The Awesomeness That Is Kombucha

[Hannah Elise]

So... I wanted someplace to come and geek out. I got my SCOBY a little over a month ago and I'm ridiculously in live with it, as are both my boys. So, other than the GCMer I got my SCOBY from... are there any other adherents to The Great Order of Kombuchites here? :giggle

What's your favorite second ferment, if you've tried it? Most of ours doesn't make it that far, but I'm slowly building up the number of jars on my kitchen shelf to try to match our consumption. :shifty

[Hopetobe]

My two store-bought faves are strawberry and gingerberry. However, our new homemade fave is DAC - double apple cinnamon, yumm!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Hannah Elise]

My two store-bought faves are strawberry and gingerberry. However, our new homemade fave is DAC - double apple cinnamon, yumm!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Ooo.. what's the "double"? Cider AND chunks of apple? I need to get some cider from the farm market just up the road and try to use that for a 2f...

[Hopetobe]

:giggle It just means twice the amount of juice as normal (I think dh does 2 shots instead of 1 maybe?), but fruit and juice might be good too!

ETA: What is a 2f?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[mom2boys]

I am growing a scoby right now!! I've tried before but I didn't pay attention and I let it get gross. :bag :giggle
I like strawberry flavored ones from the store. :) DH had the one with chia seeds in it...haven't gotten the courage to try it yet. :lol

[MrsHutch]

I now have 3 big beverage dispensers of it brewing on my counter. I get about 12 pints per week from that, and that's almost enough for the three of us. I may have to up it to 4 dispensers eventually.

Apple cinnamon sounds like a great flavor to try!

I think my favorite flavor is ginger, but DH like berry flavors, so I usually wind up doing strawberries, blueberries, or blackberries. I've gotten to where I almost won't drink it without chia seeds in it, though. I love it that way so much. I've found that if I add a Tbs or two after the second ferment, and give it at least a day to sit after adding the chia, then it's just about perfect.

[mom2boys]

Good info!! I wasn't sure how I was going to get them in there for dh. Lol

[Hannah Elise]

:giggle It just means twice the amount of juice as normal (I think dh does 2 shots instead of 1 maybe?), but fruit and juice might be good too!

ETA: What is a 2f?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Oh, sorry! That's the acronym they use for "second ferment" in a kombucha troubleshooting Facebook groul I've ventured into.

Good info!! I wasn't sure how I was going to get them in there for dh. Lol

In aforementioned group, someone commented that they were having tissues with not having their chia seeds just form one clump ... another person said they put the chia seeds into some water and let them sit and gel for like a half-hour, and then mix them in, and have had success that way. So that might be a method to try. I figured that would be what I would try when I got around to it. :giggle

[MrsHutch]

:yes Clumping can be an issue. I give it a good shake several times while it's sitting, and that helps.

[2TMama]

miss my kombucha! stopped brewing after my miscarriage last summer. there are other threads on gcm if you poke around!

i put chia in smoothies & granola & made a dessert using them, but never tried storebought k.t. with them. must try! how many tsp/Tbsp do you suppose is in a bottle?

[WanderingJuniper]

I love love booch or KT as it's called in our house. Always a favorite is cranberry-lemon.
Personally I ador ginger elderberry.

[Soliloquy]

I love grape, strawberry, strawberry rhubarb (honesteadmama turned me on to that one), apple cider, lemon, and blueberry. I haven't learned to love ginger booch, yet.

[homesteadmama]

I was gonna say strawberry rhubarb, but Soliloqy beat me to it.;) Seriously. You should try it. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.

I usually just throw some frozen strawberries in my KT glass as "ice", and as they defrost, they flavor the drink. Easy and yummy. I've been doing continuous brew for awhile now, so I don't do a second ferment (I don't want to bother with extra jars to clean). But the frozen fruit in the cup is great. I keep lots of frozen fruit on hand for this purpose...blueberries, rhubarb, raspberries, blackberries...

[Hannah Elise]

So here's a question.. does anyone else get short temper as a detox/Herx reaction when consuming probiotic foods? Argh.

