growing cultures mindfully

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Nope, it's not just you.
One of the things I'm always tempted to post when people ask how to get kefir grains to grow is think good thoughts and talk to them. I swear it works for me. I'm convinced that's one of the reasons why my grains and scoby always still continue going even after long dormant periods in the fridge and why my water grains more than double every time.

After seeing What the Bleep? and reading Messages from Water, DH stuck the label "I love you" on my kombucha jar.

On a similar note, at a Sally Fallon lecture, she talked about how traditional foods were important not only for the preparation method itself, but also in the time and love the person preparing put into it, infusing it with goodness.

I do this, but with a much less positive spin. As in, "well, gotta go feed the scoby or it's going to start eyeing the baby. . . "

Absolutely. I think it's the reason I had so many issues growing (and then killing) cultures for a time. My family life was in complete turmoil. There was a lot of stress, negative energy, and free-floating anxiety in my home. Now that we have done a complete 180 in our relationships, so have my cultures. I keep growing them and growing them, and they are so hearty.

Actually, I feel this way about food in general. My vibe, or the energy I bring to my cooking (to my life), definitely manifests in the dishes I create! I am convinced that mindfullness has a profound effect on every area of my life, but especially on the food I prepare, as food and water are really the basis for life, and I believe that our digestive health is directly related to every other area of health.

I read The Hidden Messages in Water and The Secret Life of Water after watching What the Bleep, too. My water, kefir, and kombucha containers all have messages written on them.

this is so interesting! i don't know why i didn't think of it that way before.

need to remember: must stop telling the kombucha it looks disgusting

It's not just you. I named the sourdough starter and talk to it while I'm in the kitchen. It's our new pet, Fornax (after the Roman Goddess of baking). The yeastie beasties and bacteria in it are alive, after all, so why not? :

I need to work on a good name for the yogurt starter that's next on the to-do list.

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Yogi?

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this is a fabulous topic! I'll have to reintroduce myself to my dear, hibernated (I hope) scobys.

Got a new relationship blossoming with a sourdough starter...

I think its the idea of caring for something. This is live food and it needs care (like a pet). Sometimes when I feel tired and I don't want to tend to my kefir grains, I tell myself "don't let them fizzle out" and that gives the motivation to give them their spring water and sucanat. Boy, who knew that TF could be so deep .

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Just have faith. My scobies have also been in hibernation in my fridge for several months now. I'm gonna revive them soon, and I'm sure they'll be fine.

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Great idea ! Just was wondering how to store my scoby between batches: Other than having faith and thinking good thoughts about them...do you store your scoby in some leftover kombucha and then feed it sugar every week ? And do you cover it totally (ie, glass container with normal lid?

thank you

P.S. I loved the book "Like Water for Chocolate" - a wonderful, fun read of a "fiction" story about the feelings of the cook that go into the food she prepares but of course the basis of story is so true !

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You're really supposed to store it at room temperature in sweetened tea or finished kombucha. The liquid gets really, really sour. And then change the liquid out every two or three months. I put mine in the fridge in a large pyrex bowl with the lid on, soaked in finished kombucha. I revived a scoby stored this way in my fridge for 2 months before, so I'm thinking it'll be okay even though it's been 4 months now.

I saw the movie version of "Like Water for Chocolate" and found it to be a beautiful story. Yes, and so true. It makes me think of one Thanksgiving, where DH and I had 8 people stay over and we were very stressed. After we picked all the meat off the turkey, I put the bones in a pot and started soup. Making the soup soothed my stresses, and the soup smelled wonderful, but after I finished making it, I suddenly felt disgusted at the thought of consuming it. I felt as if all my stresses and worries of the weekend had been soaked up into the soup. So I tossed the whole pot of soup. And I'm one of those people who hates to waste food so much, I cut the mold off my cheese and use it.