Kombucha

[mainsqueeze]

Any ideas as to whether/where I can buy kombucha culture or commercial kombucha drink in Montreal?

Any tips would be appreciated. Thanks!

[chesterfielddavenport]

Hi! There's a good recipe for kombucha in Eat Fat Lose Fat by Mary Enig and Sally Fallon - same recipe in Sally Fallon's Nourishing Traditions. I would contact a chapter leader of the Weston A Price Foundation (westonaprice.org) to find out about getting a kombucha culture locally. I've saved s much money making my own kombucha (and I like the taste better, too!) Happy New Year!!!

[The Chemist]

I want to revive this post and see if anyone has any new info. I want to begin making Kombucha along with making beer (which is so much fun). So yeah, same question as the OP, just 3-4 years later.

I know that Crudessence still makes and sells it but it's close to $4 a bottle (400 mL or so) which is a bit ridiculous. Also, they claim that their Kombucha contains no chemicals, which makes their product the worlds most expensive vacuum.

If anyone has a baby they can donate me, that would also be great!

Thanks!

[emerilcantcook]

I occasionally see people advertising on craigslist. Sometimes they give it away (those alien things take over your house easily, scaaaaaryy); or look for people that could barter for it,

[chesterfielddavenport]

You can find a culture at kombu.de - I would happily send you one but I'm in the states and who knows what they'd so with it at the border?

Also I priced it - homemade costs about 20 cents a pint and at Fairway in NYC it costs between $3. and $3.50 a pint! And I like the taste of homemade better. Little learning curve, but worth it. The culture reproduces itself every time you make a batch. Enjoy!!!

:)

[mainsqueeze]

Thanks for the link.

Can you clarify what a kombucha baby is?

[meowzebub]

when you use a scoby to ferment a batch of sweetened tea, the original scoby is the "mother" and the new tissue which develops on the surface of the liquid is the "baby".

fyi: if you're trying to cultivate scobys, after your KTea is fermented to your liking, pour off the KTea. peel the baby from the mother and let it sit in a minimal amount of the old KTea (i.e., don't add fresh tea or sugar). I guess, like plants, the harsher the conditions, the harder they work to pass on their genes. the baby will grow much thicker than it would in a depth of tea; it will grow very white. these always remind me of calamari steaks.

if you need more KTea while you promote growth in the baby, re-use the mother.

hope this helps. I've been fermenting KTea for most of this year, and still as enthusiastic as when I first started.

[lorie]

The Crudessence people sell it, from their cafe. But you can also call them, and buy it directly from their catering office, by the case.