They're Multiplying like rabitts!

[Guest guest]

Greetings,

Is there anything wrong with leaving scoby's together?

I brew in gallon jars and usually don't bother to seperate Mother from

Baby when a batch is ready to bottle. Unless someone wants one, I just

rince them off and put them back in the jar with some of the brewed

Tea, mix up the new batch and add it to the jar. If they get ugly I

clean them up and seperate anything really disturbing looking from the

family and let the others be. A family of four looks pretty happy in

the jar. I don't see it having any negative efects.

I have several cultures in the fridge in ziplocks just in case

something goes wrong but I just hate throwing away healthy cultures.

Thanks everyone,

ny

[Guest guest]

Don't put them in the fridge, mine croaked when I did that. If you have 5

going at once in one jar, they will brew faster.

C.

They're Multiplying like rabitts!

>

> Greetings,

> Is there anything wrong with leaving scoby's together?

> I brew in gallon jars and usually don't bother to seperate Mother from

> Baby when a batch is ready to bottle. Unless someone wants one, I just

> rince them off and put them back in the jar with some of the brewed

> Tea, mix up the new batch and add it to the jar. If they get ugly I

> clean them up and seperate anything really disturbing looking from the

> family and let the others be. A family of four looks pretty happy in

> the jar. I don't see it having any negative efects.

> I have several cultures in the fridge in ziplocks just in case

> something goes wrong but I just hate throwing away healthy cultures.

> Thanks everyone,

> ny

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

>

>Is there anything wrong with leaving scoby's together?

>I brew in gallon jars and usually don't bother to seperate Mother from

>Baby when a batch is ready to bottle. Unless someone wants one, I just

>rince them off and put them back in the jar with some of the brewed

>Tea, mix up the new batch and add it to the jar.

I do this as well to a certain degree, then when the ones on the bottom get

really floppy and I feel like I have too much SCOBY in jar I will take some

off. I use them to make medicinals and they get fed sometimes to my pet

potbellied pigs, which I swear cleared up my one pig's postnasal drip.

It seems like you're not really having any negative effects, but it's

advised seriously not to rinse SCOBYs with water as the pH is all wrong and

it sets them back or can seriously injure. In cases where there is

chlorine in the water it could really do some serious damage.

>If they get ugly I

>clean them up and seperate anything really disturbing looking from the

>family and let the others be.

One of the things kombucha has to teach us is that beauty is culturally

determined. SCOBYs do get rather messy and are definitely not always

picture perfect. But there's nothing *wrong* with SCOBYs that are rough

looking. But maybe you just mean that you're separating off the SCOBYs

that are getting older and floppity?

>A family of four looks pretty happy in

>the jar. I don't see it having any negative efects.

>I have several cultures in the fridge in ziplocks just in case

>something goes wrong but I just hate throwing away healthy cultures.

ny I know what you mean, I'm the same way. However, it is truly

suggested that extra SCOBYs be stored not in the refridge, but on the

countertop, in a glass jar, swimming in KT. They can all happily live

together in the same jar.

The ziplock baggies are leaching toxics into the SCOBYs when they are

stored for long periods of time like that. The plastic in those baggies is

known to be quite volatile and leaches into contents quite easily. The

acidic nature of the KT/SCOBY it most certainly is leaching.

fyi.

