'Hold on just a second'

Have you hopped on to the Kombucha trend yet? Well, maybe it's time you do!  Kombucha is a raw, fermented, probiotic, and naturally carbonated tea. The home remedy goes back to 220 BCE where it originated in Northeast China or Manchuria and then spread to Russia. The tea made from Scoby, symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast, extended to a health and culturally conscious counter-culture in the American 70's when the generation began to embrace the drink as healthy. Guess what happens next? The peeps from the 70's start brewin' it up at home! Much excitement there.    Kombucha Tea Recipe While there is no available scientific evidence proving the health benefits of kombucha there are many claims that that indicate otherwise. And since we personally love kombucha, we're bringing a homemade recipe, courtesy of The Kitchn, to you! This Recipe Makes About 1 Gallon                             (via Eat Drink Better, click here for full tutorial)   Supplies and Ingredients You Need: Ingredients 3 1/2 quarts water 1 cup white sugar 8 bags black tea (or 2 tablespoons loose tea) 2 cups starter tea from last batch of kombucha or store-bought (unpasteurized, neutral-flavored) kombucha 1 scoby per fermentation jar Optional flavoring extras for bottling: 1 to 2 cups chopped fruit, 2 to 3 cups fruit juice, 1 to 2 tablespoons flavored tea (like hibiscus or Earl Grey), 1/4 cup honey, 2 to 4 tablespoons fresh herbs or spices Equipment Stock pot 1-gallon glass jar or two 2-quart glass jars Bottles: Six 16-oz glass bottles with plastic lids, 6 swing-top bottles, or clean soda bottles Small funnel Instructions for Kombucha Tea Note: Avoid prolonged contact between the kombucha and metal both during and after brewing. This can affect the flavor of your kombucha and weaken the scoby over time.   Step 1. Make the Tea Base: Bring the water to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in the sugar to dissolve. Drop in the tea and allow it to steep until the water has cooled. Depending on the size of your pot, this will take a few hours. You can speed up the cooling process by placing the pot in an ice bath.                                                           (via The Healthy Foodie, click here for full tutorial)                             (via Wikimedia Commons)   Step 2. Add the Starter Tea: Once the tea is cool, remove the tea bags or strain out the loose tea. Stir in the starter tea. (The starter tea makes the liquid acidic, which prevents unfriendly bacteria from taking up residence in the first few days of fermentation.)                           (via Yum Universe,  click here for full tutorial) Step 3. Transfer to Jars and Add the Scoby: Pour the mixture into a 1-gallon glass jar (or divide between two 2-quart jars, in which case you'll need 2 scobys) and gently slide the scoby into the jar with clean hands. Cover the mouth of the jar with a few layers of cheesecloth or paper towels secured with a rubber band. (via Yum Universe,  click here for full tutorial) (via The Healthy Foodie, click here for full tutorial) Step 4. Ferment for 7 to 10 Days: Keep the jar at room temperature, out of direct sunlight, and where it won't get jostled. Ferment for 7 to 10 days, checking the kombucha and the scoby periodically. (via Kaiku Lifestyle, click here for full tutorial) It's not unusual for the scoby to float at the top, bottom, or even sideways. A new cream-colored layer of scoby should start forming on the surface of the kombucha within a few days. It usually attaches to the old scoby, but it's ok if they separate. You may also see brown stringy bits floating beneath the scoby, sediment collecting at the bottom, and bubbles collecting around the scoby. This is all normal and signs of healthy fermentation. After seven days, begin tasting the kombucha daily by pouring a little out of the jar and into a cup. When it reaches a balance of sweetness and tartness that is pleasant to you, the kombucha is ready to bottle.   (via The Healthy Foodie, click here for full tutorial) Step 5. Remove the Scoby: Before proceeding, prepare and cool another pot of strong tea for your next batch of kombucha, as outlined above. With clean hands, gently lift the scoby out of the kombucha and set it on a clean plate. As you do, check it over and remove the bottom layer if the scoby is getting very thick.   (via Yum Universe,  click here for full tutorial) Step 6. Bottle the Finished Kombucha: Measure out your starter tea from this batch of kombucha and set it aside for the next batch. Pour the fermented kombucha (straining, if desired) into bottles using the small funnel, along with any juice, herbs, or fruit you may want to use as flavoring.   |                                       (via The Kitchn, click here for full tutorial)                                         (via The Kitchn, click here for full tutorial)                                                             (via Whole Lifestyle Nutrition, click here for full tutorial)   Leave about a half inch of head room in each bottle. (Alternatively, infuse the kombucha with flavorings for a day or two in another jar covered with cheesecloth, strain, and then bottle. This makes a cleaner kombucha without “stuff” in it.)                                                             (via Whole Lifestyle Nutrition, click here for full tutorial)   Step 7. Carbonate and Refrigerate the Finished Kombucha: Store the bottled kombucha at room-temperature out of direct sunlight and allow 1 to 3 days for the kombucha to carbonate. Until you get a feel for how quickly your kombucha carbonates, it's helpful to keep it in plastic bottles; the kombucha is carbonated when the bottles feel rock solid. Refrigerate to stop fermentation and carbonation, and then consume your kombucha within a month. (via Small Notebook, click here for full tutorial)   Make a Fresh Batch of Kombucha: Clean the jar being used for kombucha fermentation. Combine the starter tea from your last batch of kombucha with the fresh batch of sugary tea, and pour it into the fermentation jar. Slide the scoby on top, cover, and ferment for 7 to 10 days.   Additional Notes:   Batch Size: To increase or decrease the amount of kombucha you make, maintain the basic ratio of 1 cup of sugar, 8 bags of tea, and 2 cups starter tea per gallon batch. One scoby will ferment any size batch, though larger batches may take longer.   Putting Kombucha on Pause: If you'll be away for 3 weeks or less, just make a fresh batch and leave it on your counter. It will likely be too vinegary to drink by the time you get back, but the scoby will be fine. For longer breaks, store the scoby in a fresh batch of the tea base with starter tea in the fridge. Change out the tea for a fresh batch every 4 to 6 weeks.   Other Tea Options: Black tea tends to be the easiest and most reliable for the scoby to ferment into kombucha, but once your scoby is going strong, you can try branching out into other kinds. Green tea, white tea, oolong tea, or a even mix of these make especially good kombucha. Herbal teas are ok, but be sure to use at least a few bags of black tea in the mix to make sure the scoby is getting all the nutrients it needs. Avoid any teas that contain oils, like earl grey or flavored teas.   Avoid Prolonged Contact with Metal: Using metal utensils is generally fine, but avoid fermenting or bottling the kombucha in anything that brings them into contact with metal. Metals, especially reactive metals like aluminum, can give the kombucha a metallic flavor and weaken the scoby over time.     Just a few things to remember after we send you off to ferment and brew. Check out the troubleshooting kombucha tips and pointers below! • It is normal for the scoby to float on the top, bottom, or sideways in the jar. It is also normal for brown strings to form below the scoby or to collect on the bottom. If your scoby develops a hole, bumps, dried patches, darker brown patches, or clear jelly-like patches, it is still fine to use. Usually these are all indicative of changes in the environment of your kitchen and not a problem with the scoby itself. • Kombucha will start off with a neutral aroma and then smell progressively more vinegary as brewing progresses. If it starts to smell cheesy, rotten, or otherwise unpleasant, this is a sign that something has gone wrong. If you see no signs of mold on the scoby, discard the liquid and begin again with fresh tea. If you do see signs of mold, discard both the scoby and the liquid and begin again with new ingredients. • A scoby will last a very long time, but it's not indestructible. If the scoby becomes black, that is a sign that it has passed its lifespan. If it develops green or black mold, it is has become infected. In both of these cases, throw away the scoby and begin again. • To prolong the life and maintain the health of your scoby, stick to the ratio of sugar, tea, starter tea, and water outlined in the recipe. You should also peel off the bottom (oldest) layer every few batches. This can be discarded, composted, used to start a new batch of kombucha, or given to a friend to start their own. • If you're ever in doubt about whether there is a problem with your scoby, just continue brewing batches but discard the kombucha they make. If there's a problem, it will get worse over time and become very apparent. If it's just a natural aspect of the scoby, then it will stay consistent from batch to batch and the kombucha is fine for drinking.   (via Healthy Green Kitchen, click here for full tutorial)   That's our homemade Kombucha recipe! Thanks for stopping by! Do you have any tips for homemade Kombucha we may have missed? Let us know in the comments section below. Don't forget to sign up to our newsletter to get all the latest updates on craft projects in the making! Like us on Facebook (button below) to get fun craft projects in your feed! 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The Department of Government Efficiency’s decapitation strike against USAID over the weekend has caught the media off guard. Nonetheless, they are mustering a desperate response in hopes of saving the agency that embodies both the Deep State and the worst excesses of bloated government bureaucracy. Most representative of the overall reporting is the brief that ran on the CBS Evening News, which provides both a convenient summary of the story’s narratives now and going forward: CBS EVENING NEWS 2/3/25 6:38 PM JOHN DICKERSON: Doors were locked at the Washington headquarters of USAID today at the mutual agreement of President Trump and billionaire Elon Musk, whom he has empowered to remake the federal government. The USAID, established by President Kennedy and Congress, fights starvation and disease in more than 100 countries including Sudan, scene of the worst humanitarian crisis on Earth. Debora Patta will take us there later this week. The narrative elements are all there. Trump and