Comments on: Culture shock

By: In my spare time

In my spare time — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 20:59:10 +0000

[...] a gallon-sized glass jar, perfect for a batch of kombucha [...]

By: katy

katy — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 02:41:06 +0000

No real hesitation. When Tim had the fateful conversation with the mycologist, he had him pretty freaked out about possible contamination by other microbes, so he initially said he didn’t want the kids drinking it (this was after T-dog had fallen in love with it). But, after reading a little more, he’s drinking it now himself, and is ok with the kids having it in small amounts.

I think the detox effects can be pretty strong — so, even though it’s cheap when it’s homemade, I’m only letting the almost-4-year old have about 4 oz a day (so far he’s the only one who will drink it).

By: Jen

Jen — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 00:16:07 +0000

phew, I’ll be no help here!

I’m just now growing my scoby (from “scratch”)…trying to avoid ordering one. Wish I had a friend here to share their baby scoby with me.

My boys really love the taste, but so far we’ve given it to them in small cups. They are always asking for more, but don’t get it. That’s mainly b/c I’m buying it from the store right now (RIP OFF) and just can’t afford to give them till their hearts delight. I’m not concerned for them to drink more–they take healthy doses of kefir each day as well as fermented foods I’ve made like kraut and mustard. Hmmm, should I be concerned about too much boocha for them? What started as “sips” of beer from us (hoping they would say yuk) turned into asking for beer in the sippy cups. I should prob be more worried about that than the boocha right now

But seriously, do you have hesitation about it for your own kideos? I’m interested…

By: katy

katy — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 19:43:15 +0000

Jen — ok, I have questions for you:
1) How long did it take your mother to make a baby scoby?
2) If you have a baby scoby, have you used it to ferment another batch?
3) How long have you been using the mother? Is it still brewing well?
4) Any qualms about giving it to the boys?

By: Jen

Jen — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 14:30:23 +0000

love love looove kombucha!! My kids and spousal do too…great post.

By: katy

katy — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 23:17:33 +0000

Hahahahahaha!! Stephanie!!!!!

By: Stephanie

Stephanie — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 21:34:28 +0000

Yay for Townes loving liver paté! I knew he was a cool kid. Now, this fermented tea stuff. In the low country, they call it Firefly. It’s really good mixed with lemonade.

By: katy

katy — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 20:31:56 +0000

Thanks for the link — I had skimmed that article, but had not read the bit about pH, so that’s good to know. I tried to catch my own sourdough starter, too, and it was a total disaster! I recently ordered one, but have yet to begin baking.

By: Monica

Monica — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 15:32:04 +0000

Here’s my understanding on the culturing of both yogurt and kombucha. When using a proper culture, the acidity is such that pathogens cannot survive. Here is what I read concerning kombucha, “When prepared as directed, the pH of the tea decreases to 1.8 in 24 hours. Although this level of acidity should prevent the survival of most potentially contaminating organisms, tea drinkers have reported molds growing on the Kombucha (CDC, unpublished data).” from this site: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00039742.htm.

Mold on the scoby is easy to identify. It appears on the top, where the ph is probably not as low and usually occurs on stale or old scobys (scobies?). I also believe that your nose knows when a culture has gone bad. I tried catching my own sourdough starter, and trust me, it was stinky. I did not use it. My rule of thumb is when in doubt, throw it out.

One thing to keep in mind is that eating is inherently risky, no matter what you are eating. Non-sterile food might kill you; sterile food might kill you, too, just in a different way.

By: katy

katy — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 05:16:44 +0000

Monica — I’m glad you’re tenacious ; ) And also glad you like kombucha and have encouraged my venture/battle (more on the battle to come). The mycologist — it was tricky, because he knows it’s not a mushroom; he even called it a “mat,” which is (I think) it’s scientific name. He was all about other bacteria, and contamination, blah, blah, blah. But the funny part was that he said he thought it was fine to make your own yogurt — which seemed like another side of the same coin. If your kombucha can “catch” bad stuff while culturing, can’t your yogurt? Why one, and not the other?