Kombucha Flavors

Two years have gone by since I did my original blog post on making kombucha. I'm doing things a little differently now in terms of flavoring the kombucha, so I thought it was time to do an update.

I still brew the kombucha the same way. I start with boiling water, adding that to one cup of sugar in a gallon glass container with eight tea bags. I use decaffeinated tea. Usually green tea, sometimes black tea. But always decaf as caffeine bothers me. I do not use flavored teas anymore. Just plain green or black tea. 

fresh tea

After about two weeks (depends on the time of year - see my original post), my kombucha is femented enough and I start to process my batch. 

ready to add flavor - just remove that SCOBY!

I brew another batch of fresh sweet tea. When it cools, I take out the tea bags. And I transfer the SCOBY from a fermented batch to this new tea and set this in my dark spot to ferment.

(If you do not have another large jar to brew a new batch - just put your SCOBY with a little bit of the kombucha into a glass container and put it in your fridge. Then once you clean out the original jar you can brew another batch in it and add the SCOBY that's been hanging out waiting for you - SCOBYs are fine in the fridge as long as you have them in glass - no metal).

Now I add another step to the fermented batch that is ready. This new step adds very fresh flavors to the tea and allows me to be creative!

This post will focus on my favorite flavor - Strawberry Basil. (I'll list other possible flavor combinations later on).

I get a container of strawberries from the store (about a pint) 

and pick a bunch of fresh basil from my garden.

Unfortunately, my basil is ready in August while local strawberries are ready in June. So I do have to use store bought strawberries. Next June I will try using store bought fresh basil and local farm fresh strawberries. I think that will make this even more delicious!

I clean and hull the strawberries (removing the green leafy tops). I clean the basil and pick out the nice leaves. 

I use a high speed blender to puree my flavoring.  I would think a regular blender would work out fine also. You want the puree to be as fine as possible so the flavors can permeate the fermented kombucha. 

I puree the strawberries and basil together with a small amount of water (enough so the puree is liquid enough to pour).

I pour the puree into the fermented kombucha  (the SCOBY has been removed). I recommend you pour the puree slowly. Sometimes it fizzes up as it mixes with the fermented kombucha, so much so that it might overflow. 

Then I cover that puree and kombucha mixture with the paper towel again.

flavoring ferments!

I let it continue to ferment for a couple of days. Even though the SCOBY has been removed, it will still ferment more. Just more slowly. If you let it sit for long enough it will start to create a kind of SCOBY on top. I've never let it ferment for more than four days and usually do about two.

The next step is strain and bottle this new flavored kombucha.

If there is a bit of a solid layer on top I scoop that out. Otherwise I strain it with a fine mesh strainer.

And I pour it into my prepared bottles (see earlier post for the need to have very clean conditions when you are bottling).

I then label and refrigerate this batch of lovely flavored kombucha.

This method of flavoring gives you very fresh and delicious flavored kombucha. I like the herb and fruit combination. I use fresh herbs from my garden. I have made the following combinations:

Peach and Mint

Lavender and Cantaloupe

Watermelon and Mint
Lavender and Peach

All delicious! I also have fresh thyme and rosemary. I'm wondering what fruit flavors might work with those....

Any fruit would work nicely. I think I did raspberries last summer but haven't done it this year. You could use frozen fruit that you thaw too (I'm thinking a nice mixed berry). You don't have to add herbs either. Just fruit is delicious as well! The herbs add a nice subtle difference to fruit flavors and I like to experiment. 

Another flavor I do is fresh cider. I buy apple cider from a local farm market. After removing the scoby, I add a few inches of cider and cover it again. I let that ferment some more on my kitchen counter (this flavor I usually do four days). This does not have to be strained but if a new SCOBY has begun to form you should remove that (mostly to eliminate the ick factor). I usually add some ginger flavoring to this cider kombucha - usually food grade essential oil. But I know there are nice ginger syrups on the market and if you use one of those - add the ginger when you add the cider. Syrups have added sugar so you want that to ferment a bit after you add it.

Experiment! I get idea for flavors by looking at kombucha flavors at the local food stores. If you come up with a new and delicious flavor combination - please share! Let me know what you used.

Enjoy!

Sleeping Giant State Park is Open!

