DEHYDRATED SCOBY FOR A RAINY DAY

DRIED SCOBY CULTURES cut into smaller pieces making it easier to dry.

One motto that I say often is "waste not, want not".  I have an abundant amount of SCOBY cultures, even after l've shared as much as I could.  Hmm. what to do.  So a few months back I did research on is it possible to dry my babies (SCOBY) without harming them and their nutritional value.  So YES YOU CAN, dehydrate them and save them for a rainy day.  I've been doing so since then.  They make a good back up supply for whatever reason.

Very thin transparent, band aid looking dried SCOBY made from brewing my kombucha tea

They can be dehydrated, or sun dried. In doing so they become a concentrated form of probiotics.  I sun dried a few cultures by a sunny window flipping them over daily for a couple of days.  I have also used the oven light to dry them. That took 24 hours, but my culture was thinner.  Both ways have been very successful.  Just make sure you never use high heat.  Well you can but you will kill their probiotic benefits.  If that happens they will only be good for seasoning.

Before I cultured my SCOBY babies till they were almost 1 inch thick.  Now that I am drying them, I like to "harvest" them while they are about 1/8 inch thick. It's easier, and quicker to dry. Then I can...

Dried SCOBY cultures are quite pliable.  I just folded this one
and started stuffing it in the jar.

• Pulverize and encapsulate them.  You would be making your own probiotic capsules or pills.  Fresh too, and you know exactly what is in them.  All you do is grind them to a fine powder. You can pick up empty capsules online, or at most pharmacy's.  If need be you can always go to the local dollar store and buy cheap vitamins, empty 1/2, and add some probiotic powder to it.  Or
• Rehydrate the powder SCOBY in your favorite smoothie, protein shake, juice, soda, or water.  Now it's a real LIVE vitamin water.  Or
• Spice?  Spices are a bit of a spice of life...especially if they are healthy, organic, natural, and affordable.  Dried Scoby has a fragrance of a mild vinegar.  I like to mix a combination of spices including powdered SCOBY to my homemade spiced rosemary sea salts, or jalapeno cilantro sea salts.  It really does have a zesty taste.  It's great on salads.  Or 
• If you have any other idea's please feel free to share.

Now here is where I store them.  I stuff the jar first before I
start pulverizing them.  

SPICY FERMENTED CABBAGE & KOMBUCHA JUICE

FERMENTED CABBAGE & KOMBUCHA JUICE.  A LIVE PROBIOTIC DRINK

Top of the day to you.  I remember when every morning I would crawl out of bed walked to the kitchen to start my morning brew of coffee.  I guess I felt the need for speed and thought coffee would do it.  It does to an extent.  But my body would always let me know it didn't like it.  Today my morning drink is this coctail I concocted using...

• 36 oz. kombucha green tea vinegar
•  1/2 cup fermented cabbage aka sauerkraut
• 1 tbsp cayenne pepper (totally optional)
• 1 clove garlic (totally optional)

Blend this all together.  You can strain the pulp if you like but I like the fiber too.  Pour in glass jars/bottles, and cap. Store in the refrigerator.  There it will continue to ferment at a much slower rate.

I don't drink this coctail just to wake me up.  My fermented cabbage and kombucha are both  probiotic so I just doubled my probiotic intake right?  Now that's what I'm  talking about.  Also it is not only probiotic, but remember cabbage is high in antioxidants, and phyto-nutrients, as well as fiber.  The Cayenne pepper is also loaded with these ingredients too. 

If you don't know the benefits of probiotics folks, start googling.  It's a wonder food.  Also the benefits of Cayenne Pepper alone has a write up here.  You do the research.  I will continue to test and inform.  By all means test for yourself and see.

By the way this drink is so tangy and tasty.  Better than any V-8 juice. Add some celery, or tomatoes. You will really look forward to it.  Be creative, get involved with your own health and take charge.

Enjoy, and many blessings  

Mary Helen

MILK KIFER FETA CHEESE

Milk Kifer can be dried as still keep it's probiotic nutrients as long as it is not heated in high temperatures. Milk Kifer Cheese has more active healthy bacteria than milk kifer, because of the longer time spent to ferment it.  REAL KIFER CONTINUES TO FERMENT UNLESS THE BACTERIA HAS BEEN KILLED BY HEAT OR CHEMICALS.  Folks drink kifer, yogurt, and kombucha for the healthy probiotics it has.  However, why is the shelved store bought product still sweet and holds the same flavor?  Why?  Because most of the bacteria has been pasteurized or heated to maintain its color, and flavor.  Sad because those people think they are doing their body good. I too can heat mine to stop the fermentation and not let it continue to sour.  However, probiotics does a body good. I choose to work with the tart flavor, hence feta cheese.  lol.  See, homemade is always, better, and a lot cheaper too.

I let my kifer milk ferment till the curds and whey separate. I have strained the milk kifer, and have separated the curds, whey and milk kifer grains. I left the curds out to lose it's whey for a few hours in a strainer.   Make sure you have something to catch the whey.(Ha ha, it lost it's whey:))  Very little milk solids is left in the strainer.  This will be your cheese. Salt lightly,  put this in a tofu press, (another strainer will work fine) and put this in the refrigerator for 24 hours to continue to expel its whey.

Curds

After a total of 48 hours. it is now like tart cheese, similar to Feta.  At this point the kifer cheese is still soft, but I was able to cube it so it could air dry better. It had grown  a slight fungus on the outside, which I was able to cut off before I cubed it.  The inside showed a nice white clean cheese.

curds, whey, and milk kifer grain

Curds in tofu press.  I see a few grains of Kifer.

Curds after straining in refrigerator for 24 hours.

I put the cheese  wrapped in parchmont paper with clean paper towels over a heating mat  for 12 hours more or less, while I was sleeping. I am still changing towels to keep the cheese dry at least twice.  Now my cheese is crumbly, and pretty hard.  Had I not cut it for it to dry faster, I probably could have grated it. I rolled my cheese in crushed herbs for flavor.  

Herbed Milk Kifer Feta Cheese

See how easy it was?  Yes, it took a few days, but it's not like you were standing over a hot stove.  Home made kifer is loaded with probiotics, and you have total control as too what you want to put in it.  Yes I love to choose what I want to put in my body.  Don't you?  It's probiotic and cheap.  Looks like cheese.  Tastes like cheese, but unlike dead cheese.  This one is still very much alive.

Enjoy and many blessings.
Mary Helen