Lizzard77

Congrats Percy! Don't wash your jar, I do mine every other batch or so but it's really not necessary, I just can't stand the idea of not washing it ever! Can't wait to hear how it comes out after 2F. I am so trying beets in my next bottling, never thought to, but I will have some ready in the garden by then. I wonder if the spent beets would be good in a salad, kind of like fermented beets. I also love to make a salad dressing out of the 1F, some walnut oil, and allspice.

The jacket, I would so wear this on my bike!

Yup. http://yeahsnos.wordpress.com/2011/06/02/bio-couture-clothes-made-from-kombucha-culture/ There was a really cool jacket too but I can't find it atm.

Well, there are some pretty cool clothes made out of dried SCOBYs! When you have a bunch of babies Susan, you could wash 'em and pin 'em out to dry Also, for CB, do you just add back in as much sweetened tea as you took out? So you just keep tea around to add, or do you have a big bottling day where you then replace at that time. I think I haven't switched yet because I don't quite get it.

"when I pulled my SCOBYs from my two containers, I sort of cleaned the brown stringy stuff off. I don't know if that was bad" Susan, those strings are actually yeasts that will help make your 2F fizzy. You want to keep 'em around, from the reading I have done.

"I must admit that I'm struggling with the grossout factor." I empathize. My hubinator is so geeked out by the SCOBY and yeasties that he won't even come in the kitchen when I am bottling. A friend of mine gags when ever I open a bottle in her presence (I think she's putting it on but, I humor her anyway and laugh). I think it's interesting, try to think of it as a science experiment! Good stuff

Lolz Derval!!! I love to drink my booch out of my wine glasses too, sitting on the front porch, the neighbors must think I'm a lush. My baby mama Hazel is actually floating under her babies as she was grown in a much smaller container than the ones I use. I have 2, 2 gallon containers each holding just over a gallon of booch. They are on continuous rotation so I can bottle every week getting about 12-14 16 oz bottles. I keep meaning to buy some pretty blue ones but I I have so many GT's and Grolsch bottles I can't justify it! I haven't really figured out the picture thing yet but when I do I will post some. I am so glad to have found this thread, I find booch talk titillating (and no one else I know will drink it, much less talk about it)! Just a quick poll, Batch or CB or both? Trying to decide if I should invest in a CB container

"By the way..how were the baby octopi?" Actually we are having them tonight, hubs wanted chicken last eve. The grill is heating currently and the little guys are marinating. Excited, Thanks! "Yes, I meant proportions of herbal flavor tea to the regular fermented booch for the second fermentation. Just one tea bag per bottle?" Yes, I use 1 tea bag per 16 oz bottle or approx 1/2 Tbsp loose tea.

Derval, as far as I have found there is really nothing to avoid in the 2F, it's just the first so as not to damage your SCOBY. I've put cayenne peppers in (whoa buddy), candied tamarind......

Nadia, by proportions do you mean for the 2f or for the whole brewing process? I bring 1/2 gallon of filtrd water to a boil then add 1 1/4 cup sugar, dissolve and off heat. I then add my tea, 10 tea bags or 6 Tbsp loose. I let it steep for a number of hours, sometimes over night. When I am ready to bottle I fill 'em up with my flavorings then add my strong tea to the container and add the next 1/2 gallon of filtered water, set my scobys on top, cover it, and move the happy little family back to their cupboard. I do not continuous brew, just batch. Hope that's helpful!

Susan, I add the tea to my second ferment. I have swing top bottles and just dangle the bag right in there. It's really delicious, I noticed on another thread that you were a fan of it as well, a must try! I brew my 1F with Assam or sometimes even Lipton. In the beginning I was combining black and green teas but wasn't a fan of the final flavor. I only add other teas or flavorings to the 2F.

Just wanted to jump in on the herbal tea flavorings here, I have been brewing for about a year now and my favorite flavors have come from herbal teas. My top favorites are ginger chamomile (nighttime), Provence Rooibos,any kind of rooibos or bush tea taste great with the booch, Earl Grey is awesome, hibiscus, Numi chocolate puehr, chai (I used whole spices), I could go on and on.... I have given up on fruit unless it's a complimentary berry because the teas taste so darn good. I am up to about 2 gallons every few weeks and still can't keep up with my drinking habit