It was a sad day on May 15, 2018. A tornado ripped through Connecticut, creating a path of destruction from Oxford through Wallingford. In particular, a chunk of Sleeping Giant State Park was destroyed. Gone were all the beautiful white pines found at the base and the picnic area. Over 2000 trees blew down over the extensive trail system. The state had to close the park. Hikers waited impatiently over the next 13 months for reports of how repairs were going. With the combined efforts of the State Department of Environmental Protection (DEEP) and The Sleeping Giant Park Association (SPGA) the park opened June 14, 2019. Better than ever! Woohoo!

The sixth edition of "50 Hikes in Connecticut" hike #35 is Sleeping Giant. But, it was scouted and written prior to the tornado. There was not time to replace it with a different hike altogether, so a disclaimer was inserted at the start of the hike.

disclaimer: Due to damage sustained during a tornado in May 2018, the hike description for Sleeping Giant will have some inaccuracies. After the tornado, Sleeping Giant State Park was closed to the general public. Once the park has reopened, the author will revise the hike description to reflect the significant changes the tornado wrought on the landscape of the park. Please contact the author at 50hikesCT@gmail.com if you would like a copy of the revised version.

I will also use this blog post to share the updates of the revised version (plus photos!).

Introduction

Some hikers belittle the size of the Sleeping Giant, for he rises only 739 feet above sea level. They forget that he is lying down; were he to awaken and get to his feet, he would stand some 2 miles tall!

A series of folded, angular volcanic hills just north of New Haven defines the shape of the reclining titan. Legend has it that the giant was first recognized and named from sailing ships in New Haven Harbor many years ago. From the various parts of his anatomy you can see numerous peaks and ridges that other hikes in this book traverse. The giant is now contained in a 1,500-acre state park. Only a short distance from downtown New Haven, it is a popular spot with campers, picnickers, and hikers. In 1977 the Sleeping Giant Trail System was dedicated as a National Scenic Trail.

The park’s trail system is well maintained by the active Sleeping Giant Park Association (SGPA). Formed in 1924, the SGPA is an all-volunteer organization whose mission is to protect and enlarge Sleeping Giant State Park. They maintain over 30 miles of trails in the park and offer many guided hikes each year. They sponsor a “Giant Master Program” where members can earn a patch and certificate if they hike all the marked trails and record them on an official log. Three of our family members are Giant Masters (#106, #155 and #336).

The giant sustained serious damage during a tornado in May 2018. The park was closed until June 14, 2019. There are significant changes to the landscape of the park. In particular, the parking area and picnic grove are no longer the home to magnificent white pines. When you enter the park, you are now greeted with a vast grassy area. Everything (trails, roads, parking area) has essentially the same footprint, but landmarks have changed. The state DEEP and SGPA did a fantastic job of clean up and trail blazing during the 13 months the park was closed. This hike write up reflects the new landscape of the park.

Getting There

     From I-91, take exit 10 (Hamden/Mount Carmel) onto CT 40 north. After 2.6 miles on CT 40, follow CT 10 north (right) 1.3 miles to its junction with Mount Carmel Avenue. Turn right and follow it 0.3 mile to the park entrance on your left. There is a large parking lot on your right after passing the entrance kiosk. 

General Information on the Hike

The 32-mile park trail system, designed by Norman Greist and Richard Elliot of the Sleeping Giant Park Association, is ingeniously laid out in a series of loops. The traprock outcrops and ridges are named for parts of the slumbering giant’s anatomy and are labeled as such on maps (head, chin, chest, etc). No matter how long or short a hike you wish, you need never retrace your steps. Six east–west trails, marked with blue, white, violet, green, orange, and yellow blazes, join the opposite ends of the park. Five north–south trails marked with red diamonds, squares, hexagons, circles, and triangles cut across the park. The loop combinations you can devise seem endless. Hike the giant in June and you’ll be rewarded with blooming mountain laurel along any trail you choose.

We favor the Blue-White Trail combination loop of about 7 miles in length. It is the most strenuous, covers most of the giant’s anatomy, and affords the best views.

There are numerous other options and we highlight a few in OTHER HIKING OPTIONS. The Connecticut Chapter of the Appalachian Mountain Club has offered all the trails in this state park on a single day to those who want to test their hiking ability!

Hike Details

To get to the trailhead from the parking lot, you’ll walk up the right side of the paved park road going past the tower path. (Stop at the bulletin board before the tower path to read more about the giant and the SGPA). Start up the right side of the paved picnic loop road through the pine-shaded grove.

