tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6627749570719712047.post3574698660037069385..comments2024-02-15T08:22:52.443-08:00Comments on The Back Forty: Some Things We've Gotten Right: KombuchaRobbynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01860870861321231048noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6627749570719712047.post-36004973138720689812012-01-12T02:24:40.883-08:002012-01-12T02:24:40.883-08:00Hello,
I have just started with the Kombusha &...Hello,<br />I have just started with the Kombusha & I had my first drink yesterday & I noticed that instead of 1 there were 2 Skubies, but this afternoon I noticed that on of them has a sort of black thing on the side that wasn't there yesterday. Its not hairy, it just looks like its floaty & its partually separated. Can someone tell me what it could be? <br /><br />Thankyou very much <br />Eve<br />E-MAIL: la_coronelasa@ hotmail.comAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6627749570719712047.post-59189664669453845142010-02-11T08:22:17.157-08:002010-02-11T08:22:17.157-08:00I definitely neglected mine for a couple of months...I definitely neglected mine for a couple of months and ended up with a nice vinegar. Thanks to your post I'm no longer convinced that the mother is dead and will give it another go.<br /><br />www.wandering-fever.blogspot.comSadrah Shenaniganshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03223323940100446035noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6627749570719712047.post-42676047711546492462009-10-07T06:19:34.491-07:002009-10-07T06:19:34.491-07:00This is a great post! I'm pleased to hear some...This is a great post! I'm pleased to hear someone being honest about not diving straight into this. I find the floating bits quite offputting too and it has taken me a year to get used to the idea of brewing my own kombucha. I have a batch on the go that is full of bits and I'm not sure that I'm feeling brave enough yet to drink it. Having studied microbiology as part of my degree at university, I'm still quite squeamish about <i>drinking</i> a fermented bacterial and fungal brew!<br /><br />Miriam - I think you can put (clean) marbles or glass nuggets into the bottom of your jar to keep the spigot clear. I saw this mentioned on a website selling infusion jars and thought it was a brilliant idea. Google "infusion jars" and it is the first link to come up.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6627749570719712047.post-90223085627458108382009-05-08T03:14:00.000-07:002009-05-08T03:14:00.000-07:00This is a very silly question, but, with the SCOBY...This is a very silly question, but, with the SCOBY floating on the top & sealing the Kombuchka, just HOW do you get to the tea? I don't have any spigotted containers & can't find a SCOBY near here anyway :(, but I would like to know how you get the tea out. Yes, I'm as SilliKilliKillihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13175513884016706612noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6627749570719712047.post-43676535607946261132009-05-06T19:07:00.000-07:002009-05-06T19:07:00.000-07:00I am using a pyrex bowl which is somewhat of a pai...I am using a pyrex bowl which is somewhat of a pain. The tea comes all the way to the top of the bowl. Someone gave me a big, glass kind of candy jar with a lid. I am not sure if it is food grade, so I did not use it.<br />I will be on the look out for food-grade glass jar. My calabaza germinated once the temperatures went up. I have seven seedlings and they are looking great. I will grow one in a 5 gallon bucket and some in a raised bed. I am very excited about them.Lemongrassnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6627749570719712047.post-67695571660695935702009-05-04T11:09:00.000-07:002009-05-04T11:09:00.000-07:00We love kombucha in our house...well, dd3 and I do...We love kombucha in our house...well, dd3 and I do, dh suffers a shot a day that I force him to take in an attempt to get his reflux better and the other two dds take a few sips here and there as they need.<br /><br />I've let a scoby go for 6 months and it was fine. And I don't do all the vinegar things you do; I just wash my hands really well. (But now I have some great ideas for all of my other ferments since I've had some issues with lemons and salsa.)<br /><br />We use the sun tea containers and I can give another reason not to use the spigot. Little bits of stuff get caught in them and cause leaks. I finally had to loosen the spigot and turn it upside down so that toddler hands couldn't help themselves to a glass.<br /><br />Now, have you tried water kefir? It is a lot more work than kombucha (pretty much daily in warm weather) but sooo yummy. It also has a bit of a yeasty flavor and if you let it ferment long enough you'll get a bit of a buzz.Miriamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10200991476565029183noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6627749570719712047.post-25864341599357506902009-05-03T20:21:00.000-07:002009-05-03T20:21:00.000-07:00Wren, lol! With mine, as long as there is enough ...Wren, lol! With mine, as long as there is enough kombucha liquid to keep it wet and floating at all times, it's turned out to be ok. It got powerfully vinegar-smelling and I only used a small amount of that to restart the next batch.