Or maybe it s just pregnancy and feeling like I hit the grounds running two days before vacation and haven't stopped. :shifty

[WanderingJuniper]

Not really, no. I mean if there was something to really detox from in my system the. My answer may be different but we did a big clean up not too terribly long ago and have kept up with some core detoxing practices since.

[Hopetobe]

No, I haven't noticed anything like that, HE.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

---------- Post added at 10:11 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:09 PM ----------

I tried a new flavor of KT today. It was like a root beer flavor, called Earth. We might try to copy it - saspirilla, burdock root, dandelion root, molasses, etc. It was pretty good :)


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[WanderingJuniper]

I'm bottling today. Wild cherry for the kids and an experiment for me. I want to try lemonbalm & chamomile.

[HomeyT]

love kombucha and got by scoby a few months ago. been making a gallon a week! lol! both dh and i drink it, but haven't gotten the kids into it yet.

i love doing sugar free lemonade in the second ferment. but really all i do is add it to the kombucha and then drink. :P

i want to try ginger! going to bottle some right now, so will do that!
do you put the second ferment in the fridge?

[WanderingJuniper]

I let the second ferment sit for 2-3 days then out it in the fridge. So nice and bubbly that way.

[sprout]

do any of you have wells? and, has having a scoby and washing dishes ever been a problem for you?

[Hannah Elise]

I'm bottling today. Wild cherry for the kids and an experiment for me. I want to try lemonbalm & chamomile.

I just picked up some discounted wild cherry juice at Big Lots yesterday. Hoping to try some as a 2F when this batch is ready to try on Thursday.

love kombucha and got by scoby a few months ago. been making a gallon a week! lol! both dh and i drink it, but haven't gotten the kids into it yet.

i love doing sugar free lemonade in the second ferment. but really all i do is add it to the kombucha and then drink. :P

i want to try ginger! going to bottle some right now, so will do that!
do you put the second ferment in the fridge?

Your dh willndrink it? Jealous. :p My dh won't even touch 2f with fruit. :p

[HomeyT]

We have a well, no issues for us. But our water is not soft a little on the hard side.

[HomeyT]

Your dh willndrink it? Jealous. :p My dh won't even touch 2f with fruit. :p

well he's fairly open to all this natural stuff ;) including harvesting wild mushrooms off trees to make himself tea. lol!

[sprout]

what about septics? I don't know if it is true or not, but I heard that scobys can grow in them?

[mom2boys]

http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/09/22/7adabbd075a752be42c54d7cd81f5423.jpg

Bottled my very first batch for the second ferment today!!!

[HomeyT]

Awesome bottles!

[homesteadmama]

what about septics? I don't know if it is true or not, but I heard that scobys can grow in them?

I've read this too. A few times. So I'm super careful to not let any SCOBY pieces go down my drain. They do grow! And it would make sense that they could grow in a septic tank. I've read stories of them growing and clogging the tank. Even if it's not true, I'd rather be safe than sorry!

[Hannah Elise]

So, Sarah, kombucha/pregnancy question for you - did you consume KT regularly during previous pregnancies, and if so, did you test Group B Strep positive at all? I was negative with ds1 and positive with ds2... I am hoping that my increased probiotic intake (I really need to step up on the sauerkraut... and possibly start back up with milk kefir, too.. when does testing happen again? :scratch) will lead to another negative so that I don't have to be on antibiotics during delivery again this time around..

I have noticed that my candida symptoms seem to have majorly lessened since starting KT, so it has me hopeful that there have been other beneficial changes in my flora.

[HomeyT]

I've read this too. A few times. So I'm super careful to not let any SCOBY pieces go down my drain. They do grow! And it would make sense that they could grow in a septic tank. I've read stories of them growing and clogging the tank. Even if it's not true, I'd rather be safe than sorry!

interesting! we are on a septic too. i'll have to use some precautions!

...what do to with a bowl full of unwanted scobies?!?!?! any ideas??

