KOMBUCHA 101: Best Homeschool Experiment Ever

OH.MY.WORD! Have you tried Kombucha? It is SOOOOO good! Now, I am talking FLAVOR here. I absolutely LOVE it! Not to mention the supposed health benefits:

• DIGESTION 
• DETOX
• IMMUNE BOOST
• JOINT CARE 
• LIVER FUNCTION
• CANCER FIGHTING
• MENTAL CLARITY
• MOOD STABILITY
• IMMORTAL HEALTH ELIXIR??? 

               (as the ancient Chinese called it)

YES PLEASE!

Whether these factoids are true or not - the drink itself is delightful. A little glass of probiotic bevie  that’s been fermented by a symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast. I mean who wouldn't want to sip on that all day long? Okay so perhaps that doesn't sound all that appetizing - but it really is. 

Bad News: It can break the bank. 

So what's a gal to do? Every good homeschool Mom knows (hee hee)  the goal is to get your kids to be self-sufficient. That's right. We are going to learn how to make it ourselves. 

So, I will consider this our NUMBER #1, most important homeschool lesson of the year (Perhaps most important lesson of a lifetime - after all if this is as successful as I imagine it will be it is a triple-dee-dipple benefit for me) .  Not only that, it will cover Science, Nutrition, Home Ec, and perhaps we can squeeze in some Photography and English projects with it. 

WOW - I just impressed myself with how great this project of ours really is. Let me take a minute and soak in my brilliancy....................... yeah... it's GOOD! Now that I am thinking of it, maybe we should start working  on a physical therapy unity study too where massage is the first thing to master. AND a taste testing best cheeseburger in the world study. Hey - here's a thought, what about a complete house care cleaning unit? Yeah, my humor is giving me the chuckles. But still...perhaps it does deserve more thought.

Anywhooo - I do believe this Kombucha is an inspired and well-supported idea. It just so happens since we BREWED to BREW (brewed the idea to brew the tea - clever right?) God has provided two unknown to us support systems. In the 3 days since concept we have been in the presence of 2 different women who make their own. This is CRAZY as we just met one of the women, and the other one we haven't seen in over 6 months. One gave us the starter  pictured above. The second actually has a full grown scoby (mushroom looking ditty) she said we could have. She has been making her delicious blueberry green tea Kombucha for 3 years. Not only that - she brought a jug of hers to a girls night we were at and it was SO YUMMY!!! Makes us all the more excited to get  doing the KOMBUCHA dance and CHUG!  

So here is where we are at right now - we have the starter in a large mouth mason jar (needs to be glass not plastic) that has a cheesecloth topper on it with a ring to hold it in place. This allows for breathing without yuck-o-muck getting in it. Step TWO will come tomorrow as we try to develop this into a mature scoby. So keep checking back to see how we are progressing. 

When we receive the mature one we may just get two batches going. I have a feeling our family will soon be known as the KOMBUCHISTS> 

Here is looking forward to a happy glass of Kombucha! Cheers!

Mason Jar Makeovers

If you have been following my blog for awhile you will remember me sharing about my precious Grandma Toodles and the BIG MOVE. As she down-sized she passed many of her treasures on to me. I like to call them "Toodle's Treasures". (insert my BIG silly grin here) 

One of my very favorites is the vintage glass jars. Oh how I  L.O.V.E. me some MASON JARS! Actually just glass jars in general. I have been collecting glass canisters and jars from my family members for over  two decades now - so as you can imagine I have quite the collection. Today I am going to show you how to use a few of these delightfully charming jars I received from my Gram to make some really cute Christmas decor and handcrafted gifts. 

Mason Jar #1

SNOW GLOBE-aciousness. 

materials needed:

• Mason Jar 7 Lid
• small artificial tree
• hot glue gun
• fake snow

This was one easy-peasy craft project. You simply hot glue the base of the tree onto the inside of the canning lid - pour a little fake snow into the glass jar. Place glued tree lid on jar and screw the ring on. VOILA - complete & 

SO STINKING CUTE! 

