Guest guest Posted April 20, 2011 Report Share Posted April 20, 2011 What is the best way to separate it into two? I just pealed off the new top layer, but it's really small and torn. Will it still work for a gallon, just maybe take longer? ~ your baby sounds like the itty bitty size of my first babies and I had trouble keeping them submerged in the tea. They are light and kept floating up and drying out for the first week in the new jug of tea. As the second week started, tho, there seems to be a bit of submerging getting done on their own. They do not look any bigger, but I presume they must have gotten more weight to them, hence, the sinking ability now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 21, 2011 Report Share Posted April 21, 2011 In message you wrote: > ... babies and I had trouble keeping them submerged in the tea. They are > light and kept floating up and drying out for the first week in the new > jug of tea. As the second week started, tho, there seems to be a bit of > submerging getting done on their own. > They do not look any bigger, but I presume they must have gotten more > weight to them, hence, the sinking ability now. Dear Lyn, Kombucha scobys are weird things and don't behave to our expectations, if we still don't understand THEIR ways. The scoby building site (the bacteria are the builders) is always on the surface of the brew. It is there, that a new scoby grows and gets thickened by the bacteria. Once disturbed, scoby-building ceases for the disturbed one, and the bacteria start over with a new scoby project, again from the top. The 'aborted' scoby often sinks lower down in the brew, still adds to the brew with extra bio-activity of bacteria and yeasts, but it will NOT grow bigger from then on. Therefore, if you want to grow a really fat scoby (and it is not really necessary!), the brew has to remain undisturbed: No wiggling, jiggling or nosy pokings, or the fussy bacteria will abandon their child and start another from scratch! A scoby floating on top of its liquid will not dry out. It is like a liquid-filled sponge and is self moisturising. It's not necessary that scoby has to be glistening with wet on the top .... it just likes to be left undisturbed. I know, Kombucha-ways are strange ways and the microflora likes to be left to get on with what it does when it does it! ;-) Happy Easter time! Margret:-) in England's early summer! -- +------------------ Minstrel@... --------------------+ http://www.therpc.f9.co.uk/family/scobygrow/home.html creation.com God sent His only Son into the world so that we might have life through Him (1 4) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 21, 2011 Report Share Posted April 21, 2011 Thank you so much for all of the information! How long should it be undisturbed before checking to see if the kombucha is ready? It seems to take 3 weeks or more for mine to no longer be sweet. Does the size of the SCOBY effect the time on that? On Thu, Apr 21, 2011 at 12:26 AM, Margret Pegg wrote: > > > In message you wrote: > > ... babies and I had trouble keeping them submerged in the tea. They are > > light and kept floating up and drying out for the first week in the new > > jug of tea. As the second week started, tho, there seems to be a bit of > > submerging getting done on their own. > > They do not look any bigger, but I presume they must have gotten more > > weight to them, hence, the sinking ability now. > > Dear Lyn, > > Kombucha scobys are weird things and don't behave to our expectations, > if we still don't understand THEIR ways. > The scoby building site (the bacteria are the builders) is always on the > surface of the brew. It is there, that a new scoby grows and gets thickened > by the bacteria. Once disturbed, scoby-building ceases for the disturbed > one, and the bacteria start over with a new scoby project, again from the > top. The 'aborted' scoby often sinks lower down in the brew, still adds to > the brew with extra bio-activity of bacteria and yeasts, but it will > NOT grow bigger from then on. > > Therefore, if you want to grow a really fat scoby (and it is not really > necessary!), the brew has to remain undisturbed: No wiggling, jiggling > or nosy pokings, or the fussy bacteria will abandon their child and > start another from scratch! > > A scoby floating on top of its liquid will not dry out. It is like a > liquid-filled sponge and is self moisturising. It's not necessary that > scoby has to be glistening with wet on the top .... it just likes to > be left undisturbed. > > I know, Kombucha-ways are strange ways and the microflora likes > to be left to get on with what it does when it does it! ;-) > > Happy Easter time! > > Margret:-) in England's early summer! > -- > +------------------ Minstrel@... --------------------+ > http://www.therpc.f9.co.uk/family/scobygrow/home.html > creation.com God sent His only Son into the world so that we > might have life through Him (1 4) > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 21, 2011 Report Share Posted April 21, 2011 In message you wrote: > Thank you so much for all of the information! How long should it be > undisturbed before checking to see if the kombucha is ready? I leave it for about 7 days (10 days+ in the winter). By then, the Kombucha (KT) is just right, but I like a bit of sweetness with it. It doesn't really matter what state the scoby is in when you harvest the KT. I always take my cue from the liquid. The bacteria and yeasts which change the sugar to acidic compounds in the brew, are distributed all through the ferment, not just in the scoby. Some scoby truths on my little site: http://www.therpc.f9.co.uk/family/scobygrow/home.html > It seems to take 3 weeks or more for mine to no longer be sweet. > Does the size of the SCOBY effect the time on that? Not in my experience. I usually brew with starter KT liquid plus 2 or 3 scobys. I have found that more scobys make for a better taste. I am baffled, why your brew should take as long as 3 weeks. It is possible that your yeasts are a bit underdeveloped ..... Does your scoby take long to form? What does it look like by week 3? kombuchaly, Margret:-) -- +------------------ Minstrel@... --------------------+ http://www.hebrew4christians.com/index.html Jesus says:'Come to me, all you who are troubled and weighed down with care, and I will give you rest.' (Matt.11:28) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 21, 2011 Report Share Posted April 21, 2011 In message you wrote: > Thank you so much for all of the information! How long should it be > undisturbed before checking to see if the kombucha is ready? I leave it for about 7 days (10 days+ in the winter). By then, the Kombucha (KT) is just right, but I like a bit of sweetness with it. It doesn't really matter what state the scoby is in when you harvest the KT. I always take my cue from the liquid. The bacteria and yeasts which change the sugar to acidic compounds in the brew, are distributed all through the ferment, not just in the scoby. Some scoby truths on my little site: http://www.therpc.f9.co.uk/family/scobygrow/home.html > It seems to take 3 weeks or more for mine to no longer be sweet. > Does the size of the SCOBY effect the time on that? Not in my experience. I usually brew with starter KT liquid plus 2 or 3 scobys. I have found that more scobys make for a better taste. I am baffled, why your brew should take as long as 3 weeks. It is possible that your yeasts are a bit underdeveloped ..... Does your scoby take long to form? What does it look like by week 3? kombuchaly, Margret:-) -- +------------------ Minstrel@... --------------------+ http://www.hebrew4christians.com/index.html Jesus says:'Come to me, all you who are troubled and weighed down with care, and I will give you rest.' (Matt.11:28) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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