SCOBY and Bergamot Lavender Kombucha
SCOBY is the acronym for Symbiotic Colony Of Bacteria and Yeast -- yeah, fermenting stuff. I purchased a SCOBY from a nice lady on Etsy because it's faster than trying to grow one on your own, and it can be a little bit difficult. I happened to grow one in my apple cider vinegar, though for the whole month it was fermenting, the little SCOBY got no larger than a quarter. So, purchased one online, and made the first batch of kombucha, which turned out perfectly, then started the second fermentation with some bergamot juice I saved from the boxes of bergs from January, and then a fat handful of organically grown lavender buds with some sugar. The secondary fermentation is where the tasty stuff happens; all the little yeasts and bacteria (the good ones) dance around and eat the sugar and mulch the botanicals until it's this big, beautiful feast of tummy goodness. Plus it's a little bit alcoholic, around 1% or less, which makes it more fun to drink even if you're just imagining the buzz.
My fermenting things carried on beautifully while I was away -- the kombucha is semi-filtered and super bubbly and delicious, though next time I think I'll use a little more sugar in the secondary fermentation if I'm planning to use sour citrus for flavor. Has an extra bit of tarty punch. My second batch (first fermentation) of kombucha is ready for filtering and bottling, but I'm saving that for later this week while I make space in the fridge for what appears to be a kombucha hurricane. I think I'll flavor this batch with some rose water, switch things up a big. The apple cider vinegar just got strained and is sitting for another month to bump the vinegary-ness. In a few days I will separate out two pints; one for frankincense resin to be added, the other for myrrh resin to be added. We'll see how much damage these anti-bacterial resins can do to a bacteria rich medium. The point is to infuse the resins into the vinegar to create lovely face washes and toners. It's all experimental at this point. Applied alchemy.
My fermenting things carried on beautifully while I was away -- the kombucha is semi-filtered and super bubbly and delicious, though next time I think I'll use a little more sugar in the secondary fermentation if I'm planning to use sour citrus for flavor. Has an extra bit of tarty punch. My second batch (first fermentation) of kombucha is ready for filtering and bottling, but I'm saving that for later this week while I make space in the fridge for what appears to be a kombucha hurricane. I think I'll flavor this batch with some rose water, switch things up a big. The apple cider vinegar just got strained and is sitting for another month to bump the vinegary-ness. In a few days I will separate out two pints; one for frankincense resin to be added, the other for myrrh resin to be added. We'll see how much damage these anti-bacterial resins can do to a bacteria rich medium. The point is to infuse the resins into the vinegar to create lovely face washes and toners. It's all experimental at this point. Applied alchemy.
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| Bergamot & Lavender Kombucha ~ YUM! |
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