You’ll take a blue-blazed feeder trail on your right just after the park road curves left and veers uphill. The white trail also enters the woods here.  The feeder trail is blazed with blue rectangle wooden blazes, pointed at the top like an arrow, nailed to the trees. This type of blazing is new since the storm and seems to be used for feeder and connector trails now. Main trail blazes are painted directly on the trees. Follow these blue feeder blazes to soon join the main blue-blazed Quinnipiac Trail as you meet the Mill River. The Quinnipiac Trails is the oldest of Connecticut’s Blue Trails. Turn right on this blue-blazed main trail. Your route curves downhill and then bears right away from Mill River.

The trail crosses a flat board-walk style bridge, after which you’ll see the Violet trail fork off to the left and the Blue and Red-diamond trail veers left. Continue to follow the blue-blazes. Then your path heads straight uphill as the Red-diamond goes right. The tornado thinned the forest enough that you’ll see route 10 through the trees on your left as you get to the top of the first rise. 

This first ascent takes you onto the giant’s elbow. The trail follows the cedar-spotted basalt ridge of his crooked arm to the right, with excellent views of the Hamden hills on your left and the quarry directly ahead of you. The trail then drops down steeply. This 15-foot drop within the woods requires a careful descent with strategic hand holds as you navigate the steep rock. We found the best hand and foot holds on the left side of the trail.

The trail then begins the ascent of the giant’s head, crossing the red diamond trail.

 An old quarry drops off steeply to your left. The Sleeping Giant Park Association was formed in 1924 to protect the mountain from being torn down by a quarrying operation; you still see the damage of this industry as you climb the head. 

Since the tornado, the edge of the quarry may be unstable – for this reason you’ll see the blue blazes do not take you as close to the edge as they once did. We recommend you follow this newly blazed section and avoid getting too close. This stretch up the head on the Blue Trail is a long, difficult scramble—a good test of your hiking condition. Avoid this area in winter; the slope is usually icy and treacherous. (We recommend a less rocky loop in winter, such as the Yellow-Orange Trail combination.)  

View of the head at Sleeping Giant

Once you make it to the top of this strenuous stretch – take a breather and enjoy the view. Back to your right you will see two ridges. The Quinnipiac Trail runs along the closer mass of shapeless hills; the Regicides Trail follows the long ridge of West Rock farther right. The neat lawns and collegiate buildings of Quinnipiac University lie below.

Continue to the jutting cliff of the giant’s chin. The wide path in the valley below is the Tower Path; beyond it rises the giant’s massive chest. Looking north you can see the traprock ridges known as the Hanging Hills of Meriden, where the Metacomet and Mattabesett Trails join. West Peak, a large rock mass with a crown of towers, lies at the left just beyond the rock tower of Castle Crag (see Hike #36). The flat-topped peak to the right is South Mountain. The city of Meriden fills the break in the ridge; the two hills farthest to the right are Mount Lamentation and Chauncey Peak (see Hike #32). Lava flows formed all these traprock peaks and plateaus some 200 million years ago.

The trail zigzags steeply down the north end of the giant’s head, crosses the Red Hexagon Trail and then the Tower Path. You’ll see the White/Blue Crossover Trail on your right. This crossover trail is blazed with a white rectangular wooden blaze nailed onto the tree. The Blue Trail turns left over a small rock face just before this blaze. Your route then crosses the Red Triangle Trail, and then the Tower Path again before it climbs the giant’s left hip, also known as Mount Carmel. You then reach the stone tower on top of the left hip.

Perhaps the best view in the park is from the top of this tower. This large open-air fieldstone building, at 739 feet above sea level, is the highest point of the park. Built in the 1930s by the Works Progress Administration (WPA), it is the second largest state park structure built by federal relief labor in the Depression era. Take some time to explore the details of this ramped 30-foot-tall tower – can you find the iron spider web in the third floor window? Can you find the Doberman dog carved in the stone on the east side, between the second and third floors? In 1986, the tower was added to the National Register of Historic Places. There was also a large renovation project of the tower in 1996. You can learn more about the tower and the history of Sleeping Giant in the booklet “Born Among the Hills” by Nancy Davis Sachse. 

After exploring the tower structure take time to enjoy the hilly panorama; starting with Mount Lamentation, you see the impressive cliff faces of Mount Higby (hike #20), the gap through which US 6 passes, and the long ridge of Beseck Mountain. Like the hills to the north, these ridges are traversed by trails. The barrenness of the land makes land-owners more willing to give hiking clubs permission to cut trails on hills than on their more fertile property. Fortunately, hikers much prefer these barren hills to the low-lying fertile fields.

