Bee Pollen JUN Beverage - High Polyphenols (tannin)

JUN is an ancient culture from Tibet that is used to make fermented tea. It has been recently introduced to the United states over the last ten to fifteen years, and is very rarely used commercially. On this date, I know of only two sources that sell JUN commercially, and both are on the west coast.

The JUN culture is traditionally fed using very high quality organic green tea and raw honey.

In order to make JUN fermented tea you mush have a JUN SCOBY.

A SCOBY is a Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast.

If you need one I sell them here:
Fermentation101 Shop

Most often the JUN culture, in its pure form, will be strictly fed green tea and honey. JUN is very high in antioxidants, and is very beneficial because it contains the probiotic Lactobacillus casei. Since green tea is high in polyphenols (tannin)  and that is want is needed to fee the SCOBBY, I started doing research into other "Non Tea" herbs, flowers, barks, and leaves that are also high in polyphenols that could potentially work with the JUN culture. 

My personal reason for doing this research is to be able to make a fermented beverage that does not contain caffeine like typical JUN and Kombucha do.

During my research I found an article that peaked my interest, and said that Bee Pollen is very high in polyphenols (tannin) and has Anti-radical properties.

Here is a link to that article:

Bee Pollen High in Polyphenols

This is an EXPERIMENT, I have not seen anyone mention using bee pollen in place of tea for fermenting JUN. So, I will continue to update this blog as I venture into this experiment, as well as other JUN experiments using "Non Tea" options.

How I did it:

 

Step one - procure the freshest local bee pollen you can - I used 1/2 cup

Note: it is important to use a local source of bee pollen so you can get the best health benefits from the plant sources, and wild yeast that the pollen is coming from locally.

 

Step two - Heat 1 1/2 cups purified water up to about 180 degrees and steep the Pollen for 5 minutes
NOTE: DO NOT use tap water - it contains chlorine, fluoride and bromine that can kill your SCOBY. You also do not want to boil the water because it will take all the Oxygen out of it and your beverage will not get fizzy.

 

 Step three - filter the particles through a coffee filter 

Note: In the filter, there will be a light tan or yellow sludge left over - you can keep the sludge and use it in other recipes, or simply compost the whole filter, sludge and all.

 

Step four - dissolve 1/2 cup of raw honey in 1 cup of room temperature water, then add it to your glass fermenting container with the pollen liquid.

Note: I took a pH reading on this just for my own curiosity, and it was a 6

 

Step five -  add 1 cup of strong JUN starter and then add your SCOBY

Note: Make sure the mixture is at room temperature - you do not want to burn your SCOBY. I did also take a pH reading after adding the starter and SCOBY and it was a 4.

 

Step six - Cover with a tightly woven cloth (I use t-shirt material) and rubber band it tightly so that no particles, contaminates, or bugs can get in.

 Note: there are two ways to ferment using a JUN culture; Aerobic (with oxygen) and anaerobic (with out oxygen)  for this ferment I chose to use the aerobic fermentation because there is already a ton of yeast in the bee pollen, so there really is no point to try to keep the wild yeast out this time.

The Ideal brewing temperature for JUN is 68-77F - so I leave it on the counter in my Kitchen in the winter and take it to the basement in the summer. It can typically take 4-6 days to ferment, I usually like to taste it around day 4 and let it sit more days if necessary. Fermenting JUN can sometimes be  finicky, I have had the culture stall several times from adding too much honey, different types of honey, warmer water, or even simply bumping the fermentation vessel by accident, it will eventually ferment, so be patient. JUN is considered to have a lighter flavor, and more effervescent feel to it than the more common Kombucha, which some people find to be too vinegary for their taste.

Please feel free to leave comments or questions - or even tell me about your experiments with "non tea" JUN ferments.

4-16-2015 - UPDATE: after leaving the JUN sit for 7 days it has formed a beautiful new pellicle of a baby SCOBY almost 1/4 inch - the brew is lightly effervescent, and very citrus like with a note of honey. having let this sit over the 4-6 day mark it is a bit more astringent for my taste, but it is still enjoyable over ice. I think next time I will start tasting it at day 4. It is still a lovely beverage. Below is a photo of the measured new baby SCOBY.

How to make your very own Ginger Bug.

Firstly what is a Ginger bug?

Ginger bug is a fermented mixture of fresh grated ginger root, raw honey and water that produces beneficial bacteria. The combination of the honey, water, and ginger causes lactic acid, beneficial bacteria and yeast in the ginger root to release, infuse and ferment in an anaerobic (no oxygen) environment.

How do you make it?

1. Grate up the ginger about 1 1/2 cups

2. Add it to a Jar with a tight fitting lid
3. Add raw honey, about 1 cup

4. add the same amount of purified water (NOT TAP WATER it has too much chlorine it will kill the bacteria)

5. Mix it up really well and let sit on the counter - it will start to bubble and release pressure from the gasket under the lid. The carbon dioxide from the fermentation produces a bit of fizz or effervescence in the ginger bug

6. Once it has a desirable taste to you (I prefer mine not super sweet) it is done, and you can refrigerate it and use it however you like. It will last a long time refrigerated.

It is really potent, bold, spicy, and strong - and has really great beneficial, healthful, goodness to it.

Where would you use this "Ginger bug"?

Since it is very strong I add about 1/4 cup of just the liquid to a lot of raw recipes so that I can reap the benefits of the probiotics of this elixir. Mostly beverages like JUN, Kombucha, Lemon aid, Tea, my husband likes it in OJ, but I find that to be too sweet for my taste. You can use it in gelatin gummies, salad dressings, marinades, fire cider, sodas, the possibilities are endless, have fun with it, Enjoy!!

Lacto Fermented Pickles, Peppers and Kiwi.

Today I was at the market, I'm always looking to see if there is anything new or weird to try to ferment. I saw baby kiwis - what are those??? Baby cucumbers - got to try those, and lastly baby peppers, which made me remember these little stuffed red peppers I had when I was in Switzerland, last year and thought "maybe I can make them myself."

So, here's what I did:

First - I cut all the placenta and seeds out of some sweet little baby peppers. I sliced and stuck a spicy hot Fresno pepper at the bottom of the jar so that I can tell the difference of the varieties. My hope is to get that sweetness from the honey ferment and the peppers, but also infuse the other peppers with a little spice form the Fresno.

Then, I put the peppers with the holes facing up so the honey can get inside all the cavities.

Lastly, I added honey, covered with an Air lock lid, and let sit on the counter for about a week or two.

The other two containers of ferments are really simple as well. The one on the right is just baby kiwis in honey, and the one on the left is sliced up cucumbers in a salt brine with spices, and about 2 table spoons of Sauer Kraut I made in October, just to get the fermentation started.