Can't get my hands on a kombucha
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that looks like it could be one way... maybe cover with a cloth to keep dust out but let yeast & bacteria in....
or you could maybe just make a sweet tea and inoculate with a yeast/bug blend meant for making sour ales, if you have access to such...
You want Peddio, Brett, Lacto, Aceto, etc.
or you could maybe just make a sweet tea and inoculate with a yeast/bug blend meant for making sour ales, if you have access to such...
You want Peddio, Brett, Lacto, Aceto, etc.
"bugs" is slang for the bacteria used in souring beers... a yeast/bug blend might be something like:
http://www.whitelabs.com/yeast/wlp655-belgian-sour-mix-1
http://www.whitelabs.com/yeast/wlp655-belgian-sour-mix-1
Any access to a beer or wine making supply stores? That would be the first place to look.
Do you have any friends or relatives traveling back to Israel from the US or someplace that does sell bottled Kombucha? Starting with proper mix of bugs/yeast is always easiest. Next easiest would be to try to a sour ale yeast/bug blend like I pointed out above. A decently stocked homebrew store should be able to get some...
Failing all of that, you can do the "from scratch" thing. It may take a couple of months, as in that other thread I pointed to, and the results will be unpredictable, but it might work. I've never done it. There might be better instructions for starting a wild SCOBY online (google is your friend) but here's how I might go about it:
Make a gallon or so of black tea and cool to room temp, add some sugar and cover loosely with a dish towel. This should keep out dust but let wild bacteria and yeast in. Maybe stir it everyday and smell/taste to see if it's changing. Ideally you'll want the wild yeast and bacteria to take over before any mold starts to grow. Let it go a week or 2. Drain off the spent tea except for a cup or two and add new tea and sugar. You may need to do this 2 or three times. You'll hopefully end up with a gelatinous mass that floats on the surface, that's your SCOBY.
You might be able to speed it up by putting a freshly picked and unwashed piece of fruit in the tea. Like a plum or apple or grapes... There are wild yeast on the fruit. Heck, even a pinch of bread yeast or brewing yeast might work. Maybe spoonful of sour dough bread starter or live culture yogurt for some lactobacillus, or even raw wheat. Perhaps a table spoon of unfiltered apple cider vinegar for the acetobacter.
Actually, now that I think about it, your ginger bug might work, too. Brew up some strong black tea, add sugar, cool it and add your some of your ginger bug.
It may take some experimenting to get the right combination of Sacc, Lacto, Aceto, etc. Especially from wild sources.
Keep notes, and then come back here and tell us how it worked!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SCOBY
Failing all of that, you can do the "from scratch" thing. It may take a couple of months, as in that other thread I pointed to, and the results will be unpredictable, but it might work. I've never done it. There might be better instructions for starting a wild SCOBY online (google is your friend) but here's how I might go about it:
Make a gallon or so of black tea and cool to room temp, add some sugar and cover loosely with a dish towel. This should keep out dust but let wild bacteria and yeast in. Maybe stir it everyday and smell/taste to see if it's changing. Ideally you'll want the wild yeast and bacteria to take over before any mold starts to grow. Let it go a week or 2. Drain off the spent tea except for a cup or two and add new tea and sugar. You may need to do this 2 or three times. You'll hopefully end up with a gelatinous mass that floats on the surface, that's your SCOBY.
You might be able to speed it up by putting a freshly picked and unwashed piece of fruit in the tea. Like a plum or apple or grapes... There are wild yeast on the fruit. Heck, even a pinch of bread yeast or brewing yeast might work. Maybe spoonful of sour dough bread starter or live culture yogurt for some lactobacillus, or even raw wheat. Perhaps a table spoon of unfiltered apple cider vinegar for the acetobacter.
Actually, now that I think about it, your ginger bug might work, too. Brew up some strong black tea, add sugar, cool it and add your some of your ginger bug.
It may take some experimenting to get the right combination of Sacc, Lacto, Aceto, etc. Especially from wild sources.
Keep notes, and then come back here and tell us how it worked!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SCOBY
yeah, maybe if it's not pasteurized.
I wouldn't go overboard with sauerkraut, vinegar, or sourdough starter... maybe just a spoonful. You might have better luck with the ginger bug, depending what's in it. You want a mix of bacteria and yeast. The sugar gives them food, the tannic acid in the tea keeps the Ph low.
Like I said, I've never done anything like this before.... I'm just guessing. I've only made Kombucha a few times, myself. With a fresh, healthy SCOBY that was given to me, no less.
So definitely report back with your success or failure... And don't be afraid to let it go few iteratios of tea & sugar to build up your scoby....
Like I said, I've never done anything like this before.... I'm just guessing. I've only made Kombucha a few times, myself. With a fresh, healthy SCOBY that was given to me, no less.
So definitely report back with your success or failure... And don't be afraid to let it go few iteratios of tea & sugar to build up your scoby....
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There's definitely some kind of microbial activity going on there.
What did you end up using for your starter? Sweetener?
What did you end up using for your starter? Sweetener?
I made sweet green tea (this is what i had) added some yeast with sauerkraut water after few days i added a piece of apple and just now the ginger bug and it is sitting in the outside... any other adives ?
should i make a new tea and add to the mixture ? cause its been like a week now since i started it
should i make a new tea and add to the mixture ? cause its been like a week now since i started it
You might want to give this 1st batch a couple of weeks. Then carefully pour off most of the tea (keep maybe a cup or 2). Try to keep any gelatinous globs that may have formed. Add new tea and sugar and let it go.
Once you get your colony started you'll only need to ferment a week or so, to taste. Longer means more tartness.
Once you get your colony started you'll only need to ferment a week or so, to taste. Longer means more tartness.
FYI, from a quick google search, it looks like at least one or 2 people concur with our ad hoc methodology:
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/kefir-kombucha/nS-PnnlHHm4
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/kefir-kombucha/nS-PnnlHHm4
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dont tell me its mold
If it's not hairy, furry, fuzzy, blue or green, it's probably not mold.
Looks like normal pellicle formation to me.
Let it go another week and see.
Looks like one to me.... How did then resulting 'buch taste?
Adam_Trainor101
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Looks like a thin slimy scoby. How big is it in size? Have you started a new batch with this scoby?
Congrats on a successful SCOBY.... Now you can start harvesting the daughters and go into business selling locally grown, free-range SCOBYs
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