and is the new favourite dairy treat on the block. Technically skyr is a soft cheese however it’s eaten more like a yoghurt and can be enjoyed both sweet and savoury, at breakfast, lunch or dinner! Made with the same or very similar cultures as yoghurt (which allows it to sit in the yoghurt aisle) it also has the addition of vegetarian rennet which helps to give the firmer texture. Our new Skyr Kit has launched and there have been some highly amusing attempts at pronunciation. From skier to skur (with a serious rolled r) and everything in between. This delicious, high protein and low-fat product is pronounced skeer and is the new favourite dairy treat on the block. Skyr in Iceland is old news as it originated there nearly 1,000 years ago and has been a daily staple since. As with traditional yoghurt it was discovered by accident when the milk was left outside and naturally fermented with cultures from the environment. The rest of the world is slowly cottoning on to the glory of skyr and why it just might be the best thing since Greek yoghurt. Technically skyr is a soft cheese however it’s eaten more like a yoghurt and can be enjoyed both sweet and savoury, at breakfast, lunch or dinner! Made with the same or very similar cultures as yoghurt (which allows it to sit in the yoghurt aisle) it also has the addition of vegetarian rennet which helps to give the firmer texture. The real bonus with skyr is it’s made from skim milk, which means it has little to no fat unlike Greek yoghurt which requires full fat milk as a starting point. Same high level of protein and calcium (arguably higher as the milk is more concentrated) but significantly less fat, why haven’t we been eating this the whole time you ask? In terms of taste and texture skyr is thicker than Greek yoghurt and has slightly less acidic tang. Traditionally if it was made well it would be so thick and creamy that it wouldn’t fall off an upside-down spoon! Without the acidic tang of Greek yoghurt, it can easily be made sweet or savoury depending on what you’re after. Traditionally in Iceland it was served cold, topped with sugar and cream – tasty right? If you’re not quite on the cream and sugar buzz but want a good protein hit for breakfast, try mixing half skyr and half porridge to create hræringur (literally means stirred) and top with fresh berries and a drizzle of honey. A few other alternative uses for our new favourite product - Mix with jam for a sweet, afternoon pick up - Add to smoothies to ensure you are getting enough nutrition for breakfast or morning tea. - Stir into mashed potatoes for a thicker texture - Spread on wholegrain toast and top with sliced banana, chopped nuts and a drizzle of honey. - Use instead of sour cream in any recipe, it’s better for you as it’s low fat but the same thick, creamy texture. Skyr in the supermarket has all the health benefits but watch out for flavoured options. As with yoghurt they tend to be packed full of sweeteners, flavours and stabilisers that we don’t really need. The best way to get the most out of your skyr is to make it yourself, then you know exactly what is going into it and if it needs some sweetener, fresh fruit, jam or honey are perfect options. Once you’ve made your first jar of skyr and have figured out the re-culture process (it’s super easy, instructions in the Mad Millie Skyr Kit) why not give the below a whirl? Just ensure you make it when you’re entertaining or have good self-control as it will be devoured before you even know what has happened! Icelandic Blueberry Skyr Cake Base 1 packet (400 g/14 oz) of biscuits (cinnamon or digestive biscuits are best) 100g (3.5 oz) butter Filling 400g (14 oz) Mad Millie Skyr 500mL (17 fl oz) whipping cream Blueberry Sauce/Topping 1/4 cup (55 g/2 oz) sugar 1 Tbsp cornstarch 1/2 cup (125 mL/4.2 fl oz) water 2 cups (500 mL) blueberries (fresh or frozen) 1 Tbsp lemon juice 1/2 tsp Vanilla essence/extract Method - Crush the biscuits until a fine crumble, melt the butter and combine together.- Put the base mixture into a round 24 cm cake tin and smooth down.- Whip the cream.- Gently mix the skyr and vanilla essence into the cream.- Pour this filling mixture onto the biscuit crust.- Refrigerate the base and filling for at least 2 hours before serving. Blueberry Sauce/Topping - Combine the sugar, cornstarch and water in a small saucepan over medium heat and stir to combine.- Add the blueberries and lemon juice, cook over a medium heat stirring consistently until the blueberries start to soften and let out juice and the mixture thickens.- Remove from the heat and add the vanilla. Pour into another bowl and refrigerate until cool. Drizzle over the Skyr Cheesecake to serve once cool.
