Kombucha

A few months ago, I read about a fermented drink called Kombucha (pronounced com-BOO-cha) in the book The Lyme Diet. I really wanted to try it, but wasn't sure where to find it. A few weeks ago, a friend of mine casually mentioned a drink she had recently discovered called--you guessed it!--Kombucha. And her friend makes it, so she wanted to share some with me so I could try it!

She warned me that the first bottle might be a bit rough going down because it's an acquired taste, but after a few bottles you start craving it. I slowly drank down my first bottle, and yes, it was weird! It was like drinking those fizzy things you use to color Easter eggs--it was bubbly and it smelled vinegary. But, that day was a medicine day for me and I noticed that I didn't have stomach issues that day! Hmmm....

My friend was right--after a few bottles, I was hooked. And not only that, my stomach was happier than it had been in a while! So, I found myself hooked on Kombucha with no where to get it from (my friend lives over an hour away from me). Lucky for me, she told me that her friend had just given her part of her SCOBY--the Kombucha starter culture--so she could make her own Kombucha. The SCOBY reproduces and you can share it with friends. Last week, my friend brought me my own SCOBY!

My new SCOBY! It's like an organ floating in a jar!

After getting over the weirdness of my new creepy Thing-In-A-Jar, the first thing I had to do was feed it. The SCOBY eats tea and sugar, so I had to steep the tea, mix in the sugar, and add it to the big jar. (Well, it's a bit more scientific than that, but it is pretty simple.) Then, I put the Scoby in its new home where it was to sit and reflect with Buddha for one week.

SCOBY chilling with Buddha.

After a week, it's time to check and see if the Kombucha is ready for bottling. Today was the big day, so I tentatively took a spoonful and, lo and behold, it actually tasted like Kombucha! (Why was I surprised?!) That meant it was time for bottling! My friend gave me four old Grolsch beer bottles to use and I had enough of my Kombucha to fill up three bottles.

Trying not to make a mess!

Success! My very own Kombucha!

So now the bottles are going to their happy place for a week (I just leave them alone), then they can go in the fridge, and, Voila! Kombucha! Next Monday it will be time to taste my Kombucha, and bottle up the second batch!


Here are some Kombucha links if you're interested in learning more:
http://www.organic-kombucha.com/teakombucha2.htmlhttp://www.kombuchacultures.com/index.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/25/fashion/25Tea.html

This is my favorite store bought Kombucha, but it's pricey, so don't get hooked ;)

Wisdom Tea

Yesterday, I walked almost a mile. Not once, but twice in one day! After feeling so wonderful for a few weeks now, yesterday I was filled to the brim with hopes and dreams. On walk number two, I found myself dreaming....I can have a horse again, soon.....I can go backpacking this summer....I can fulfill my ten-plus-years-long dream of going to school to become a massage therapist....

Today started off well. I went to the Farmer's Market; I ran some errands. I got very tired, though, and my vision started getting funky, so I knew it was time to come home and rest. Then it was time to take my meds. This is day three of Bactrim. A good friend of mine had a wedding shower this afternoon and I had to scrape myself off the ground to get there. I made it, but really, who was I kidding?? Conversation is nearly impossible when I feel like that!

I came home and I crashed in a heap; I barely made it. The words I had cheerfully piped to friends this morning at the Farmer's Market cruelly echoed through my head, "I'm feeling great! I'm feeling a lot better! I had a breakthrough in treatment!"

Like a thief in the night, Lyme disease steals your dreams away from you. It takes them and it tosses them out into the ocean, where they quietly disappear--down, down, down to the bottom. Lyme disease takes your dreams and throws them off a cliff, shattering them into a million pieces, right before your very eyes. Lyme disease smacks you in the face over and over again. It kicks you while you're down.

It is so hard to go from one extreme to the other. I know this part is temporary: I am Herxing. I believe with all of my heart that good days will come back. I know I can get through this...But right now I'm just really angry. I will pick myself back up and dust myself off like I always do, but I'm not quite ready to do that yet. I just want to sit quietly with my feelings for a bit. I am what I am, and right now that is angry.

And funnily enough, as I gaze down at my tea, a little slip of paper catches my eye. I have forgotten it is wisdom tea: There is a tiny quote dangling over the edge of my mug. It reads: May this day bring you peace, tranquility, and harmony. Thank you universe for that tiny little hug of comfort when I need it most. And just like that, my anger has vanished...