Kombucha

[metqa]

Oh for Pete's Sake!
or should I say Pepperettes!
I'm working on it!!!!!

I dont' have a recipe yet either. I'm trying to figure out if the chocolate has to be sweetened before hand or just after. I guess it might not matter.

I've seen where they made 1000 L of starter liquid and add 5% volume of gelatin. I had 3 cups and used 1/4 teaspoon and it was fine for the chicken broth.

If I get no calls for work tomorrow I may start it then. Sheesh, you are some chocaholics!

[metqa]

I totally missed the posts about the fruit flies!

I use flour sack cloth. It's as thin as cheese cloth, but much more tightly woven. I used it to strain the chicken broth before doing the gelatin thing and it kept the tiny celery seeds out, so I it's good for tiny things. I just got a rash of fruit flies this weekend and caught the little buggers traipsing round the opening, but couldn't get through the cloth.

That's a pic of how sheer,yet how tight it is. You can see the moire effect from the weave, but it lets light air and moisture through but not anything else.

I use a big tight industrial type rubber band.

[pepperette]

[COLOR="DarkGreen"]Sooooooooo- you had 3 C. hot broth, added the 1/4 tsp. plain gelatin- mixed till dissolved then- froze it? That seems simple enough. The chocolate- I can't figure if one would use, like- Lindt bars, or what amounts. I want it for choccie soda and boocha.

Yes- I am an avowed CHOCOHOLIC!!![/COLOR]

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[metqa]

I wonder if you could use the flavored liquid as the water for your teas for to brew Kombucha? Probably not. Since the fat is removed I thought maybe, but there would still be volital oils. But wait, there are those in regular tea. So . . . Hmmm . . .
chocolate tea kombucha?

I think the chef actually dissolved chocolate, but I'll bet cocoa powder would work also.

[msbaggypants]

I have a (very clean) nylon knee-high on my last jar of kombucha. I have cheesecloth on the other 2 that I will change right away.

[metqa]

Originally Posted by msbaggypants

I have a (very clean) nylon knee-high on my last jar of kombucha. I have cheesecloth on the other 2 that I will change right away.

If it's the store brand white cheese cloth that you can pull the strands apart, then yes, I'd change it. I like the nylon Idea!

[JoSkids]

Originally Posted by metqa

If it's the store brand white cheese cloth that you can pull the strands apart, then yes, I'd change it. I like the nylon Idea!

[COLOR="DarkOrchid"]I like the nylon idea as well. I have coffee filters rubber banded in place, but sometimes I feel like they aren't getting quite enough air to brew quickly, but then again I may just be impatient - it has only been 3 day, but I don't see much progress in those microcosims (sp?)[/COLOR]

[metqa]

It's started . . .

[BikerAng]

I'm using coffee filters and it's been a week (my house is about 70 degrees so it takes a bit longer to brew a batch, I like it tart!) and I have serious bubbling and new scoby's forming. I think coffee filters allow enough air in.

[pepperette]

[COLOR="DarkGreen"]Got out of the HFS earlier tonight and first thing I did was pop open one of the 7 bottles of kombucha I'd bought- DS handed me the gingerade. Sipped it- went to WallyWorld and shopped, then came home and finished it with supper.

Well I craved more so badly that I just now opened the gingerberry. OMG! Is that stuff crazy good! Says it has blueberry juice in it, but doesn't taste like it (I hate blueberries normally ). I guess the ginger imparts a flavor change. That migh be another flavor I try brewing. I've got to go to Sam's or Costco tomorrow night and get a BIG pickle jar- can't find any glass sun tea jars, and am not going to pay $11 for a $7 one on e-you-know-where. At least with the pickle jar DS has pickles- and he might even share if I promise to not make him drink any boocha (he has no taste what-so-ever!)![/COLOR]

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[pepperette]

[COLOR="DarkGreen"] I just adopted a baby from metqa! Going to go to bed so I can plan the "nursery" as I sleep! Going nursery shopping tomorrow after work!

I'm going to be a mommy![/COLOR]

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[JoSkids]

Originally Posted by pepperette

[COLOR="DarkGreen"] I just adopted a baby from metqa! Going to go to bed so I can plan the "nursery" as I sleep! Going nursery shopping tomorrow after work!

I'm going to be a mommy![/COLOR]

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[COLOR="RoyalBlue"] Congratulations on the newest addition to your family!

I found gallon jars at walmart - $4! They are labeled "cracker jars" They even had 1.5 gallon jars that I saw after I had bought the gallon ones. They are on the aisle with the canning jars. [/COLOR]

[pepperette]

[COLOR="DarkGreen"]Thanks JS! I did not even think to look there! I went straight to the summer aisle. [/COLOR]

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[metqa]

Hey Thanks JS, I'm gonna check that out for BF's funny brew.

[JoSkids]

Originally Posted by pepperette

[COLOR="DarkGreen"]Thanks JS! I did not even think to look there! I went straight to the summer aisle. [/COLOR]

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[COLOR="DarkOliveGreen"]I went looking for the sun tea jars and I was in a hurry and I couldn't find them anywhere so this is what I ended up with cause I was anxious to get started. I was kind of wavering on buying the sun tea jar anyway cause I wasn't sure that I wanted to deal with the spout on them (cleaning-wise) so this just helped me make up my mind[/COLOR]

[pepperette]

[COLOR="DarkGreen"]I picked up a gallon size pickle jar tonight thanks to DS- he found the pickles at the grocery store and wanted the dills, so we got it. I'm still going to look at WW for the others- might need a back-up, you know![/COLOR]

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[pepperette]

[COLOR="DarkGreen"]Do you use distilled water, or do you just boil the whole batch and save part to cool? What gives you the best results?


