A Word On: Mold

I have been lucky in that I have never encountered mold when brewing kombucha.

Kombucha has been found to have a low rate of contamination and of mold, and has been found to be safely prepared at home (1). Kombucha's low risk of contamination results from its natural anti-microbial activity, attributed largely to the presence of acetic acid according to the Cornell study (1). Kombucha's low pH also helps to prevent undesired microorganisms from proliferating.

Remember that kombucha mushrooms come in all shapes, sizes, and colors, and colors can range from creamy white to all variations of brown. And if you've never seen the development of a SCOBY completely from scratch, look at my photos from Experiment 1, Growing Your Own Kombucha Mother.

If you do suspect mold, remember that it should appear FUZZY such as the mold you see on bread.

Photos from Happy Herbalist

If your kombucha mushroom does form mold, the safest thing to do would be to throw out that batch and that mushroom, and to brew with another mushroom- another great reason to have a backup mushroom in storage. I've talked to several people who have cut off the mold-infected part of the mushroom and continued to use the rest of the SCOBY, but do this at your own discretion! If imperceptible mold spores are in the rest of the mushroom or in the brew, this could cause problems for the next batch, so you may want to start anew!

Photos from Organic-Kombucha.com

More info on mold can be found in Happy Herbalist's Brewing Guide and Kombucha Photos page.

Reference
1. Greenwalt, C.J., R.A. Ledford, and K.H. Steinkraus. "Determination and characterization of the anti-microbial activity of the fermented tea Kombucha." Lebensmittel-Wissenschaft und-Technologie 31 (3) (1998): 291-296.
-Online article link here.

Workshop Recap

Thanks to everyone who took a break from the gorgeous day last Saturday and joined me at the Kombucha Workshop at Taberna de Haro! In addition, thanks to everyone who came from the Urban Homesteaders League- I really appreciate the positive feedback!

Kombucha

Demo

I would also like to thank Taberna de Haro for letting me use the space for the workshop. Read my post on Taberna de Haro on my other blog, Herbal Medicine Box.

It was a good time, and to those who took home SCOBYs, have fun! I look forward to the next kombucha demo.

Happy brewing,

Annabelle

Where to Obtain Kombucha Cultures (Updated August 7, 2013)

I've been receiving numerous e-mails about where to buy kombucha mushrooms, so here's a quick rundown of your options.

• A friend - If you are brewing using the traditional method and conditions are right, you get a new kombucha culture each batch! This means an overwhelming number of mushrooms if you brew regularly. So hit up your friends and tell them to spread the kombucha love! :)

• My availability: Unfortunately I am unable to provide kombucha SCOBYs at this time.

• Grow your own! Read about my experience growing a kombucha mushroom here and this blog post on growing kombucha SCOBYs.
• The Worldwide Kombucha Exchange
• Craigslist
• eBay
• Etsy
• Willing to spend the dough? Buy a kombucha mushroom online, such as from Happy Herbalist, Kombucha Kamp, or getkombucha.com.

If you have any more ideas of where to obtain kombucha mushrooms, please share!

Kombucha Workshop at Taberna de Haro

My next Kombucha Workshop will be at Taberna de Haro, the Spanish wine and tapas restaurant in Brookline that I work at! Read my post about Taberna de Haro on my other blog, Herbal Medicine Box.

Date: Saturday August 28, 2010

Time: 3-4 pm

Where: Taberna de Haro at 999 Beacon St., Brookline, MA 02446

Cost: Free, but donations are always welcome

Description:

Kombucha is a fermented tea traced back to Chinese origins to around 220 B.C. Numerous health benefits have been attributed to kombucha, including curing cancer, reducing blood pressure, boosting the immune system, and aiding digestion. Kombucha is also said to have probiotics and detoxifying effects.

It's not hard to brew your own kombucha at home, and it's fun! I will demonstrate and explain the basics of brewing and bottling kombucha. Topics to be covered include required materials, the traditional and continuous brewing methods, how to grow your own kombucha mushroom, and more.Samples of home-brewed kombucha tea will be available to taste. SCOBYs will also be available for individuals to take home. For those interested in adopting a kombucha mushroom, bringing a clean, glass pint jar would help to facilitate distribution.

Hope to see you there!

Kombucha Fuel at the UHL Market Stand Wrap-Up

Thanks to everyone who braved the heat and came by for the kombucha demo at the Urban Homesteaders' League Market Stand in July! Despite the heat, it was a blast!

Check out some photos from the market stand that day (you can't see me or the kombucha, but you can see the crowd!) Also, see the broadside that covers the information covered in the July skillshares at the UHL Market Stand, which include city composting, my simple recipe for brewing kombucha, making jam, and herbal salves. (Please note that in the kombucha recipe, it should read 1/4 cup (50 g) sugar per quart water and 1/2 cup (4 fl. oz) starter tea per quart water).

Thanks again to everyone who came, and keep on reading the Urban Homsteaders' League's blog for upcoming skillshares at the UHL Market Stand! The next one is tomorrow, and the schedule is here.

How to Mail a Kombucha Mushroom

Mailing a kombucha mushroom is actually quite simple! To mail a kombucha mother, put the SCOBY in a Ziploc bag, such as the ones you would use for freezing food. Put some kombucha in there as well for the SCOBY to sit in (which can later be used as starter tea), and seal the bag. Put this bag into another Ziploc bag and seal that too, so the SCOBY is double-sealed. Put this package into a box with some good cushioning so the kombucha mushroom isn't jostled around too much (but also leave a little room for the plastic bags to expand because the SCOBY will ferment and produce CO2 during transportation), and you're all set to mail away! (P.S. I've never actually mailed a SCOBY, but numerous readers have confirmed that this works, and Gunther Frank has mailed kombucha mushrooms all over the world this way with much success!)

This can be handy if you would like to mail a kombucha mushroom to a friend, or to mail a kombucha mother to yourself if you are moving and cannot bring your SCOBY on the plane with you.

However, because plastic is not good for the mushroom in the long-term, it is recommended to transfer the kombucha and SCOBY into a clean glass jar once it arrives! Then you can either begin brewing or put the kombucha mother into storage until you're ready to brew.

Welcome to http://www.kombuchafuel.com!

Hello wonderful readers,

Thanks for reading my blog and for the continual support, comments, and messages. It's a blast, and the blog would not be the same without you!

I am happy to announce that http://kombuchafuel.blogspot.com is now http://www.kombuchafuel.com! So, if you are currently subscribed for the RSS feed for http://kombuchafuel.blogspot.com, you may need to resubscribe to www.kombuchafuel.com. Other than that, everything is the same, and the old links still work, too! :)

I hope you keep reading, and happy brewing!