I strained by first quart of Kefir today and it is quite delicious. I didn't find quite thick enough but that may be because I didn't stir it while it was culturing, or perhaps I didn't culture it long enough. I am making another quart which will be ready in a day and half. Apparently every batch is different. Different milk and fat content should help with that. Also slightly more grains than last time.
The kombucha scoby is not dead or moldy. I'm happy with that. I'll be getting some PH testing strips tomorrow to keep track of the progress. I'm curious.
So that's it for today - just a bacterial update. Actually here's a gem I came across today as well. It talks of serendipity and I find it quite charming.
A song for this post.
Showing posts with label culture. Show all posts
Showing posts with label culture. Show all posts
Monday, January 11, 2010
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Scoby do (day 135)
I've stumbled onto culture, the bacterial kind. I now know what a scoby is and I am worried about mine. I hope I didn't kill it. A scoby is a symbiotic combination of yeast and bacteria. I have two types now: one for making Kefir and one for making Kombucha tea. Both were gifted by a kind soul in East Vancouver.
After being sick I started drinking probiotics to replenish my gut with good bacteria. But probiotic drinks are super expensive and knowing that all they are is fermented milk was bothering me. What could be easier than multiplying bacteria? I looked into making yogurt but the effort seemed to outweigh the returns. Then I came across Kefir, a drink originally from Russia which kind of tastes like yogurt but with some yeast tones and effervescence. An acquired taste to some maybe but I took to it right away. It's quite good with chocolate. Anyway, it too is expensive but unlike yogurt it is quite easy to make. It requires room temperature and a typical kefir will take 24-36 hours to make. The catch is that you need to know someone with the Kefir grains to start the process. Thankfully the gift culture of craigslist yielded a kind person who not only gave me some grains but also showed me his method of making Kefir.
As a bonus he also gave me a Kombucha tea mushroom (it's called a mushroom but it's not really a mushroom). I'd never had Kombucha tea but I was thrilled to get the scoby after tasting his tea. It's fresh tasting, a little bit like a cross between cider and beer. It only has 1% alcohol.
A big learning curve of an afternoon later, I have two things brewing: Kefir and Kombucha tea. The Kefir should be ready tomorrow night. The tea, perhaps in two weeks if I didn't kill the scoby with the wrong PH or an invasion of another bacteria or mold.
Who knew sickness could yield such treasures.
A song for this post.
After being sick I started drinking probiotics to replenish my gut with good bacteria. But probiotic drinks are super expensive and knowing that all they are is fermented milk was bothering me. What could be easier than multiplying bacteria? I looked into making yogurt but the effort seemed to outweigh the returns. Then I came across Kefir, a drink originally from Russia which kind of tastes like yogurt but with some yeast tones and effervescence. An acquired taste to some maybe but I took to it right away. It's quite good with chocolate. Anyway, it too is expensive but unlike yogurt it is quite easy to make. It requires room temperature and a typical kefir will take 24-36 hours to make. The catch is that you need to know someone with the Kefir grains to start the process. Thankfully the gift culture of craigslist yielded a kind person who not only gave me some grains but also showed me his method of making Kefir.
As a bonus he also gave me a Kombucha tea mushroom (it's called a mushroom but it's not really a mushroom). I'd never had Kombucha tea but I was thrilled to get the scoby after tasting his tea. It's fresh tasting, a little bit like a cross between cider and beer. It only has 1% alcohol.
A big learning curve of an afternoon later, I have two things brewing: Kefir and Kombucha tea. The Kefir should be ready tomorrow night. The tea, perhaps in two weeks if I didn't kill the scoby with the wrong PH or an invasion of another bacteria or mold.
Who knew sickness could yield such treasures.
A song for this post.
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