Kombucha Second Ferment
For beginner kombucha brewers sometimes the fermentation process can seem a little daunting. There are always questions around the importance of each step and why certain things are done. One area that comes up often is the second ferment, what it’s for and if it’s really necessary. For beginner kombucha brewers sometimes the fermentation process can seem a little daunting. There are always questions around the importance of each step and why certain things are done. One area that comes up often is the second ferment, what it’s for and if it’s really necessary. Trust us, kombucha brewing is easy and once you have started your booch adventure you will quickly understand the ins and outs of each step. With Mad Millie kits our biggest aim is to make creating in the kitchen accessible to everyone. There aren’t any big secrets to fermenting kombucha; just a few key steps that with a bit of trial and error anyone can complete! Kombucha fermentation happens in two steps, the relatively self-explanatory first and second ferments. The first ferment is when you turn your sweetened, black tea into delicious, tangy kombucha. Once the Mad Millie scoby is added to your sweetened tea the cultures can start their work. During this step they are busily converting the food (sugar) you have given them into organic acids, carbon dioxide, a tiny trace of alcohol (up to 0.5% when using the Mad Millie recipe so still technically non-alcoholic) and B vitamins. The types of bacteria and yeast that are in your scoby require air to complete the fermentation; this is why we recommend keeping the top of your kombucha jar or vessel covered with a muslin cloth rather than sealed with a lid. This also means that any carbon dioxide that is produced escapes and your kombucha is flat after the first ferment. The second ferment is when you get to make it bubbly! The exact same process is followed however instead of the fermentation happening in a jar or vessel with air flow, it happens in a sealed bottle to trap all the carbon dioxide. This is also an opportunity to get creative and add any flavours or infusions that you might want to experiment with. Completing a second ferment is not necessary to get all the benefits of kombucha and enjoy its tangy taste. If you don’t have time or haven’t got any bottles yet, we recommend a shot of kombucha from day 25 of the first ferment in a glass of sparkling water. However, if you do want bubbles, read on… Second Ferment Process - Add 1.5 tsp of white sugar into your clean sterile 750mL glass bottle. - Pour your kombucha into the bottle through a muslin cloth lined funnel. - Seal the bottle tightly (a flip top cap is the easiest) and leave at room temperature for 2 -3 days to carbonate. - Taste test, if it is not as bubbly as you want, leave it out for another day or two. - Refrigerate your kombucha and enjoy! You can get as creative as you want with the second ferment! An easy way to add flavour is to add some of your favourite juice into the sterilised bottle, then add your kombucha and seal. This will give both flavour and the sugar the kombucha needs to carbonate. If you add juice or fruit you don’t need to add the white sugar as you are already feeding the live cultures with your infusions. - Juice flavouring it’s best to start with up to 20% juice and 80% kombucha. - Fruit is a great way to bring in some different flavour profiles and you can use fresh, frozen or dried. Start with up to 30% fruit and 70% kombucha, keep in mind that dried fruit will often have a higher sugar level. - Add 2 teaspoons of chia seeds for added nutritional benefits and texture. - Add a slice of ginger root as well as the sugar to get that fiery ginger flavour. - Add flavour extracts e.g. vanilla, start with ¼ teaspoon of extract per 1 cup (250mL) of kombucha. It’s important to second ferment in brewing bottles as the production of gas leads to higher pressure. We recommend reusable glass bottles with flip top caps. Be careful when opening bottles after a second ferment, as they are under pressure they may fizz. Store your kombucha out of direct sunlight, between 24 – 30oC (75 – 86oF). If you are fermenting other food or beverages make sure there is a gap of at least 1 metre between the kombucha and these. This will ensure no cross contamination of the different bacteria and yeast. Good luck and any questions or feedback please let us know!
What is Kombucha?
