Break out the Kumboocha

[zeros&ones]

I am tired of paying over three bucks a bottle for this stuff, but I love it.

I can't buy it but once a week. Somewhere around here there is a on the spot recipe for it. he he Gallons and gallons of it for pennies! sort of...


I want to try to make it using a bottle of plain and see if it will grow a mother. I feel great when I drink it.


Gingerade is my favorite G.T's kombucha.

Anybody else like it or not?

[spicyfull]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fi4TZ6aTUg4

[Amberly]

Having the green one for breakfast!!!! :)

[zeros&ones]

Thanks for the link. I was watching all those about a month ago and some were really funny because everything needs to be so clean and this one guy, with wonderful intentions, didn't look like he was following hygenic procedure.


I have the green flavor sitting in the fridge. My fave is Ginger ade so far.


I think this is a very informative educational Kombucha thread. There. I spelled it right for once.

http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/showthread.php?t=35926&highlight=Kombucha

[rayofsunshine]

I love the gingerade and Strawberry.

[Veganforlife]

LOVE it. I like the gingerberry and triology is my all time fav!

[curlygirl82]

I just started making my own Kombucha!! It's by far the weirdest thing I've done so far, haha, but I love it. It's like having an alien living in your kitchen. (shhh!!)
Anyway, I got my "mother" from a friend - she got hers online. You can definitely order them online, or if you know anybody who makes it, you can get one from them... seems like new mothers appear every few weeks. I've also heard you can start a culture from GT's, but I haven't tried it -- do let us know if it works!

[spicyfull]

So I had a "ME" Day, today and Whole Foods was one of My stops. After doing the reshearch for you and reading ALL the post......Uh maybe I'll buy some while I'm here.

I found a guy working in the area. He said I could taste some, so he opened a bottle of the Grape, which I had asked for. Being a recycliest I asked him what he was going to do with what was left in the bottle and he said add it to the compost. So I said let me help the compost out and I drunk half the bottle.

It was Devine. So I bought a bottle of the plain and as soon as I get My jars together I will be making My own. I have watched ALL of the video's on youtube and I think I am READY. I am on a NEW ADVENTURE....... Thanks zero's and Ones for lighting My Fire.

[zeros&ones]

I just tried the green one, now that and gingerade are my faves! I love it.

I, too, have plans to make it with, hopefully a good bottle of plain Gt's with baby strands.

and I will follow instructions most carefully.

'let me help the compost out' ~ and I drank half the bottle~that was funny and sure helped your compost!

[MrsJ]

What is mother???

[Rawkinlocs]

The "mother" when talking about kombucha is the scoby...the "mushroom" (not really a mushroom, though").

It's the one that you start with and then when you brew a batch, a "baby" is formed.

Sounds weird, I know...but that's just terminology.

I LOVE kombucha and so does (most of) my family! Got some brewing right now! Once brewed, I make all kinds of flavors...ginger, ginger-lemon, strawberry, apple, mixed berry, etc.

I created a guide if anyone's interested:
http://eatlivingfood.com/kombuchabasics.pdf

[mblessed]

Rawkinlocs,

OMG your post is so timely and thank you for posting the link to your well done kombucha guide, it is totally what I have been looking for. I have been buying the Synergy brand kombucha, but I am gearing up to start making my own.

Girlie, you rawk and are such a blessing! And.......... it's nice to see you too! (~~~hugs~~~)

Blessings and peace,

Marcia

[Rawkinlocs]

Rawkinlocs,

OMG your post is so timely and thank you for posting the link to your well done kombucha guide, it is totally what I have been looking for. I have been buying the Synergy brand kombucha, but I am gearing up to start making my own.

Girlie, you rawk and are such a blessing! And.......... it's nice to see you too! (~~~hugs~~~)

Blessings and peace,

Marcia

Awww...aren't you sweet! Thank you! :o

I'm glad you liked the guide and here are a couple more tips:

1. You CAN use other types of bottles (not that any of you would have them, but just in case ;) ) such as empty soda, beer or store-bought kombucha bottles. My family likes Thomas Kemper soda and we had a case from Costco...saved and rinsed those empty bottles AND the caps and they work like a charm!