If you look close at the photo above you notice the vintage ring. The age of the zinc ring brings such beautiful vintage hues to this piece. I adore this little treasure. 

I decided this year to keep my decor SIMPLE and focused. So I displayed this little trio together. I love the basic white with a pop of color. 

Mason Jar  #2

Salted Caramel Sauce 

YUM-O

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 8 Tablespoons butter
• 2 teaspoons salt 

DIRECTIONS

In a large heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the sugar and water over medium-low heat until the sugar dissolves. Once the sugar has dissolved increase the heat and bring to a boil, without stirring. If necessary, use a rubber pastry brush dipped in water  to wash down any crystals forming on the side of the pan. Boil until the syrup is a deep amber color, about 5 to 6 minutes. Watch closely and have other ingredients measured out & prepared ahead ready to add when needed. 

Remove the sugar from the heat. Very slowly & carefully pour & whisk the heavy cream in. If you poor cream in too quickly it will ruin the consistency of the sauce. The mixture will bubble up like crazy - I wear an oven mitt when I stir because the steam is HOT!!! Once the cream is all stirred in add the butter and salt. Transfer the caramel to a dish and cool. Once cool poor into little mason jars. Top with burlap circles and cinch with a festive ribbon. (*Tip: I used a rubber band to stop the burlap from slipping off when tying the ribbon on - once the ribbon was secure I removed the rubber band.)

This recipe will make approx. 4 cups of sauce. It can be stored in the fridge for about 4 weeks - that is if you can make it last that long! 

Last year I made Christmas gifts of Preserved Lemons & Salted Caramel Sauce in mason jars. With these I added a lil' chalk paint to the front and labeled with chalk. People have been requesting more ever since. This one is a BIG HIT!

Mason Jar  #3

Cocoa Yumm-a-licious

I have seen these little cocoa stations all around pinterest. For the ingredients I decided to create my own version with some of our family fave's. The containers and decor I selected for this little grouping were each chosen selectively as they are truly treasured memories from my childhood. 

Mid-Summer I found this treasure of a ceramic tree at Goodwill. For a few years I had been searching high and low for just the right one that would remind me of my nap time at my babysitters when I was a wee one. In each bedroom we would turn on the little tree's as we fell into a deep slumber...ahhh. I remember the wonder and awe when the little switch would click and the lights began to twinkle, creating a colorful glow on the wall. 

Next is the plate - Homer Laughlin made this little lovely. My Grandma on my Dad's side would pull these plates out for our Christmas dessert. This isn't the physical plate - hers are long since gone. Fortunately I found a box of these at a flea market a few years back and they were a STEAL! A box full of dessert plates, picnic plates, saucers, cups, cake plate, cake / pie server for $7 total. YOWZA~  Now add the vintage Santa Candle that I have been so eager to place every Christmas season since I was probably in diapers. ...and finally... the moment we have all been anticipating...

THE JARS!

Filled to the brim with yummy goodness. 

Cocoa Jambo is THE MOST delicious cocoa ever! PURE Ghana Cocoa - oh so delicious. Once you try this you will not go back. What makes this a LOVE LANGUAGE for me is the fact it is from Africa. It helps the less fortunate to provide for their families. What a beautiful partnership. I placed the cocoa in one of my Grandma's green glass jars with a zinc lid. Then candy canes for stir sticks in another jar the same size. 

The yummy mini marshmallows always have a home (as do many other small items in my pantry) in the short clear glass mason jar with zinc lid. I love seeing these jars lined up with fun little fixin's in them.

We have had several occasions already to enjoy the cocoa spread. I have to say the fact I have this combination of LOVES in one charming little decor bundle leaves me feeling warm and fuzzy. My Grandma Toodles calls me "The Nostalgic One" - I am realizing more and more everyday just how true this is. 

The proof is in the Cocoa! :) 

-Simply Sublime!

John 15:13 NIV 

Greater Love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.