Follow the blue blazes past the tower and into the woods. Continue to the cliff edge, where you can look south to the giant’s right hip, right leg, and right knee before dropping down to your right, where you cross the outlet of a swamp and the Red Circle Trail, about 0.5 miles from the tower. After a level spell through white pines, dip down and then ascend his left leg. Drop again and go up the left knee. Note the pitting that centuries of exposure have produced on the weathered rocks; they contrast sharply with the smooth faces of a few recently uncovered rock surfaces nearby.

Walking down the far end of the giant’s knee, you encounter the first section of smooth, rolling, rock-free trail (about a mile from the tower). Footing makes a tremendous difference in hiking difficulty, and the angular volcanic-rock ridges of central Connecticut are particularly treacherous. As the Blue Trail veers northward you’ll pass the Violet/Blue Crossover Trail on your left. After the trail continues its up-and-down course you’ll descend and cross a sturdy footbridge, then the Red Square and Green Trails.

Begin your ascent of Hezekiah’s Knob. As you near the top, look to the right for early-spring-blooming purple and white hepaticas with their characteristic three-lobed leaves left over from the previous summer’s growth. The leaf’s shape, supposedly like a liver, was the basis for its medicinal use for various liver problems. Sleeping Giant State Park is home to a wide variety of wildflowers. The SPGA often sponsors a Wildflower Hike in the spring, visit their website (https://sgpa.org/) or facebook page for more information on their guided hikes.

The Blue and White Trails meet on the knob. This is where you begin the return portion of today’s loop on the White Trail. This trail is blazed with small square white blazes painted on the trees and rocks. The SPGA is still re-blazing this trail (as of June 2019) and there are some stretches where you need to be vigilant in looking for the next blaze.  The White-trail also has a very rocky terrain – from smaller rocks that you step around to medium and large rocks that you climb up and down. 

Proceed to your right following the white-blazes, zig-zagging through rocks down the knob. You cross the Red Square Trail again and then the Orange Trail.  Soon after the Orange Trail you reach the top of his right knee with a big open rock-faced summit.

 Descend the stone-strewn slope and then climb up and down his right leg and right hip crossing the Red Circle Trail and the Green-Yellow Crossover Trail. The Red Triangle Trail cuts across the park by the base of the sleeping titan’s chest—after crossing this path (and the Orange Trail) you begin the last climb of this circuit. The trail winds up around great boulders passing a vista marked by a large rock cairn on your left, and then reaching the bald rocky-top of the chest with numerous views. 

 From here if you wish to extend your hike and do a ten-mile double loop you’ll go right onto the green trail (see OTHER HIKING OPTIONS).

Continue to follow the white blazes as you twist down off the giant’s chest. You’ll pass the Blue-White Crossover Trail (wooden rectangular arrow blazes) and then descend upon a series of impressive stone steps built by the SPGA trail crew. The trail levels out a bit and goes through a red cedar grove as you see the tower path on your left.  The White Trail then takes a sharp left, joining the Tower Trail. You follow this for a short distance (30 yards) before turning right and heading down back into the woods. This downhill stretch is steep over rough loose rock terrain. You’ll see the Orange Trail ahead on your left but continue to follow white-blazes. The destruction of the tornado is particularly evident in this down-hill stretch with a lot of downed trees on either side of the trail. 

Soon you will reach the paved park road where you started on the blue connector trail. Turn left and head on the paved park road back to your car. 

Other Hiking Options

·       Additional Resources: 

      An excellent internet resource for Sleeping Giant State Park is the website of the Sleeping Giant Association (SGPA),  www.sgpa.org. This website provides excellent information from the history of the park, trail maps, organized hikes, the nature trail pamphlet to information about their Giant Master Program. Another map resource is The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) website for Sleeping Giant State Park, http://www.ct.gov/deep/sleepinggiant.

    Short & Sweet:  

The most popular hike on the Giant is the Tower Path. This 3.2-mile round trip hike on the Giant is a gentle climb on a wide clear path that leads to the stone tower. The Tower Path starts just off the main parking lot beyond the bulletin board. It is un-blazed but easy to follow, as it is a wide path that is well maintained by both the state and the SGPA.