When using the metal screw-top caps, what I do to keep the kombucha from touching the metal caps is take plastic produce bags (plastic wrap works too or for those who don't use plastic, try unbleached parchment or just buy and use corks) and cut them into small squares and then I place the plastic over the bottle and then screw the cap on and put the bottle in my cabinet to "rest" for a few more days or so to get all nice and bubbly.

2. If you ever make kombucha and it's not sweet enough either from not using enough sugar initially OR...from letting it brew too long, simply add a little sugar to the bottle when bottling OR add some sweet fruit and that will sweeten it up for you as well as give the kombucha something to "eat" to produce that bubbly effervescence!

[mblessed]

Rawkinlocs,

Thank you for the additional helpful tips! Your expertise is very much appreciated! :)

Blessings and prayers of health to you and yours,

Marcia

[spicyfull]

I went to several yard sales today trying to find Gallon Jars without having to empty content out of them.......No results. I did find some gallon jars with canister like tops at "Big Lots" and I will use them until I find what I want. I know....I won't use the tops, I will use a cloth.

I read your Guide RAWkinlocks and it is very imformative and I Highly Rate it. Thanks for Sharing. Now I know how to Flavor it. I was thinking of Storing it in a Gallon Jar with a spout after it finish brewing but I saw your "CUTE" little bottles....I am not going to buy any with juice in them. I got the bright idea to go to a Recycling Center and buy some from the line or from the Bin.

So I have everything lined up and I will probably try Today or Tomorrow.
"MOTHER, SCUBA" here I come........

[zeros&ones]

yup, that was the thread with link to Cherie's site I was talking bout

Well, I am following procedure and bought a bottle of Gt's plain ( hopefully for the last time) to see if I can make a scooby from the bottle I bought.

The tea is brewing now. I figured that since I wasn't using a fully grown mother that the little strands would need all the "nutrition" they could handle , so i used 3 cups sugar ( gaaaa never thought I would find a useful purpose for SUGAR any more!)


I will post my results pass/fail , but as Rawlinloc's said patience is key, so it won't be right away.



I'm going (hopefully) to make ginger flavor.


:) thanks Rawkinlocs :)

[spicyfull]

I made Mine and Now.....Just waiting. The Hardest thing was....Waiting on the Tea to cool.

[glamazon]

So out of curiousity, when you all are making the brew and the baby forms are you giving them to others, using them yourselves or burying them back to mother earth?? Inquiring minds wanna know, I'm just nosey as H...E...double hockey stix :D

[Raisingplenty]

It takes a while to get enough to keep kombucha always ready to drink but after that, you have to start giving it away! I tried making some from a store bought one before and it didn't work. I am trying again. I use to have about 9-10 scobies going but I had to stop because I got a really bad rash on my neck and I had to eliminate everything to see what it was. I LOVE the stuff though!

[Cheremoya]

OMG!!!!! I was gonna give up on it, cuz at first I couldn't tell if it was mold forming, but it was green or black, so now I just finally checked again -ready to just dump the whole thing and try again, and there is a scooby and a baby!!!!!! kinda thin, but I am sure will thicker with age!!!!


I followed Cherie's recipe to the tea, but now I gotta add some ginger root juice or something. I am afraid to drink it. lol

I will post pics later. I am really tired, had a long day.

It took a while cuz of the way I started it from a bottle.

This is great!!!!!

[Cheremoya]

So..... my "mother" scooby is growing, and I drank it, and I didn't die!
O yay! Halajoula or whatever.... lol.

It tastes like the plain old kind you buy at the store for almost four bucks. I need to add some ginger juice cuz I like that flavour and I have some on hand.

It will only get thicker and bigger, I am positive. Right now what may appear as spots of mols are actually thinner parts of the scooby, but it is sturdy!

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y288/lornac/stillgrowingholesnotmold.jpg


http://s7.photobucket.com/albums/y288/lornac/?action=view&current=notyourpicture.jpg



Thanks Cherie, even thou your not talking to me!:)


I am also zero's and ones meaning = zero sum. Google it. and Petals lol.

[raweater]

I tried making kumboocha from a bottle I bought at the health food store but it was pasteurized and so nothing happened. How can I start some if I can't get raw kumboocha?