--V

~~~ There is no way to peace; peace is the way ~~~~

--A.J. Muste

[Guest guest]

-----Original Message-----

From: original_kombucha

[mailto:original_kombucha ] On Behalf Of ny Gooch

>>Is there anything wrong with leaving scoby's together?

Unless someone wants one, I just rince them off and put them back in the jar

with some of the brewed

Tea, mix up the new batch and add it to the jar. If they get ugly I clean

them up and seperate anything really disturbing looking from the family and

let the others be.

I have several cultures in the fridge in ziplocks just in case something

goes wrong but I just hate throwing away healthy cultures. <<

---------------------------

Hi ny-

I sometimes brew with more than one scoby in a batch, and the extras that I

have I keep in a separate gallon jar together with some brewed Kombucha.

It's not a good idea to keep the Kombucha cultures in the refrigerator. They

don't like the cold and sometimes they have a little trouble getting started

again when being used for a new brew. The jar with the extra scobys ends up

with very acidic Kombucha " vinegar, " which is great stuff when used for

starter in your next brew. I use around 16 ounces of the acidic starter per

gallon in new batches and replace that amount with finished Kombucha from

the last batch. That way you give the resting scobys a little " food " (from

the newly brewed KT), and they keep on making nice, acidic starter KT for

future batches. I learned this method from several people in this group, and

it works really well.

Also regarding keeping extra scobys in plastic bags: one of the scientists

in the group said that he tested storing KT in several different types of

plastics to see if the KT leached toxins from the plastic into the KT. They

found that the food grade plastics didn't leach toxins but the plastic bags

(they are #3 type plastic) did leach toxins. So it's not a good idea to

store extra cultures and KT in plastic bags. The " starter jar " method of

storage mentioned above solves this problem. I think if you're giving

someone a culture, the plastic bags are OK, as long as it's not in the bag

for very long.

One last thing: you didn't say how you " wash " your scobys when they get too

" ugly " -- the " ugliness " is probably yeast colonies -- kind of brown

stringy, slimy stuff. It's never a good idea to wash the cultures with

anything but KT or distilled vinegar. What I do if there's too much yeast

gunk on the cultures is, when I harvest the brew and take the cultures out

of the jar, with clean hands I just gently wipe off the excess and toss it

down the sink. Washing with water will remove the acidic surface liquid and

could leave the culture vulnerable to mold.

All the best,

Dana

[Guest guest]

In message <003701c63638$a75fcde0$6700a8c0@Allyn> you wrote:

> I am on my third batch but my babies and mother scobies have not separated.

> Am I suppose to separate them? I thought they would separate on their own.

>

Allyn, you don't HAVE to separate them, unless you are desperate

for an extra culture. Then it is best to just cut the scoby in half

across all the layers.

Blessings,

Margret:-)

--

+---------------------------------------------------------------+

Minstrel@...

<)))<>< http://www.therpc.f9.co.uk <)))<><

http://www.AnswersInGenesis.com

http://www.elijahlist.com

+---------------------------------------------------------------+

Sacrifice is the true measure of love.

[Guest guest]

I am on my third batch but my babies and mother scobies have not separated.

Am I suppose to separate them? I thought they would separate on their own.

Allyn

_____

From: original_kombucha

[mailto:original_kombucha ] On Behalf Of Dana Black

Sent: Monday, February 20, 2006 11:03 AM

To: original_kombucha

Subject: RE: They're Multiplying like rabitts!

-----Original Message-----

From: original_kombucha

[mailto:original_kombucha ] On Behalf Of ny Gooch

>>Is there anything wrong with leaving scoby's together?

Unless someone wants one, I just rince them off and put them back in the jar

with some of the brewed

Tea, mix up the new batch and add it to the jar. If they get ugly I clean

them up and seperate anything really disturbing looking from the family and

let the others be.

I have several cultures in the fridge in ziplocks just in case something

goes wrong but I just hate throwing away healthy cultures. <<

---------------------------

Hi ny-

I sometimes brew with more than one scoby in a batch, and the extras that I

have I keep in a separate gallon jar together with some brewed Kombucha.

It's not a good idea to keep the Kombucha cultures in the refrigerator. They

don't like the cold and sometimes they have a little trouble getting started

