[LauraN]

A friend gave me, unexpectedly, a kombucha mother in some liquid. It was in a plastic ziplock. I wasn't prepared--didn't have a jar big enough, was out of tea, etc. So I left it in the bag overnight (on the counter--I read that refrigerating might hurt it?) and part of the next day while I went out to buy the stuff I needed...

Now I've brewed the tea, added the sugar and put the mother in with the liquid.

But I'm wondering, is there a particular side that's supposed to be up? I just slid it in, but since the two sides are different, I was wondering if there's an up and a down? And after being in a plastic baggy all night, how would I know if it was OK or not?

 

[FernG]

My mother has flipped around before. Taste the kombucha in about 3-5 days and watch for mold on the mother. If the tea starts fermenting and getting less sweet (as the mother eats the sugar), then you know the mother is okay. As long as there are no signs of mold, just leave the kombucha fermenting until it tastes the way you want. My house is a little chilly, so my kombucha ferments very slowly. I usually need about 3-4 weeks to brew a batch.

 

[dogmom327]

Nope. Just dump the mother culture in there and let it do its thing

The mother culture may float, sink, sit on its side, etc. None of that matters. Making kombucha only depends on having proper ratios of freshly brewed tea, sugar, starter tea (kombucha from a previous batch) and the mother culture.

Just in case, here are the ratios I recommend to customers:
1 qt. freshly brewed tea (made with a tea bag or two or 2 t. loose tea)
1/4 c. sugar (white sugar works best)
1/2 c. kombucha tea from a previous batch
The mother culture (size doesn't matter)

 

[LauraN]

Thanks!

The instructions my friend gave me said 3 qt brewed tea, 1 cup sugar, 1/2 cup kombucha (which she included with the mother) and the mother.

Let's see how it goes. I'm very excited! I hopefully won't have to wait more than a couple of weeks since it's getting pretty hot here in S. Fla!

Thanks everyone for your help. It's been fascinating watching the mother float, then start to sink sideways a bit. It's such a weird, cool thing