fyzygy

I sun-dried a few SCOBYs, they turn into this extremely tough, skin- or leather-like substance, which is actually moderately sweet to the taste. But teeth won't cut it -- it's strong, like animal hide. In the mouth it rehydrates with the saliva, texture like that of a really tough mushroom. I think one would need to shred it somehow prior to ingesting. And I'm guessing nobody knows how good (or not) it might be to eat.

You seem to know more than I do about fermentation. So thanks for chipping in.

I had some unrooted Tricho tips standing in a pot. One of them fell over in the middle of this crazy heatwave, and in a matter of hours was completely cooked. It will probably survive, but with significant scarring from sunburn. In the vertical position, this cutting was adapted to full-sun conditions (and all of its peers, remaining vertical, suffered no damage at all). Lesson learned.

https://scitechdaily.com/computing-for-ocean-environments-bio-inspired-underwater-devices-swarming-algorithms-for-robotic-vehicles/ Thunderbirds are go ...

I have heard, most commonly, to take some soil from the vicinity of an established Acacia. I doubt that the exact variety would matter all that much. However, I find it easier to water my Acacia seedlings with the liquid drained off from sprouting lentils. Sometimes I throw a few sprouting lentils in too, for good measure. Last time I repotted an Acacia seedling, the roots were clustered with small round things that looked a lot like ... lentils! (Not my reason for trying this; just a coincidence). My rationale is twofold: (1) Acacias and lentils are both legumes, (2) water ex sprouting is supposed to be good for plants. I water all of my plants this way, but especially Acacias. I dare say that in any case, as with Tricho species, the synergistic microbes will appear naturally, as a matter of course. (Wherever there is food, there shall be mouths to consume it, to paraphrase Darwin/Malthus.) Somebody might like to conduct some A/B testing to see if there's anything to this sprout-water method. I don't do any of this during the Acacia germination phase, only after the seedlings have legs to stand on, so to speak.

Kombucha produces AAB, not LAB, by default -- though LAB may be present in kombucha, more or less accidentally. (That's acording to review study quoted from in my previous post). There are a large number of variables, such as fermentation period, involved in the brewing of kombucha, none of which has been decisively studied.

Recently, this tea-based fermented beverage has become increasingly popular in western cultures, mainly in the functional food movement for its alleged health benefits. Kombucha tea is thought to reduce cholesterol levels and blood pressure; increase weight-loss; improve liver, glandular, immune, and gastric functions; reduce kidney calcification; increase vitality; combat acne; eliminate wrinkles; purify the gall bladder; improve constipation; alleviate arthritis pain; inhibit cancer proliferation; cure AIDS; and many others. Most of these health benefits are unsubstantiated and based on personal observations and testimonies, but there are some indications that kombucha tea consumption may indeed aid health prophylaxis and recovery through detoxification, antioxidation, energizing, and immune-stimulating effects. However, despite the lack of evidence from clinical trials to substantiate benefits to human health, kombucha is one of the fastest-growing beverages today within the functional food category, demonstrating a +49% dollar growth over the period of July 2017 to July 2018. •. "Kombucha Tea Fermentation: A Review" Journal of the American Society of Brewing Chemists, 2020. "Health prophylaxis" strikes me as an interesting concept -- enhanced health (familiar to eastern traditions and complementary medicine) differs greatly from the western model of health as (mere) absence of disease. So perhaps "therapeutic" is not the right word ...

Not sure I follow. Kombucha is everywhere these days -- from bottle shops to supermarkets -- and yet there's no supportive clinical data on either safety or therapeutic efficacy in humans? Anecdotally, there is evidence both for and against kombucha as a therapeutic foodstuff. We need to know more, especially if manufacturers are trading on a widespread consumer "intuition" that fermented foods = healthy (according to biochemists, kombucha is of negligible probiotic value). All of the animal studies I've seen point out the need for further research with human subjects. If not by now, at what point will we have reached sufficient "clinical rationale"?

Yeah, that biofilm really clings.

Recently started brewing my own, mainly for fun and the light fizz. I was surprised, given the marketing hype surrounding commercial kombucha offerings, that there is actually zero scientific evidence -- i.e., in human trials -- of any therapeutic benefit. Granted, there are promising animal laboratory studies, as well as a 2200-year tradition of consumption in China. There are risks of adverse outcomes. Two of the most exciting things I discovered were (1) SCOBYs can be dried and eaten, and (2) kombucha could be the basis of a new textiles industry: seamless clothing. I know people who guzzle this stuff by the gallon, sometimes as an alcohol substitute in social contexts. And it is refreshing -- but also sugary, fizzy, liable to contamination and leaching from storage vessels. Any tips from master brewers out there?

mr b caapi is the real winner, thanks for getting us out in the garden ... with cameras! most of my succulents looks pretty bad at the moment, I probably wouldn't have noticed otherwise.

Chacruna 2021 report outlines some tentative new directions: And (for those unable to financially support Chacruna), its recent edited volume is well worth a browse: https://book4you.org/s/psychedelic justice

never mind

Some kind of kalanchoe.

Sceletium tortuosum