Some of my long-time readers may remember me talking about fermented foods, and kombucha specifically. I go through periods of fermenting foods and then my interest wanes for awhile and then returns. The last time I brewed kombucha was a few years ago. The pickle jars and bottles of 2nd fermentation were abandoned on shelves and in cupboards (yes, very negligent and some may say lax.) The interest in it has perked up again so I grabbed one of the inhabited gallon jars and got to work.
When one brews kombucha you have to start out with an existing scoby. Scoby is an acronym for symbiotic combination of bacteria and yeast. A scoby looks like a beige-colored, liquid-inhabiting mushroom. To make kombucha, you also need 2 cups of active kombucha as a starter. To begin the process you boil 12-14 cups of water, add 1 cup of sugar, and the equivalent of 8 tea bags of tea. Dilute the sugar in the boiling water and let the tea bags steep in it in the jar. Once that mixture is at room temp, you add the 2 cups of active kombucha and the scoby. Secure a coffee filter on top of the jar with a rubber band. Then put a paper grocery bag over it upside down. Mark the date on your calendar. As it ferments, a new scoby will form at the top of the jar. In 3 weeks you’ll have drinkable kombucha. If you want it to become carbonated, add a piece of ginger to an air tight bottle, put in a bit of fruit juice, and fill the bottle with kombucha. In a matter of weeks it’ll be just like a healthy soda pop, but not very sweet, as the scoby eats the sugar.
You might be asking what the photo is of. Well…. remember those bottles I said I abandoned down in the cupboard a few years back? Behold the scoby that continued to grow. It fills the quart jar and still looks great. I’ve never seen one this thick before.
Awhile back I researched other uses for scobies, because each time you brew another batch you have another scoby and those beasties add up. You can store them in scoby hotels in the fridge but that takes up space. Anyway, I heard you can make scoby jerky, and I think this one would be perfect for testing out a scoby jerky (scerky) recipe on. Will keep you posted.
Tao Talk 
Reminds me of when monkey bread was a big deal at work. Once you made it you had to keep making it and you had extra starter to give away. Almost like a chain letter or multi-level marketing. If all else fails, can you compost the extra scobies? Do we have material for a remake of “The Blob”?
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Such a fun and funny comment, Steve. I found a wealth of scerky recipes out there. Yes, I can, and have composted, many over the years, but I don’t like to do it. The critters don’t seem to have any interest in eating them. Your question about The Blob reminded me of a winery in Grand Rapids many moons ago that I went to. I was looking for scoby info. The person at the counter said they’d bought big vats to try and ferment enough to bottle, but they gave it up and said it was a big mess. The scobies grow across the top of any container you put them in. I think the scobies had Blob Uprising and scared the owners into stopping the factory farming of their kin.
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You might like “Beware! The Blob” a comedy sequel with Godfrey Cambridge, directed by Larry Hagman.
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Wasn’t Steve McQueen in the first one? McQueen’s a hard act to follow.
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Yep. He was in the original. I just read a couple of reviews of the sequel and it was panned. I remembered one really funny scene and looked for it on YouTube but the one I found was not what I remembered.
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A fascinating process, Lisa. My blogging friend, Carol, is also experimenting with fermentation. I have to be very careful as my stomach doesn’t like any thing like this.
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With fermented foods, small amounts are best, at least when starting out. It’s introducing a whole colony into your guts. I’ve fermented a few things other than kombucha also.
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I know this, but small or large, they do not agree with me. I have always had digestive and gut health issues.
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Is this for drinking or some other use?
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Drinking. I add fruit juice if it hasn’t had its 2nd fermentation to give it carbonization.
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Cool. Does it turns alcoholic as it ferments?
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There are trace amounts of alcohol, but the scoby eats/drinks that too. :) It’s a health tonic that keeps one’s guts balanced (and regular.)
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Oh I see! Alcohol is forbidden for Muslims.
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OK. Good to know. Probably want to skip it then.
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Yes, a good idea to do that.
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This is timely have been looking to go down this line.
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Nice. Let me know if you have any questions.
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Yuk- but, good luck with it ! :-D
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lol!
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I’d never heard of kombucha until now
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I first learned about when community education offered a class on it. From there I bought the book, “Wild Fermentation” by Sandor Katz. It’s been a fun fermentation adventure since that day :)
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That’s fascinating! I see people with kombucha all the time, but have yet to try it. Not sure what my resistance is about.
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I know it costs pennies to make but they charge over $4 a 20-oz bottle in the store.
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Maybe I’ll try a sample sometime, who knows, I might get into it. I always think I should get into the whole fermented food thing but dislike sauerkraut and kimchi. 😝
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Two things to remember if you buy bottled kombucha:
1) don’t shake the bottle (I did the first time and was sorry)
2) only drink 4 oz (or less) to begin. Your digestive track isn’t used to it.
Sorry to hear about the sauerkraut and kimchi. Both really good for you.
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Sounds quite ambitious to make that. I enjoy drinking it. I haven’t ever fermented anything. But I do like sauerkraut as well. And I like… is tofu fermented? I’ve made soy milk a couple times. I think I made yogurt once, a long time ago. So I guess it wasn’t true that I never…
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Marleen, I look at fermenting foods as an adventure. I don’t think tofu is fermented, but its cousin, tempeh, is. I’ve made sauerkraut, yogurt, and sourdough (just started a new batch yesterday) and even made wine once. Making them isn’t difficult but having the right containers and finding the space to store them can be a pain. Happy you’ve had some Fermenting Adventures :)
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Adventurous. Yes. 🙂
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