Homemade Mother Scoby for Kombucha

well...i said i wouldn't go there, but curiosity got the best of me.

i have fallen into the fermented-probiotic-kombucha craze...

it's fascinating 

i love all the kombucha drinks that are now available everywhere, but they cost 3-4 bucks apiece.  i only drink one a day, but...do the math...that's about 102$ a month and 1,200$ a year...WHAT?!

 am i crazy ?!!  i guess it's the same for anybody with their triple shot skinny no whip morning latte addiction, but that's insane.

SO...i researched and researched how to make homemade kombucha.

you need a scoby.

most sites suggest you buy one from the internet.  i even heard you could get one from Craig's list.

i don't want some weird fungus mushroom alien thing that someone else grew in some unknown environment.  i want to be in control of my own bacteria yeast growing blob.

i thought i would let you know from a novice point of view how easy and fascinating this little project is... AND i wanted to document what i did and how i grew such a beautiful specimen.

*here's where i throw in the disclaimer...*

i am not an expert on the situation.  i am a beginner...just like you?

there are plenty of fabulous blogs out there with a wealth of IMPORTANT information.  a few i have referred to are...Food Renegade.com, Balanced Bites.com, Mother Jones.com and Cultures for Health.com to name a few.

HOMEMADE MOTHER SCOBY FOR KOMBUCHA

2 cups filtered water

2 black tea bags

1 big Tbsp sugar...i used pure organic...do NOT use honey or any substitute!

1 store bought GT's RAW ORIGINAL KOMBUCHA

leave the bottle of GT's out to come to room temperature.

boil the 2 cups water.  steep the tea for about 10-15 minutes.  remove tea bags, add sugar and stir to dissolve and let come to room temp.

sterilize a large enough glass jar to hold 4 cups of liquid.  if you use antibacterial soap.  make sure it is well rinsed.  then rinse it with vinegar and water.  then rinse it again.  for extra protection i sterilized in the oven at 220F degrees for 20 minutes.

pour tea/sugar into sterilized jar.  pour the whole bottle of store bought GT's kombucha into the tea jar.  make sure you got all the gross kombucha goodies into the tea.  cover with double paper towel or cloth and secure with a rubber band.  let sit in a warm darkish place.  do not disturb.  some say "dark" place, but i have it where it will not be disturbed and i can still take photos.

NOTE...when i moved it into a little more light it seemed to grow better...so i'm not sure.  just do not move it around while it is growing.

DAY #1

DAY #3

DAY #8

DAY #15

 DAY #20a

DAY #20b
now this is a good lookin' SCOBY !
i think it should be almost ready...

DAY #24
behold..."THE MOTHER SCOBY"...

DAY #24
just about 1/2 inch...looks healthy

i think we're ready for lift off...
yes...PUN INTENDED

now...if you are still interested,
i will be documenting my first batch of  HOMEMADE KOMBUCHA
this will take about 7-10 days for the first fermentation, then another few days to flavor it and get some fizz action...
OR...so i have read.

WISH ME LUCK...