Thanks

[Cheremoya]

Get a scoby from someone you trust, not just anyone you meet.

[raweater]

Thats the problem, I'd have no idea where or who to get it from. Isn't there a kit or something I can buy online to make kumboocha? Thanks

[Cheremoya]

I don't know about that part. I would be willing to give you one, but it's gonna take a while, cuz this baby is still growing.

[spicyfull]

I've been waiting for almost 2 Month now and nothing to mention forming.

[raweater]

Did you start from bottled kumboocha? If so it was probably pasteurized like mine as I'm not getting anything either.

[Cheremoya]

My old lady actually started it from a bottle of GT's raw Kumbocha. Is there a Whole Foods near you? You can get it there. Get the plain kind with alot of strands at the bottom, quick before they start straining it out! ha ha ha!


But as one can see from the photo, unless they need glasses, we are growing a scoby, and it tastes really good.


We allready know not to use pasturized anything, she has been doing this for almost 4 years now with ups and downs.

Here is another picture that did not go thru last post:


http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y288/lornac/scobysnacks.jpg


And that is not mold. It is thinner parts of the growing scoby. We allready added the ginger juice and it should be drinkable this weekend. :)


and to answer the other question we are going to compost out garden with the babies. So mother earth gets some good stuff too.

[RawDrop]

Yeah, if you can find a raw version of kombucha.. and follow the instructions.. You brew green tea.. with lots of sugar.. (Yes, sadly, regular sugar is the best way to grow it...) If you have a scooby it only takes about 8-10 days.. Without one, it will take a couple of months to get growing.... But you will have a very very healthy mother... and then you just go from there....

Rawdrop

[rawbabymama]

I have been doing continuous brewing of kombucha for over 2 years. When I had a 5 gallon container, my culture looked like this http://pics.livejournal.com/rawbabymama/pic/00042788 after only a few months! I now have a culture which is starting to take over a half gallon pitcher - it is a grandchild of the huge culture in the picture.

I got my starter culture from - they were extremely helpful, answered all my questions, and the culture had no problems...except when I used a regular towel to cover it - fruit flies!!! They laid their larvae in my big culture! I recommend using a cover with very tiny holes, like a bandanna or an old pillowcase.

With continuous brewing, after the initial 10-14 days, you simply take out around 30% of the kombucha every day, then add back the amount you took of sweet tea. Very simple. You can bottle it if you won't drink it, put in a few pieces of dried fruit, and it will be effervescent and tasty when you open it later. It is nice to use a gallon glass container with a spigot.

Best Wishes everyone!

[spicyfull]

Did you start from bottled kumboocha? If so it was probably pasteurized like mine as I'm not getting anything either.

I did use the RAW juice........The room I have it stored in has been cool, so I guess I will wait it out. The weather was in the 90's today and 100's tomorrow so it should be anyday now

[spicyfull]

Yeah, if you can find a raw version of kombucha.. and follow the instructions.. You brew green tea.. with lots of sugar.. (Yes, sadly, regular sugar is the best way to grow it...) If you have a scooby it only takes about 8-10 days.. Without one, it will take a couple of months to get growing.... But you will have a very very healthy mother... and then you just go from there....

Rawdrop

Thanks, I'll just keep waiting. I guess a little heat would help. We'll be in the 100's tomorrow. Other than No Mother, the juice looks good.

[spicyfull]

It is nice to use a gallon glass container with a spigot.



I been looking for one and that is VERY hard to find in Glass. That's a LOT of Mother....All it needs is some candles on it but it was used to make 5 gallons, I got it.........Thanks for Sharing.

[raweater]

rawbabymama... you say "I got my culture from -", but do not say where...

[rawbabymama]

rawbabymama... you say "I got my culture from -", but do not say where...

Oops! www.happyherbalist.com (MAO Inhibitors)

[oceanluv]

link isn't working for me. :(

[rawbabymama]

http://www.happyherbalist.com/

Ok...trying again:)

[juliew]

[QUOTE=Cheremoya;517266]My old lady actually started it from a bottle of GT's raw Kumbocha. Is there a Whole Foods near you? You can get it there. Get the plain kind with alot of strands at the bottom, quick before they start straining it out! ha ha ha!