PS to metqa: did I get a boy or girl baby? It will need a name! [/COLOR]

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[metqa]

Originally Posted by pepperette

[COLOR="DarkGreen"]Do you use distilled water, or do you just boil the whole batch and save part to cool? What gives you the best results?


PS to metqa: did I get a boy or girl baby? It will need a name! [/COLOR]

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I think yours is a boy.

I use water from my Brita filter pitcher and I don't boil it. I just heat it enough to dissolve the sugar, and steep the tea. then I let it cool and put it into the container. Add everything else and you are set. After a brew, I'd pour off the komucha leaving the scoby in the jar with 2 cups or so of kombucha and just add the fresh(room temp) tea to the jar.

[pepperette]

[COLOR="DarkGreen"]Don't have a Brita, so for now I'll boil and cool.


What do you think about the name...Igor?[/COLOR]

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[metqa]

Is your water particularly bad? We had a chlorine dump in my city so I use the brita to get the excess chlorine out, but unless the water tastes bad it's probably fine.

Boilng actually releases a lot of stored oxygen in the water. Why not just measure out an amount and let it set at room temp for a while. Chlorine is a pretty reactive gas and will leave water on its own if left to sit a while

you'd only need to boil it if you fear microbial contamination. Heavy elements won't leave with boiling.

[metqa]

3 cups of water
6 Tablespoons of cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla extract
6 drops (12 teaspoon equivalent sugar) liquid sucolose ( EZ-SweetZ brand)

With 3 cups of water whisk in the cocoa powder till it is all wet and blended. Add vanilla and sweeetener, and warm it till it boils then turn off heat. Take a portion of the liquid out to cool, maybe 1/2 cup. Add 1/4 teaspoon plain gelatin to cooled liquid and wait for it to absorb moisture, then pour into pot of warm liquid and stir well. Pour into a covered container and freeze solid.

Place a mesh strainer over a bowl so there is room for liquid beneath. Dump the frozen block into the strainer and place in the fridge. Wait one-two days for liquid to drip from the block into the bowl.
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Well this didn't come out as crystal clear as I expected. Actually it looks very much like when I started. I tasted it and it had all the sweetness. I wonder If i used enough gelatin for the small particles of cocoa. I'm gonna let it finish draining, then reheat the chocolate liquid with more gelatin and re-freeze and thaw again. It seems to be fat free, but then again cocoa is so alkaline it's hard to tell there's any fat there anyway.

It might not be worth it to do this for chocolate unless it comes out crystal clear like the broth did. I'll let you know the follow up. It may have needed more gelatin, also I think it may have melted so much that some of the liquid reached the bottom of the mesh and dissolved some of the gelatin, so i need to prop it up higher to be safe.

[pepperette]

[COLOR="DarkGreen"]WOW, oh WOW! You are some brave woman trying that! I am such a chicken when it comes to testing recipes that might go to the trash! Lucky us we have you and others around who aren't scaredy-cats![/COLOR]

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[metqa]

Did anyone get their packages yet?

[pepperette]

[COLOR="DarkGreen"]Not yet, but DS knows to watch for the mail and retrieve my baby while I'm at work. He also is to watch for UPS as I have more CO coming and stevia.

I have my jar ready, the bottles clean, and I think Igor will replace the GF grill on the island.

PS: what does anyone use as a warmer, in case?[/COLOR]

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[JoSkids]

Originally Posted by pepperette

[COLOR="DarkGreen"]Not yet, but DS knows to watch for the mail and retrieve my baby while I'm at work. He also is to watch for UPS as I have more CO coming and stevia.

I have my jar ready, the bottles clean, and I think Igor will replace the GF grill on the island.

PS: what does anyone use as a warmer, in case?[/COLOR]

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[COLOR="DarkSlateBlue"]I am not using a warmer - my jars are just in a cupboard. I expect it will take a little longer to brew. If I get impatient, I guess I could run a heating pad into the cupboard to make the little cupboard a little toastier. [/COLOR]

[pepperette]

[COLOR="DarkGreen"]I have a shelf in the island I could use- if I left the door open. Was trying to find a spot the cats won't get into, and also have a plug-in if I needed one. I've had a window open and know it is cool in the apartment as my co went from liquid to solid a few days ago![/COLOR]

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[metqa]

If you feel comfortable your scoby will be comfortable. Room Temp is all it needs. 70-80. 60's is too low. If you have to put on an extra sweater, or go commando cause it's too hot then it's not comfy for you or your brew. Leave off using a heater. It can heat up way too warm too quickly before you know it. I almost killed my first scoby that way.
Brews take as little as 7 days and as much as 14 days. so If it takes longer just accept that you have a cooler atmosphere. Consistency of temperature is more important. they aren't thermophilic like yogurt.

ETA: and know that as the weather changes warmer, you'll have to check much sooner than you think it will be done, lest it mature too far.

[pepperette]

[COLOR="DarkGreen"]Igor has arrived! Of course, DS says I owe him one, 'cause he about yakked in Igor's bottle when he put him in! He also has made death threats at least 10 times, BUT he knows where his next Mt. Dew is coming from, so I have no fear for Igor's life- at least not from DS! Hopefully I can be a good mommy to Igor and not do him harm. After supper I will be making tea!

Thanks metqa![/COLOR]

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[BikerAng]

LOL! I was bottling up my kombucha today and DH asked, "WHAT IS THAT?!?!?!" referring to my scobies. I told him they were dinner.

[metqa]