A Leg Stretcher:

You can extend our loop and hike a double loop of 10 miles.  Follow our hike but when you reach the chest turn right onto the Green Trail. The Green Trail crosses the park to the north side of the central spine for about two miles; we recommend turning off just short of its eastern terminus and taking the second Yellow-Green crossover trail to meet up with the Yellow Trail. This route is quiet and more wooded as it goes through valleys and past wetlands. Continue along the Green Trail as you cross the Red Triangle Trail and pass the first Yellow/Green Crossover Trail. From your viewpoint it appears as a yellow-blazed trail. You’ll stay on the Green Trail and after about a third of a mile you’ll cross the Red Circle Trail. The Green Trail continues through the valley and after about a half mile it crosses the Red Square and the Blue Trail. After another half mile you’ll reach the second Yellow-Green crossover trail (yellow blazes on your right). Turn right here, leaving the Green Trail to soon join up with the last leg of your hike. The crossover trail ends at a T junction with the Yellow Trail. Turn right here on yellow. You’ll follow the Yellow Trail for a little less than two miles along the southern border of the park. You’ll cross the different red “shape” trails – first the Red Square and then the Red Circle. Then you’ll see the Green-Yellow crossover trail on your right (it will appear green to you). Continue along the Yellow Trail through some impressive trail work for erosion control (including two sets of stairs) and you’ll reach and cross the red triangle trail. At this point the Yellow Trail coincides with the Nature Trail. You’ll see red numbers within yellow circles on this route, corresponding to a nature trail brochure created by the SGPA. After about one-third of a mile you’ll cross your last red shape trail – the Red Hexagon. Continue to follow the yellow-blazes for about one-quarter mile until you reach the main parking area and your car.  

 Other Notes

The SPGA trail crew will still meet regularly to continue its clean-up work. The park is safe to hike but they noted that as of June 14th the trails crew leader noted:

 Trees and branches are still falling so be aware; all blazed trails have been cleared of approximately 2,000 downed trees; most trails have been re-blazed; the beginning of the Yellow Trail will be re-routed so that it does not cross the newly planted grass (former pine grove); a small section of the Orange Trail has been re-routed to avoid a swampy area; Blue and White trails still to be re-blazed but Trails; the stairs on Yellow (steep slope just before the westerly Yellow/Green crossover) have been eroded and several new steps will be added; the stairs at the switchback on the Tower Path will be remediated; bog bridges will be evaluated to ensure safe footing.

Also:

Except for some minor, well-marked adjustments, all trails are the same. Access to the Yellow Trail is now off the Tower Path near the first bend - so as not to disturb the new grass. 

Trail maps can be found at https://sgpa.org/about/maps/. I like to print out their color trail maps since there are so many trails criss-crossing all over the map. I actually laminated a few copies of the map so I have a durable waterproof map with me when I hike.

You'll also see painted numbers on rocks - these are all part of the "self-guided geology trail" at Sleeping Giant. This is really more than one trail - you'll find these markers all over the park, on virtually every trail. For more information, read the GUIDE TO THE GEOLOGY OF THE SLEEPING GIANT STATE PARK by David M. Sherwood
https://sgpa.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/geologytrail.pdf

My books of 2018

I'm not sure how this happened. But I read 120 books this year.

Yes, I know I read a lot, but this is a lot a lot.

I have switched to listening to audiobooks in the car instead of listening to the news. It takes about a month to listen to a book with regular "around town" driving. Throw in an extended trip or two and I listen to more in less time of course.

I decided to post my books on this blog. But you can also view my challenge on goodreads. I love goodreads. It helps me keep organized with all the books I've read, want to read, and am currently reading. Here is where you can see my 2018 year in books.

Just a quick note about my books choices. I'm a firm believer that there are too many books and too little time. So I don't want to waste my time on books that are not wonderful or at least very good. I weeded out my "to read" list and eliminated any book with a rating of less than 3.5 stars. And I used goodreads to research a book before I take it out of the library or add it to my "read" list. The result was more 4 star books this year! Woohoo!

Here is my reading year:

Here are some statistics of my year in books:

Relative to other Good reads readers:

And this is an interesting statistic....this book was great! I listened to it in the car. 

Here are my favorites of the year:

And there were many more - many with four star ratings.

Here are all my books - not sure how Goodreads sorts them.

This is the last book I read this year:

We will see how many I read this year! I'm still going to set my goal at 75. I don't want to stress out about reading more than that. If it happens, it happens.

Happy Reading!