How many bottles of GT's do you need to start your first batch?

[bunny_rescuer]

OK, if you start from GT's it is different than happy herbalist. It takes way longer to get a batch - successfully - from the GT's. I seem to remember something about the yeast being different? I have done it, but it was hard and I had to try several times. It was never quite right.

Anyway - When I got started, I relied heavily on http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/original_kombucha/

I use a continuous brew method from happy herbalist. It is worth every penny! My husband uses it on his psoriasis, and we both drink it. It is yummy and great for digestion.

I am finding continuous brewing to be easier that one-batch-at-a-time.

You can probably find a source for a scoby on craigslist - but it is safer and easier to use one from a site like happy herbalist.

For temperature -- 100deg is too hot. Put a fish tank thermometer on the side (a peel-and-stick) of the jar. I shoot for about 80F. I read that is the the most therapeudic and ideal temperature to brew at.

[MrsJohnnyG]

With continuous brewing, after the initial 10-14 days, you simply take out around 30% of the kombucha every day, then add back the amount you took of sweet tea. Very simple. You can bottle it if you won't drink it, put in a few pieces of dried fruit, and it will be effervescent and tasty when you open it later. It is nice to use a gallon glass container with a spigot.

Quick question about this if you don't mind: Can the continuous brewing method work if 1) you drink a LOT of kombucha (like half a gallon a day) and 2) you prefer the kombucha to be brewed long enough so that it's more vinegar-y than sweet?

(Thanks for all these tips, btw!)

[Pressing-On]

The "mother" when talking about kombucha is the scoby...the "mushroom" (not really a mushroom, though").

It's the one that you start with and then when you brew a batch, a "baby" is formed.

Sounds weird, I know...but that's just terminology.

I LOVE kombucha and so does (most of) my family! Got some brewing right now! Once brewed, I make all kinds of flavors...ginger, ginger-lemon, strawberry, apple, mixed berry, etc.

I created a guide if anyone's interested:
http://eatlivingfood.com/kombuchabasics.pdf

WOW! Your pdf. file is awesome! Thanks!

[changeisgood]

Great guide - one question which I may have missed - do you separate the baby from the mother, is it difficult to separate? If it is separated, do we keep using the mother for one batch and start another batch with each baby so there is always a supply, and so on...

[Bookish Lass]

It's not hard to separate them. If the culture starts getting really thick, I split off a little bit and compost most of it. It's really tough stuff, and doesn't tear across the culture easily, but will split between layers of mother/babies, if that makes sense.

[ltcartwright]

I am tired of paying over three bucks a bottle for this stuff, but I love it.

I can't buy it but once a week. Somewhere around here there is a on the spot recipe for it. he he Gallons and gallons of it for pennies! sort of...


I want to try to make it using a bottle of plain and see if it will grow a mother. I feel great when I drink it.


Gingerade is my favorite G.T's kombucha.

Anybody else like it or not?



I was able to follow this guy on YT (he has great tutorials, I love the simplicity of them) and now I have so much kombucha I have given premade bottles of it out to family members.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTs6bJ-O-1Q

I did have to buy a mother though, from thekefirlady.
I've already thrown that mother away because it looked really busted up, the "baby" that grew from that mother is what is keeping my stock up. The first time I tasted kombucha is from the one I made, so far I've put into my "brews": dates, pineapple, citrus - the one with the pineapple is the best. I'll have to try other things as I get more familiar with brewing.

I now have about 4 SCOBYs. I need more jars!!!::excited:

[marlleve]

rawbabymomma---you posted:
With continuous brewing, after the initial 10-14 days, you simply take out around 30% of the kombucha every day, then add back the amount you took of sweet tea. Very simple. You can bottle it if you won't drink it, put in a few pieces of dried fruit, and it will be effervescent and tasty when you open it later. It is nice to use a gallon glass container with a spigot.

My questions are: If you take out 30% of the tea every day, do you make a new batch of sugar tea to replace every day?
Or can you make the tea, keep in frig, then add as needed from that???
Making a sweet tea every day would be labor intensive.
If you make tea and refrigerate----how long can you keep in frig and use?
Thanks in advance.