<br /><br />Carolyn, I was very skittish about it, but have really been glad we got started :)<br /><br />Christy, I did a lot of reading and ended up calling and speaking with the owner at the Happy Herbalist...here's a link...http://www.happyherbalist.com/kombucha_brewing_guide.htm<br />I understand being uncomfortable with the unknowns. I would never recommend that anyone proceed unless thoroughly researched and convinced it's right for them. And I still get a bit wigged about the floaty stuff. For some reason, my body seems to crave it and so far we've noticed no ill effects, nor heard about any from so many people who brew their own. I'd love to hear your feedback if you find out any facts we might not be aware of :)<br /><br />Carol, I hope you like it. We initially tried some of the retail health store's bottled raw kombucha (sold in the fridge section) to see if we liked it. There were different flavors, but they don't taste much like what we brew...ours is milder and sweeter.<br /><br />Lemongrass, I saw some videos online of people who had great success with kombucha in glass bowls...the SCOBY will slowly adapt to whatever dimensions your container is, especially if left undisturbed when not draining. Jack bought me the containers at a regular store..they came with lids and were food grade and we thought we'd used them to store flour or other staples we use regularly. We purchased the spigot container from the Happy Herbalist site listed above in comments, but I'll be on the lookout for some glass Sun Tea containers this summer, as I think they'd do the trick much more affordably. Our spigot is food grade plastic, but we prefer the container to be see-through glass. There are crocks out there for sale, but we weren't sure what we were doing at first and preferred to be able to view the kombucha without having to remove the cover each time, which is why we use glass. You just have to be careful not to choose a type of glass that has lead in it (some from China do or might) On a side note, how grows your calabaza? Ours is going to town :)Robbynhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01860870861321231048noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6627749570719712047.post-71730940849990832302009-05-03T17:15:00.000-07:002009-05-03T17:15:00.000-07:00Robyn, where did you get your glass container? I h...Robyn, where did you get your glass container? I have a glass bowl, but think the mouth is too wide.<br />I love making and drink my homemade tea. Great post!Lemongrassnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6627749570719712047.post-59542062376949050842009-05-03T15:48:00.000-07:002009-05-03T15:48:00.000-07:00I will definately bookmark this one. I have compl...I will definately bookmark this one. I have completely given up "soda"...and this sounds pretty good.<br /><br />www.wildlifearoundus.blogspot.comCarolhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16774903259772280962noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6627749570719712047.post-20441373828360141002009-05-03T12:10:00.000-07:002009-05-03T12:10:00.000-07:00I'll be honest, while I love the idea of Kombucha ...I'll be honest, while I love the idea of Kombucha and will drink it at other people's homes, I can't bear to drink what I made. It just looked too weird and being convinced I would be found dead when I didn't show up for work on monday clinched it. <br /><br />In college I worked with determining the rate of mutation on some of my subjects and the rate for diatoms has alway stuck in my mind when contemplating doing thing like this. Even my home-made ginger beer (ginger ale) which works only with yeasts, gets a fresh start every time rather than saving the plant.ChristyACBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18396628757148282551noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6627749570719712047.post-22723386316518340672009-05-03T10:54:00.000-07:002009-05-03T10:54:00.000-07:00Sounds interesting. I would love to try it!
Carol...Sounds interesting. I would love to try it!<br /><br />CarolynCarolynhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04450417105199027727noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6627749570719712047.post-32337318117398372912009-05-03T10:34:00.000-07:002009-05-03T10:34:00.000-07:00It's good to hear they can survive neglect! My gir...It's good to hear they can survive neglect! My girlfriend gave me my "start" and I have been neglecting it lately (for prob. 2 months) I hope to get it fed and going this week again!! I've nicknamed mine "Chewbacca" which my friend gets a good laugh at! This was a great post, I need to read it completely through again!!Gone2theDawgshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07138393137324890048noreply@blogger.com