Take the jelly thing out, wash it with distilled water, and put it in a clean clean clean new bowl of tea and sugar.
The thin white film is the Kombucha “mushroom” and the bubbles are the result of the tea and sugar fermenting and creating alcohol. I don’t know if you are growing this for the white Fungus or for the medicinal fermented tea, which tastes alot like wine. If you let the fungus grow for weeks in the same tea it will get quite thick and the tea will turn into vinegar. I once let mine grow for months and the “mushroom” was about 2 inches thick.
I shared one of the babies with my neighbor and after awhile he got tired of the process and dumped it all down the toilet. Then he started worrying that a Giant Kombucha Fungus would grow in his septic tank and take it over. Ha!
I shared one of the babies with my neighbor and after awhile he got tired of the process and dumped it all down the toilet. Then he started worrying that a Giant Kombucha Fungus would grow in his septic tank and take it over. Ha!
Such a waste! My recommendation would be to shape them into frisbees and throw them at each other. ;D
[quote=“Neighbor Scout, post:6, topic:782”]Wonderful, thanks you three.
Please, does agave nectar, maple syrup, honey and/or stevia substitute well for sugar (I mean cane sugar)?
And, folks, of course, please keep feeding us those kombucha facts/myths and what-not. Thanks. :)[/quote]
I looked it up… as a nurse, I knew babies should not have honey… Here is what I found
I’ve heard that I shouldn’t feed my baby honey. Is this true?
– Kathy
It’s true that honey should not be fed to infants younger than 1 year old. Clostridium bacteria that cause infant botulism usually thrive in soil and dust. However, they can also contaminate certain foods  honey in particular. Infant botulism can cause muscle weakness, with signs like poor sucking, a weak cry, constipation, and an overall decreased muscle tone (floppiness).
Parents can reduce the risk of infant botulism by not introducing honey into their baby’s diet until after the first birthday. As kids get older, their bodies are better able to handle the bacteria.
what i’m trying to figure out now, is how to do kombucha in a completely local way… not with imported tea and not with store bought sugars.
i’ve read that you can use herbal teas/tisanes, which solves the not using imported teas part of it, but has anyone tried this? has anyone used herbal infusions to make kombucha?
and what would i use for the sugar? most of the sweeteners listed earlier in this thread are things that i’d have to buy from a grocery store. there’s the possibility that i’d be able to gather wild honey, but are there any other options? if i, say, included lots of fruits, could there be enough sugar for the kombucha culture?
i’m trying to figure out if kombucha is realistic for me in the context of completely wild foods.
thanks!
My hunch is that the solution will differ according to where you live. And in some places of the world there may be no viable way to make kombucha with locally harvestable ingredients.
That said, where do you live? What kinds of ingredients are available for herbal tea in your area?
i’m in the upper midwest and there are lots of great plants to choose from for herbal teas… i’m especially thinking of nettle infusions (yum!) although perhaps they might taste disgusting when turned into kombucha…? i guess i’ll just have to wait until i have more than one kombucha culture and try one of them with nettles (or red raspberry leaf tea, labrador tea, sumac, rose hips, etc.)
i’m wondering just how dependent the kombucha culture is on sugars… if there isn’t enough sugars for it (like if i just put some fruit in), will it just be weak and not ferment as much or would it not work at all and go moldy?
It sounds like kombucha cultures that exist right now have evolved to eat white sugar. Maybe if you gradually add more and more fruit juice or honey to your mixtures, you could cause the kombucha to change? Just an idea.
GREAT IDEA!! 
REWILDing Kombucha!
E