With the launch of the Mad Millie Kombucha Kit we’re excited to see more and more people getting creative in the kitchen with their booch. For those that are still new to the kombucha world here is a brief overview of what you’ve got to look forward to. Kombucha has been bouncing up the popularity charts in all markets in recent years. From initial reactions of “kom-what??” to now being a standard on supermarket and café shelves, everyone is jumping on board. Not only are people becoming aware of its benefits and delicious flavours but also how easy it is to make at home! With the launch of the Mad Millie Kombucha Kit we’re excited to see more and more people getting creative in the kitchen with their booch. For those that are still new to the kombucha world here is a brief overview of what you’ve got to look forward to. What is kombucha? Kombucha is fermented tea. Initially when someone mentions that, most people’s nose crinkles. BUT do you like beer? Ginger beer? Wine? These are all fermented beverages. Fermentation uses live cultures to metabolise the product and produce by-products which can include organic acids, alcohol and carbon dioxide. For kombucha this means taking sweetened tea and turning it into a slightly sweet, acidic, refreshing beverage. Kombucha has been around since 220 B.C. with its origins in China. It then slowly spread to Japan, Russia, eastern Europe and eventually western Europe. With the help of social media and the internet it is now relatively well known worldwide. What the heck is a scoby? Scoby is an acronym for the slimy, jellyfish-like disc that is produced by the live culture. Scoby stands for Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast, the slimy scoby is cellulose that is produced as a by-product of fermentation. It is symbiotic as it contains a whole raft of bacteria and yeast that happily live and work together to create kombucha from the sweetened tea. What’s all the fuss about these live cultures? While we cannot determine or define any particular benefits from kombucha, there is a lot of research going into the impact of fermented foods, live cultures and probiotics on gut health. Gut health is also being found to have a huge impact on overall health. Why should I make my own? Making your own kombucha is surprisingly easy, if you are after a daily top up of live cultures it is also the most cost-effective way of doing it. Lots of commercial kombucha products have various bits and pieces added to them to make a more efficient process during manufacturing. This can mean less actual live cultures or in some cases virtually no live culture. If you’re home brewing, then you know exactly what is going in there! What’s different about the Mad Millie Kombucha Kit? The Mad Millie Kombucha Kit contains a shelf stable scoby that is ready to go! Lots of alternative scobys will be dehydrated which means they take a while to be activated again. If you don’t want the hassle of your first few batches potentially not working – go with Mad Millie. Being shelf stable also means it doesn’t require refrigeration; through some very clever work our scoby is happy to sit at room temperature until it is fed by you. This means if you don’t get a chance to use it straight away it’s no problem! It can hang out in your pantry (out of direct sunlight) quite happily until you have some spare brew time. For more info on the Mad Millie Kombucha Kit check out our FAQs or get in touch directly.
Fermented Foods and their benefits
Fermented foods have absolutely burst onto the healthy food scene over the last couple of years. There are now as many options of kefir as there are yoghurt, sauerkraut and kimchi are becoming commonplace and the word kombucha rolls off the tongue without question. A few studies have helped illuminate that we know very little about the impact of our gut microbiome (fancy word for the range of bacteria in us) on our overall health. But what we do know is that there appear to be many benefits from a diet high in pre and probiotics. Fermented foods have absolutely burst onto the healthy food scene over the last couple of years. There are now as many options of kefir as there are yoghurt, sauerkraut and kimchi are becoming commonplace and the word kombucha rolls off the tongue without question. A few studies have helped illuminate that we know very little about the impact of our gut microbiome (fancy word for the range of bacteria in us) on our overall health. But what we do know is that there appear to be many benefits from a diet high in pre and probiotics. The process of fermentation has been around for centuries and was first developed to preserve food before refrigerators came along. We are slowly beginning to understand that our ancestors were on to something and that fermented foods help feed and support the one trillion bacteria that live in our digestive system. These bacteria are essential to digestion and absorption of nutrients, as well as impacting our immune system. The process of fermentation is anaerobic which means that there is no oxygen involved. The bacteria and yeast that are either naturally present or added will convert the sugars in the raw materials into other compounds. The most common end product of the fermentation in food is alcohol (beer