If you are brewing using the continuous method, extra SCOBYs may not be a concern. But if you are brewing traditionally, you may have more kombucha mothers than you know what to do with!
For starters:
- I usually have two kombucha mushrooms going per brew container, and the number of kombucha mushrooms you can have fermenting per container can vary depending on personal preference, the size of your brew, and the size and thickness of your kombucha mushrooms. You don't want the mushrooms to get too crowded, so experiment with what works according to your SCOBYs and brewing vessel.
- To keep or not to keep- I've found that the younger mushrooms (which are the lighter, more cream-colored ones that form at the surface of your brew) and the mushrooms with a more uniform thickness tend to perform better. So keep your preferred mushrooms for brewing, and for extra mushrooms that you need to find another use for, read some of my suggestions below.
- It's the perfect time to experiment with your extra kombucha mushrooms! Try different sweeteners, such as honey or maple syrup, or try herbal, flavored, or exotic teas. How about coffee kombucha? (Coffee kombucha links here and here).
- Give extra kombucha mothers to your friends and spread the kombucha love!
Offer extra kombucha mushrooms to others through Kombucha Fuel on Facebook, The Worldwide Kombucha Exchange, Etsy.com, Craigslist, or Freecycle mailing lists- Store extra mushrooms in the fridge in a "kombucha hotel" for backups or to distribute later.
- Ever tried eating a SCOBY?
-Eating a kombucha mushroom by itself is not something I would probably do again. However, you may try cutting it up and sprinkling it on your food, or use it as a garnish. Alternatively, my friend suggests blending up kombucha mushrooms into smoothies. - Feeding SCOBYs to dogs and pets is common
- Happy Herbalist lists many creative ideas and recipes for what to do with extra mushrooms, including making "drum heads and leather craft[s]!"
- Compost extra kombucha mushrooms
11 comments:
Great site! Thanks for all the tips.
I gave a scoby to the dog to play with once. She ate it, then threw it up! So now I compost them.
Thanks, I'm glad that you find the information useful!
I never heard of a dog throwing up from a SCOBY, that's too bad! But composting is a great alternative!
Hi,
can we share link? Mine is:
http://indokombucha.wordpress.com
Cheers from Indonesian Kombucha Brewer :D
I offered it to the dog. She wasn't interested. I just started with kombucha, so maybe next time I'll be more adventurous with my extra instead of composting it.
Sounds good Dena! :) Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for this post! This is the best discussion I've found online about what to do with all my extra SCOBYs. My biggest question .... is a SCOBY OK to eat? Is it healthy? Dangerous if we eat too much? Anyone know?
Thanks! People do say that SCOBYs are ok to eat and that they are healthy to eat, and I wrote about my experience eating a SCOBY here http://www.kombuchafuel.com/2009/06/kombucha-gourmet-style-and-city-feed.html. Not sure about how much to eat would be too much though....
I've blended bits of scoby in my smoothies before. I figure it's just more probiotics!
Before my dog passed away (from old age, not from eating bad scobys, lol!), I used to dry them out and then cut them into strips to give to him. He loved his "kombucha jerky" treats! I think the secret is drying them out; he prefered the taste/texture of that to the fresh/slimy ones.
can you stir fry it? like any mushroom?
@Olivedoyle That's great to hear. Thanks for sharing! :)
@Assi Rose I've never stir fried a SCOBY before, but marlo here wrote a comment about his experience doing it! http://www.kombuchafuel.com/2009/04/kombucha-mushrooms-come-in-all-shapes.html. Sounds like it would be fun to try sometime!
Hi; I eat my spear shrooms sliced into about 1" strips and sprinckled with unrefined sugar. I leave these strips in the fridge over night then I cover with ground Almonds and chunks of avocardo and apple' they are absolutly de-lightfull. and no I have never ever been ill through doing this.
MR Wootton; UK.
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