Free Ani's Raw Food Essentials by Ani Phyo

A fine cloth won’t keep fruit flies out, and towels are too thick. Place the brew away from sunlight in a stable environment where it will never be moved. Select a place with a temperature between 68° and 83°F.
    Â 
    A clear or translucent film will begin forming on top of the liquid within a few days and will smell fermented. After seven to twelve days, the new mushroom culture baby on top of the liquid will be about a ¼- to ⅜-inch thick, which tells you it’s ready to drink. The culture may be gray, cream, or peach in color.
    Â 
    When ready to bottle your brew, first transfer the baby culture that’s grown on the top and the original to a clean bowl, as the starter for your next batch.
    Â 
    Stir up the sediment that formed on the bottom of the bowl, and bottle your brew in glass bottles, tightly capped. The sediment contains the yeast that will make it fizzy, and it will need another day or two after bottling at room temperature to build up enough pressure to make a fizz.
    Â 
    Will keep for up to thirty days in the fridge.
    Â 
    Your kombucha should taste a bit tart, and a little sweet, with slight effervescence. Each recipe will be different. As your culture multiplies, you can place both into one jar, or give one to a friend with some starter tea to start his or her own brew.
    Â 
    The easiest way I like to flavor my kombucha is by mixing fruit juices with the kombucha before drinking. A good ratio to start at is about 5 to 10 percent juice to 90 to 95 percent kombucha. Adjust to your liking.
REJUVELAC
    Rejuvelac is the fermented drink of choice for Dr. Ann Wigmore, an old-school natural health educator who founded the Ann Wigmore Institute in Puerto Rico in
1990. She taught that rejuvelac should be used as a replacement to water on the live foods program.
    Rejuvelac contains friendly bacteria necessary for a healthy colon and for helping our body remove toxins and is a good source of B-complex vitamins and vitamins C and E. It’s made using any cereal grain, such as barley, oats, rye, wheat, unhulled millet, or buckwheat, and any whole-grain rice. Each grain creates its own unique flavor. I personally prefer the taste of kefir, then kombucha, to rejuvelac. Rejuvelac has a tart lemonade flavor.
REJUVELAC
    MAKES ABOUT 2 QUARTS
    Â 
    Â 
    For best results, you want to use fresh, organic grains when making your rejuvelac. Use a 2-quart wide-mouthed glass mason jar to make your brew.
    2 cups grains (any cereal grain or whole-grain rice will do)
Filtered or spring water
    Place your grains into your 2-quart jar, and fill with water to rinse. Pour off any floating debris and cloudy water. Fill the jar again and rinse until the water is clear. Then, add new water to fill the jar to 1 to 2 inches from top. Let the grains soak for about 12 hours.
    Â 
    Pour the water out of the jar by tipping it carefully. Add fresh water, and rinse and drain the grains well. Try to leave as little water in the jar as possible between rinses. Set the jar someplace dark between 68° and 80°F and sprout the grains for 24 to 72 hours, until a tail grows out at the end of the seed. Rinse the grains a couple of times daily while sprouting, draining well.
    Â 
    Next, fill the jar almost to the top with fresh water, leaving a couple of inches of air. Cover with a coffee filter, and secure with a rubber band. Place the brew in a dark cabinet and let ferment for 24 to 72 hours at room temperature (between 68° and 80°F). You’ll know it’s ready when it smells fermented and has a tart lemonade flavor.
    Pour the brew through a plastic strainer into a large bowl, to remove your grains from the rejuvelac. You could make another batch of brew with these grains. It won’t take as long to ferment but won’t be as strong, either. Use these sprouted grains to make a raw cracker or cereal (see pages 112 and 63).
    Â 
    Will keep for several days in the fridge.

4
    BREAKFAST
    BREAKFAST IS MY most