Elon, Elon is a billionaire, USAID is a nice agency that helps poor and starving people overseas. In addition, viewers learn that Debra Patta is doing a supporting story from Sudan, where there is an ongoing famine. ABC and NBC took similar approaches to this emerging narrative. Jon Karl handled the assignment for ABC and provided a similar humanitarian angle: JON KARL: Tonight, backlash after Elon Musk seized control of USAID, the agency that provides U.S. humanitarian assistance around the world. Locking out employees, essentially shutting it down. It's Musk's first major move to slash government spending. ELON MUSK: As we dug into USAID, it became apparent that we have here is not an apple with a worm in it but we have, actually, just a ball of worms. KARL: USAID's $43 billion budget is a tiny fraction of what the government spends. About 1%. But its support is a critical lifeline for people in need around the world. Helping an estimated 32 million children suffering malnutrition and bringing food, water, shelter, and healthcare to victims of natural disasters. Karl’s report would disclose that the salvageable remnant of USAID is getting folded into the State Department, under supervision of Secretary of State Marco Rubio. But not before hilariously airing a woke USAID employee’s efforts to mask their wokeness as DOGE approached: ABC actually aired a USAID employee's description of the scramble as DOGE rolled up to the office, and their hurried removal of woke iconography a la the documents burning scene in Downfall: "@DOGE was in the building. We started -- we took down our pride flags, we took down- I… pic.twitter.com/gSsx3H6Mgc — Jorge Bonilla (@BonillaJL) February 4, 2025 KARL: But Elon Musk's influence is sweeping throughout the administration. It was late last week that the DOGE team showed up at USAID offices in Washington and demanded access. USAID employee Kristina Drye described the scene. KRISTINA DRYE: DOGE was in the building. We started -- we took down our pride flags, we took down- I took out any books I felt would be incriminating. No one was talking, We heard they started taking transcripts automatically of all of our Google meets. We -- they unplugged the news in the little kitchen galleys. It didn't feel good. And then Saturday, all of the websites went down. And then I lost complete access to my computer. NBC News also pushed the humanitarian aid angle:  KELLY O’DONNELL: A top Musk target, the U.S. Agency for International Development. He argues there's too much waste in its $42 billion budget. USAID delivers food, medicine, vaccinations and humanitarian support to 60 countries, help that is considered vital to U.S. national security.  Additionally, Kelly O’Donnell featured protesting Democrats, and a former USAID doctor before pivoting to potential firings at the FBI. It goes without saying that the reports didn’t air all the OTHER stuff that USAID notoriously funds, from transgender opera in Colombia to gain-of-function bat coronavirus research at the Wuhan Virology Institute, to Soros DA candidates in the United States.   Gutting USAID was a deep strike to the beating heart of the American left and all that it funds. The media are aiding and abetting the left in their scramble to save their revered cash cow. Click “exoand” to view the full transcripts of the aforementioned reports as aired on their respective newscasts on Monday, February 3rd, 2025: ABC WORLD NEWS TONIGHT 2/3/25 6:36 PM DAVID MUIR: Tonight, there are new questions about Elon Musk's role. He's now been classified a '"special government employee", so, what does this mean? ABC News had already learned that Musk has been given access to the Treasury Department's payment system, including the personal information of millions of American workers. And tonight, Musk working to shut down USAID, or vastly reimagine the agency. Workers informed to stay home. Today in the Oval Office, President Trump was asked, “why has Musk been given access to the Treasury, the payment systems, the information involving millions of Americans?” The president answering on Musk: “to let people go that he thinks are no good, if we agree with him.” Here's Jonathan Karl. JON KARL: Tonight, backlash after Elon Musk seized control of USAID, the agency that provides U.S. humanitarian assistance around the world. Locking out employees, essentially shutting it down. It's Musk's first major move to slash government spending. ELON MUSK: As we dug into USAID, it became apparent that we have here is not an apple with a worm in it but we have, actually, just a ball of worms. KARL: USAID's $43 billion budget is a tiny fraction of what the government spends. About 1%. But its support is a critical lifeline for people in need around the world. Helping an estimated 32 million children suffering malnutrition and bringing food, water, shelter, and healthcare to victims of natural disasters. But Musk, the world’s richest man, says the agency is hopeless, posting on X, quote, “we spent the weekend feeding USAID into the wood chipper.” This comes as sources tell ABC News Musk's team at the Department of Government Efficiency, known as DOGE, now has access to the Treasury Department's payment system. This is essentially the government's checkbook. It processes trillions of dollars in payments and includes the personal information of hundreds of millions of Americans. REPORTER: Mr. President, why is it important for Elon Musk to have access to the payment systems