anyone in Ireland/UK have a kombucha "baby" they'd be willing to send me?

[kaybee]

Hi--

Just wondering if anyone has extra scobies that could send me a starter "baby." Im happy to send money for shipping...although I have no idea you would package these things for shipping.... except for not packing in glass, anyway ;) can you imagine if the package got dropped and the glass broke and when the post office opened it they found a kombucha mushroom looking at them??!! :) they'd probably think it was some sort of weird traffiking. lol.

also, do the scobies remain "pure" when they replicate or can kombucha mushrooms "mutate" over time into something that produces harmful stuff? if so, how would I know if my kombuchas went "bad"? Im a little hesitant to start making the stuff myself, because Ive read that with fermented foods like Rejuvelac you can end up with bad bacteria just as often as beneficial bacteria, and im wondering if the same is true with kombucha??...--but the natural health practitioners I went to at Bastyr told me that part of the reason Ive been feeling run-down is that my digestion is not optimal and one of the things they suggested is to increase my intake of fermented foods.

thanks

kaybee

[sport]

Does your body want fermented foods. Those guys are not always right.

[kaybee]

dunno... i have always hated vinegary things, which kombucha is a bit similar to; bought a bottle and tried it at a david wolfe talk and i thought it was OK. not great, but drinkable. i wouldnt drink it because i particularly liked it but more because its supposed to be good for you. I cant stomach ACV except in very small amounts in a marinade and even then prefer without it. I dont like wine or beer. Ive only had ONE version of sauerkraut that I ever really liked--one made from red cabbage and sold by Deep Roots out of Canada (its raw). That one was fabulous, and the batch of sauerkraut I made using that as a starter turned out good. but every other time Ive tried sauerkraut, either raw out of a jar or that I made myself, it has some "undertaste" that reminds me of decomposing stuff that is just like YUCK to me. but the deep roots one was REALLY good and every time I got it I would eat the whole package. they had packages of fresh-raw fermented carrots too and I would come out of the store and scarf down the package as soon as I got to the car. But thats the only brand of sauerkraut that didnt have this YUCK taste to me. I thought the rejeuvenative foods brand was awful too. Ive had some kinds of raw kimchi that I liked though....

So...mixed answer I guess. I guess Im also sort of scared of fermented foods because Im always wary that they could contain bad bacteria instead of good bacteria, such as the case with rejuvelac... I know that the naturopaths were right about my digestion being messed up and my failure to properly absorb nutrients. Im certain that that is a problem for me. and it seems that fermented stuff would help. but unless i could get my hands on some of that deep roots, which I cant, I definitely dont want sauerkraut. Ive been trying to stomach ACV because I know it helps with digestion. but ive Always HATED ALL types of vinegar, even in salad dressings. so i dont know if i should be trying to force the ACV or not. i mean, clearly, my body and my digestion needs help... anyway, I think I could manage the kombucha...but my biggest concern is how do I know im putting good stuff into my body and not "bad" or "questionable" stuff (ie. in regards to the nature of the bacteria....) Ive always been sort of turned off by the idea of eating fermented stuff; but I know its supposed to be good for us. and I used to eat a fair amount of soy yogurt, and I do like miso and nama shoyu.... but kombucha seems to pack more of a punch than those things (plus its soy-free), and Ive read that it also contains B-12, which is pretty imprtant.... so sport, i just dont know....

kaybee