[Soliloquy]

You can cut up SCOBYs into little pieces and eat them, they taste kind of like Sour Patch Kids. :lol You can compost them, too. I've read that dogs will eat them but that seems a little risky to me since even a small amount of alcohol isn't good for animals.

Or give them away.

[HomeyT]

i've given so many away already. eating little chunks ...not sure i'm that adventurous! lol!

[WanderingJuniper]

Bottled my very first batch for the second ferment today!!!

Are those GT Dave bottles? If so how did you get the labels off! I cannot seem to get the labels off cleanly to the point that it doesn't feel like I'm repurposing trash so they get recycled.

Currently I use beer bottles and have a capper but some days hat is inconvenient.

A friend uses extra SCOBY and makes a sort of jerky out of it. :shrug I've tried but I can get the flavoring right to enjoy it. Hers was good.

[FaithnPraise]

I just bottled some for a 2F last night - put some frozen mango (for smoothies, LOL) in my glass carafe and poured it half full of booch (I need to make more tea tonight). I'll give it a few days then taste, can't wait! :nails

I just picked up some discounted wild cherry juice at Big Lots yesterday. Hoping to try some as a 2F when this batch is ready to try on Thursday.

Tell me more about this wild cherry juice from Big Lots? :think

[Hannah Elise]

I just bottled some for a 2F last night - put some frozen mango (for smoothies, LOL) in my glass carafe and poured it half full of booch (I need to make more tea tonight). I'll give it a few days then taste, can't wait! :nails



Tell me more about this wild cherry juice from Big Lots? :think

To be honest, I'm not real impressed by it; it tastes like fruit punch to me. :doh It -is- 100% juice, but it's a blend, and.. yeah. Doesn't taste at all like I thought it would. Meh.

[FaithnPraise]

To be honest, I'm not real impressed by it; it tastes like fruit punch to me. :doh It -is- 100% juice, but it's a blend, and.. yeah. Doesn't taste at all like I thought it would. Meh.

Did they have anymore flavors? Was it in the foods section or somewhere odd (this *is* Big Lots)? :scratch

[sprout]

I have always been GBS+. I think I have tried everything but a good ferment. Perhaps I should give it a whirl and then I could answer the question.

[Hannah Elise]

Did they have anymore flavors? Was it in the foods section or somewhere odd (this *is* Big Lots)? :scratch

Food section, with all the other juices. Old Orchard was the brand.

---------- Post added at 09:37 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:36 PM ----------

I have always been GBS+. I think I have tried everything but a good ferment. Perhaps I should give it a whirl and then I could answer the question.

Guess we'll find out together. :giggle

[sprout]

well being that I don't even own a scoby, I am considerably behind =). I am still canning (at last count I canned over 170 quarts this summer). I am now on the last big push. Once done, I shall look into obtaining one.

[mom2boys]

Are those GT Dave bottles? If so how did you get the labels off! I cannot seem to get the labels off cleanly to the point that it doesn't feel like I'm repurposing trash so they get recycled.

Currently I use beer bottles and have a capper but some days hat is inconvenient.

A friend uses extra SCOBY and makes a sort of jerky out of it. :shrug I've tried but I can get the flavoring right to enjoy it. Hers was good.



If you start with the corner and then slowly peel it off under running water it comes right off! :tu

[Hannah Elise]

well being that I don't even own a scoby, I am considerably behind =). I am still canning (at last count I canned over 170 quarts this summer). I am now on the last big push. Once done, I shall look into obtaining one.

You should PM domesticzookeeper... hers are awesome. :rockon

[Hopetobe]

If you start with the corner and then slowly peel it off under running water it comes right off! :tu

Really, that's all? Hmm, we've just been using them with the labels on. I'll have to try that. We have tons! Cold or hot or does ot matter?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[mom2boys]

It doesn't seem to matter. I run a trickle of warm water and peel slowly. I don't even have to scrub the bottles afterwards-all the adhesive comes off.

[WanderingJuniper]

Slowly. Yeah, I'm not so great at slowly. :giggle