percypat

My Frankie is a very busy SCOBY, always changing position! You don't have to wait for it to get that thick megmac. Frank wasn't even 1/4" thick when I started my first batch. Post a picture in a few days and the gurus here will let you know when it's big enough!

I haven't shown him for fear of unrequited love and pining. I guess I could always make one and they could live side by side in their jars. He needs to work on his baby-making first though. (Is it just me or does that all seem the wrong way round?)

___________________________ Aren't they wonderful? It's been the same for me. I went from never having heard of kombucha to brewing in the space of a week. And I'm still peering into my jar everyday with a flashlight ... The flashlight sits beside the jar as art of the set up now. It's fun

______________________ I posted this link a while back: from reddit, hibiscus and rosehip tea with green. http://imgur.com/a/lPBAx?gallery Edit: with the prettiest SCOBY I have ever seen

That sounds like some sweet scooby action megmac! Things happen quickly in Florida! ______________________________ This sounds so awesome. SCOBY petting zoo? Hmmm, maybe too much.

Looks good megmac! Geez Susan, maybe you should consider that booch bar.

Ha! The word "festering" has been used several time in this house in reference to kombucha-making. Embrace the grossness

___________________________ Did your son help you out with bottling? The orange was his idea wasn't it?

________________________________ Oh really? I wouldn't know. Hubby is anti-Apple so we don't have such things in this house! I would definitely be down with trying beets kombucha! Do you just roast the beets before they go in? Any magical pixie dust secrets?

I use photobucket. Nadia put me onto it - before that I was completely photo-on-web illiterate. But we're all given a limited amount of space here on the site so you can directly attach a few photos

We want to see the crowning glory of your over-extended labours!

Yay, megmac! Photo of Scooby set up please! Tonight is a good night: Just a little tingle of fizz, nothing crazy. Raspberry-vanilla very tasty. Even hubby said "hmm, not bad" after a sip.

Waiting til tonight to try (it's morning here). Promised myself I'd give it two days! It doesn't look very fizzy Probably should have filled the bottles up more!

Funny you should mention banana and ick ... We have some bananas which are getting to the brown spot stage and I looked at them yesterday before bottling and shuddered. Might have to go for a walk down the baby aisle when I do the grocery shop on Friday though ... I haven't even started drinking the first batch and I'm thinking about flavours for the next one Anxiously waiting for signs of activity from Frankie-pants and his baby in their jar of new tea. Now I'm frightened I've done something which will kill them. I have no idea what, I'm just being a worry-wart.

Actually, yes. It definitely would! I used frozen for mine KB, though of course I can't say yet whether I deem this successful or not. Waiting, waiting ...

Now I have "Under the Sea" stuck in my head! Maybe my next diver will be a Sebastien.

Mojito kombucha! Ok, that is definitely on the list for the next batch.

Ha ha, poor Frank. No wonder he is sulking at the bottom of the jar, with a mean mummy like me.

Everyone elses' SCOBYS are so nice and smooth and pale compared to mine. Frank is all bumpy and brown with tannin and a bit fuzzy looking with yeast. Is it because he is an ugly boy SCOBY? With boy germs?

Heyo! Here is my very first bottling ... 1 ginger, 1 ginger-lemon, 2 raspberry, 2 raspberry-vanilla, 1 mango and the big one is plain. We left quite a bit of space as we are scaredy-cats. We'll leave less space and try for more fizz as we get braver. I say "we" as hubby helped with the bottling but is still refusing to taste. (And he still wants me to get clearance from doctor about drinking this because of my immuno suppressants. I bet doctor won't know what kombucha is). I'm so impressed with how robust my skinny pancake baby is. It's so thin but sturdy as can be. It's back in the brewing jar with Frank. Super dark second brew. Hoping baby thickens up so I can get a white-tea batch going soon (hubby said he would try that). Come on boys!

______________________________________________ Well, we're definitely not short on insanity here!

Thanks Nadia! Also, do I wash out the brewing jar each time I make a new batch?

I think it's ready!!! It tastes and smells like booch (I never got round to getting the pH strips so can't confirm that way), it's sour, doesn't taste sweet at all. It tastes a bit weaker than the store bought stuff, is that ok? Or does it mean I've made a weak brew that might have other stuff growing in it as well? It looks ok - can't see any invaders of any kind. I'm boiling off some water now to brew and cool down so will either bottle tonight or tomorrow morning if it hasn't cooled to room temperature. I thought I'd try and combat the weaker taste with more tea bags and sugar. Does that sound like a plan? *excited dance* Also, still have thin pancake film - it held together just fine when I pushed it around to get my straw into the liquid for pulling of a bit to taste. Should I just put that into the new brew with Frank or put it in its own jar with some of the booch and some sweet tea so it can do a bit of growing on its own? So many questions!

Aw, I love family photos! Have to get myself off to uni today but will be testing my brew when I get home later! Aie! Exciting/scary.