at Treasury? DONALD TRUMP: Well, he's got access only to letting people go that he thinks are no good, if we agree with him. And it's only if we agree with him. He's a very talented guy from the standpoint of management and costs. KARL: Democrats are outraged. PATTY MURRAY: An unelected, unaccountable billionaire with expansive conflicts of interest, deep ties to China, and an indiscreet axe to grind against perceived enemies is hijacking our nation's most sensitive financial data systems and its checkbook. KARL: But Elon Musk's influence is sweeping throughout the administration. It was late last week that the DOGE team showed up at USAID offices in Washington and demanded access. USAID employee Kristina Drye described the scene. KRISTINA DRYE: DOGE was in the building. We started -- we took down our pride flags, we took down- I took out any books I felt would be incriminating. No one was talking, We heard they started taking transcripts automatically of all of our Google meets. We -- they unplugged the news in the little kitchen galleys. It didn't feel good. And then Saturday, all of the websites went down. And then I lost complete access to my computer. KARL: And this morning, all the agency's employees received a notice, telling them not to come to work today. Now, what is left of USAID is going to be folded into the State Department under the direction of the new Secretary of State, Marco Rubio. MUIR: All right. Jonathan Karl and our team following all of this from Washington. Jon, Elon Musk now classified, as I mentioned, as a '"special government employee". So, tell us exactly what this means tonight. KARL: A '"special government employee", David, is basically somebody who is on the job temporarily. A maximum of 130 days. They are not bound by the same ethics requirements that full-time government employees are, but again, can only be on the job for 130 days. Elon Musk is not being paid for his work at the Department of Government Efficiency, but David, his companies have taken in nearly $19 billion in federal contracts over the last ten years. MUIR: Jon Karl in Washington tonight, Jon, thank you. NBC NIGHTLY NEWS 2/3/25 6:35 PM HALLIE JACKSON: Also playing out tonight, a sprawling effort to scale back parts of the federal government, and a push led by Elon Musk. And President Trump facing new questions about the role of the unelected billionaire. Here is Senior White House Correspondent Kelly O'Donnell. KELLY O’DONNELL: Tonight, this partnership of power under intense new scrutiny. President Trump and the world's richest man Elon Musk, upending federal agencies, to overhaul government and/spending. The president acknowledged that Musk can get inside sensitive government computers, like the Treasury Department Payment System. DONALD TRUMP: Well, he's got access only to letting people go that he thinks are no good if we agree with him, and it's only if we agree with him. O’DONNELL: The White House says in his role running the Department of Government Efficiency, Musk is designated as a '"special government employee" with top-secret security clearance. TRUMP: Elon can't do and won't do anything without our approval and we will give him the approval where appropriate. Where not appropriate, we won’t. O’DONNELL: A top Musk target, the U.S. Agency for International Development. He argues there's too much waste in its $42 billion budget. USAID delivers food, medicine, vaccinations and humanitarian support to 60 countries, help that is considered vital to U.S. national security. Musk spoke on his X platform, declaring the agency must be shut down. ELON MUSK: What we have here is not an apple with a worm in it but we have, actually, just a ball of worms. O’DONNELL: Secretary of State Marco Rubio says core life-saving programs will not be frozen during a 90-day review. MARCO RUBIO: These are not donor dollars, these are taxpayer dollars. (VIDEO SWIPE) So far, a lot of the people that work at USAID have simply refused to cooperate. O’DONNELL: USAID is authorized and funded by Congress. Today, Democratic lawmakers blasted the shutdown as illegal and dangerous. JAMIE RASKIN: Elon Musk did not create USAID, he doesn't have the power to destroy it. (VIDEO SWIPE) We are going to stop him. O’DONNELL: USAID workers told to stay home as many relief programs are halted. Are lives on the line because of this? ATUL GAWANDE: Lives have already been lost because of this. O’DONNELL: Former USAID official Dr. Atul Gawande says the relief workers he knows are devastated. GAWANDE: They’re in fear for what this means for America, what this means for the people that they touch and they are in fear for themselves. O’DONNELL: Fear is also rattling the FBI tonight. Eight top career officials fired Friday, and a top official seeking names of agents who worked on January 6th cases. The FBI Agents’ Association in a statement described agents as “extremely fearful of being removed”, and some “started to pack up their desks.” JACKSON: Kelly is joining us now from The White House and Kelly, all of this is happening as the Senate is considering President Trump's nominee for FBI Director, Kash Patel. O’DONNELL: That’s right. And in his hearing and under oath, Kash Patel pledged all FBI employees would be protected against political retribution. But tonight Senate Democrats are now demanding additional information about all of this. Hallie. JACKSON: Kelly O’Donnell. Thank you.  

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