again when being used for a new brew. The jar with the extra scobys ends up

with very acidic Kombucha " vinegar, " which is great stuff when used for

starter in your next brew. I use around 16 ounces of the acidic starter per

gallon in new batches and replace that amount with finished Kombucha from

the last batch. That way you give the resting scobys a little " food " (from

the newly brewed KT), and they keep on making nice, acidic starter KT for

future batches. I learned this method from several people in this group, and

it works really well.

Also regarding keeping extra scobys in plastic bags: one of the scientists

in the group said that he tested storing KT in several different types of

plastics to see if the KT leached toxins from the plastic into the KT. They

found that the food grade plastics didn't leach toxins but the plastic bags

(they are #3 type plastic) did leach toxins. So it's not a good idea to

store extra cultures and KT in plastic bags. The " starter jar " method of

storage mentioned above solves this problem. I think if you're giving

someone a culture, the plastic bags are OK, as long as it's not in the bag

for very long.

One last thing: you didn't say how you " wash " your scobys when they get too

" ugly " -- the " ugliness " is probably yeast colonies -- kind of brown

stringy, slimy stuff. It's never a good idea to wash the cultures with

anything but KT or distilled vinegar. What I do if there's too much yeast

gunk on the cultures is, when I harvest the brew and take the cultures out

of the jar, with clean hands I just gently wipe off the excess and toss it

down the sink. Washing with water will remove the acidic surface liquid and

could leave the culture vulnerable to mold.

All the best,

Dana

[Guest guest]

It doesn't matter, unless you need extras. If you need more cultures, you

can cut the stuck together ones (leaving them together) like you would cut a

pie (not separating the layers and using a stainless steel knife). It

doesn't matter if they are the right shape for your jar. Some of mine stick

together, others don't. I haven't seen them come apart on their own.

-Dana

-----Original Message-----

From: original_kombucha

[mailto:original_kombucha ] On Behalf Of ALLYN FERRIS

I am on my third batch but my babies and mother scobies have not separated.

Am I suppose to separate them? I thought they would separate on their own.

[Guest guest]

It doesn't matter, unless you need extras. If you need more cultures, you

can cut the stuck together ones (leaving them together) like you would cut a

pie (not separating the layers and using a stainless steel knife). It

doesn't matter if they are the right shape for your jar. Some of mine stick

together, others don't. I haven't seen them come apart on their own.

-Dana

-----Original Message-----

From: original_kombucha

[mailto:original_kombucha ] On Behalf Of ALLYN FERRIS

I am on my third batch but my babies and mother scobies have not separated.

Am I suppose to separate them? I thought they would separate on their own.

[Guest guest]

>It doesn't matter, unless you need extras. If you need more cultures, you

>can cut the stuck together ones (leaving them together) like you would cut a

>pie (not separating the layers and using a stainless steel knife). It

>doesn't matter if they are the right shape for your jar. Some of mine stick

>together, others don't. I haven't seen them come apart on their own.

>

>-Dana

Oh, I have. As they age mine tend to fall off the bottom, become more

loose from that direction, generally. But all kinda things happen, like,

they all stick together and then the next SCOBY is totally separate, or it

will separate itself in the middle somewhere. I have tended to leave the

SCOBYs together when they are knitting together because it seems to me if

they knit then there may be a reason.

--V

~~~ There is no way to peace; peace is the way ~~~~

--A.J. Muste

[Guest guest]

You have rabbits and I'm dying for just one. Would someone please send me a

scoby!!

I will gladly pay for shipping.

[Guest guest]

hello where are you? theres al ist of people all over the world with scobies to

share, i'll find the url

Swirl792@... wrote: You have rabbits and I'm dying for just one. Would

someone please send me a

scoby!!

I will gladly pay for shipping.

[Guest guest]

http://www.kombuchatea.co.uk/where-can-i-get-kombucha.asp#cultures

hopefully this is the right link

Swirl792@... wrote:

You have rabbits and I'm dying for just one. Would someone please send me a

scoby!!

I will gladly pay for shipping.

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 2/21/2006 10:00:16 AM Eastern Standard Time,

solitarygrin@... writes:

http://www.kombuchatea.co.uk/where-can-i-get-kombucha.asp#cultures

THANK YOU FOR THE INFO AND WEB SITE!