and wine) or lactic acid, depending on the type of bacteria and yeast used. Lactic acid bacteria give food or beverages the sour, tangy flavour that we associate with yoghurt, kefir, sauerkraut and kimchi. This breakdown of sugars can also make the foods easier to digest. For milk-based products (yoghurt, kefir or cheese) when the lactose is broken down digestion can become significantly more pleasant for those with intolerances. Our gut has a significant impact on our immune system, surprising I know! The mucosa (gut lining) is a natural immunity barrier which helps ensure a strong immune system. When more probiotic rich foods are eaten, the good bacteria are supported and flourish. When more pre-biotics are added to your diet the good bacteria have the perfect nutrition to get the upper hand. If things are out of balance, the disease-causing microbes can grow and may cause inflammation. While the results from studies around probiotics and immune system are still in their early stages if you keep your gut healthy, it will reciprocate and keep you healthy! Maintaining the right balance of the good and bad bacteria in our gut is essential. This is where food choices come in and the beginning of understanding the benefits of fermented foods. A diet high in refined sugars will favour the bad bacteria in your gut, allowing them to flourish and effectively out-weigh the good. Fermented foods that are rich in probiotic bacteria help to restore this balance by adding good bacteria to your gut which supports a healthy gut microbiome. As expected, we would suggest that the best way to get your fermented food intake is by making it yourself! Fermented foods require minimal hands on time as it’s about mixing in the cultures and leaving them to do their job. Let the magic happen and before you know it your sauerkraut, kombucha or yoghurt or coconut yoghurt will be teeming with healthy probiotics. With vegetable fermentation make sure you are using as fresh, local and organic produce as you can get your hands on. You can ferment a huge range of vegetables with better results coming from cabbage, radishes, carrots, beetroot, turnip and apples. Have a play to see how much tangy fermentation flavour you like by tasting every day after a week of ferment time. If you are choosing to buy fermented food for their probiotic benefits and not just their delicious taste, make sure you get them from the chilled section! Anything that isn’t in the fridge as a finished product is likely heat treated which kills off all the good bacteria. Additionally, the bad news is that all the bacteria from the fermentation of beer and wine is filtered out of the finished product. While they may be delicious, they don’t contain the added gut health benefits. Make you sure include plenty of prebiotics too as this helps feed and grow the good bacteria, these can be onions, garlic, leek, asparagus, bananas and wheat flour. Look after your gut and it will look after you!
The Benefits of Kefir
Kefir is a delicious fermented beverage, similar in flavour to yoghurt with a tart, sour taste but is a thinner consistency and with a slight fizz due to the fermentation process. Fermented foods are becoming more popular as people gain a greater understanding of gut health and the benefits of good bacteria and yeast. Kefir is a delicious fermented beverage that originates from the mountainous region between Eastern Europe and Southwest Asia. The name originates from the Turkish word keyif which means ‘feeling good’. It is similar in flavour to yoghurt with a tart, sour taste but is a thinner consistency and with a slight fizz due to the fermentation process. • Kefir contains an abundance of good bacteria, yeast, vitamins and minerals. If made with milk it is also a good source of calcium and protein. • Consumers choose to drink kefir as it contains more strains of beneficial bacteria than other cultured products like yoghurt. • Kefir consumption is on the rise due to the increasing associations of good bacteria or probiotics and the beneficial effects on overall health. • Kefir can be made with milk, soy milk, coconut water or juice depending on your preference. Kefir can be drunk as a beverage, used as a base for smoothies or added to your cereal. Without using any heat (this will kill the good bacteria) it can also be used to accompany baking, as an ingredient for dips, salad dressing, a dollop into some soup, the options are endless! Mad Millie Kefir Culture contains 7 different strains of bacteria and one strain of yeast. Because it is a culture rather than grains it is perfect for those that want to try and make kefir without having to maintain their kefir grains. The culture can be reused one to two times – that’s up to 2 L (2 US qt) of kefir for every kefir culture packet! To make kefir the culture is added to a glass jar and then whatever you choose to use (milk, juice, coconut water etc) added on top. Give it a mix, cover it up with a cheesecloth, leave it at room temperature for 24 hours or until it has reached your desired tartness and voila! During that time the bacteria and yeast in the culture will have had time to ferment the sugars and the bacteria can proliferate and grow. After the 24 hours pop it into the fridge and use it as you desire.