Suzee

I haven't tried water kefir yet... it's next on my list! If the kombucha tastes like vinegar, it's fermented too long ... gone too far. The scoby will be fine but to bring it back to be drinkable, it's necessary to add more sweet tea. Use 10 bags of tea plus 1 cup sugar per gallon of water and make sure it is ~80 deg. when you add it to the kombucha.

There will be a lot of people who question the safety of brewing Kombucha at home, once it gets going it does look a bit like a creature from an alien planet! You can draw off a bit and taste it to see how it's developing every day or two. I recommend getting pH test strips or better yet, a pH meter to test your brew until you have more experience. It's ready when it reaches 2.5-3.0 By then it should taste a little like tart apple cider. If you want to make it fizzy, it's necessary to put it through a second fermentation process. I use Grolsch swing top bottles, fill them almost to the top, add some slices of fresh ginger, sometimes fruit and a spoonful of sugar. Check and burp them every day! They sould be fizzy in 2-4 days.

I cooked it almost 24 more hours and my stepson said it was almost as good as Dinty Moore canned Beef Stew LOL!

Hi! Here are a few websites to begin learning about brewing Kombucha. I recommend setting up a continuous brew system. You'll need at least a gallon sized glass jar with a non-metallic spigot at the bottom. These are usually readily available at Walmart, Kmart etc. Pick up some Black or Green Tea, preferably organic and Cane Sugar, preferably organic. You can grow your own Scoby (also called "The Mother") from GTS Classic Original Kombucha or I can send you one. Keep me posted on your progress! https://www.kombuchakamp.com/what-is-kombucha/continuous-brewing http://wellnessmama.com/8638/continuous-brew-kombucha/ http://nourishedkitchen.com/continuous-brew-kombucha/

The fermented beets were flavored with star anise and cloves, they added a slightly reddish hue with the naturally occurring nitrate in the fresh juiced celery.

That mayonnaise/bread crumb treatment sounds interesting! Regarding the grits, I'm a northerner and it has taken me awhile to acquire a taste for them. Bob's Red Mill stone ground yellow grits cooked in chicken stock with a bay leaf and served with a big pat of butter changed my tune... now I love grits!

You can taste the brine every couple days and see when it's to your liking. I like things on the crunchy side so tend to pull my ferments early. Once you put them in the frig, the fermentation stops. I've let polish style dills go as long as 14 days but they were on the verge of getting mushy by then. The fermentation goes faster if your house is warm and I live in SW Florida where my house usually stays around 78 degrees. If your house is cooler you can let the ferments go longer..

Whole roasted cauliflower covered in greek yogurt, turmeric, cumin, garlic, cayenne and lime juice turned out fabulous!

Have you tried Hogfish / Hog Snapper? It is my new absolute favorite fish! With a sweet buttery taste like lobster or sea bass at a far more reasonable price. I like to poach it gently and enjoy it with just a little drawn butter and lemon. Doug's Seafood in Bonita Beach has it fresh for the best price - currently ~$16/lb but well worth it!

I have concerns about cooking in plastic bags, would appreciate hearing your thoughts...thanks!

Okay Guys, Have put the pot roast back in the slow cooker on low, we shall see! If it is still rubbery at the end of the day, I'll take the store manager up on his kind offer of a refund if I'm not satisfied. Does anyone remember the great round bone pot roasts that used to be available? For some reason butchers don't make that cut anymore. Those pot roasts were infallible 'back in the day'. ;-)

Thanks for your comments everyone. I let it cook about 5 hours and then took it off heat because it was fork tender and starting to fall apart.

The recipe was improvised using what I had . 4 lb piece of brisket, rubbed with kosher salt, brown sugar, pepper Jimmy P's seasoning, 4 stalks juiced celery, 1 head of garlic (smashed), handful of peppercorns, allspice, mustard seeds, fennel seeds, bay leaves; lacto fermented beet relish (cloves, star anise), lacto fermented sauerkraut (caraway, garlic) - ziplock bag 5 days in the frig. Rinsed and roasted it and turned out unbearably salty. I was so bummed!! My awesome family came to the rescue simmering it to draw out the salt while I sulked - roused me exclaiming this is the best corned beef ever!!!... next time, I plan to simmer before roasting.

Hi People! For anyone interested in brewing their own fresh delicious Kombucha. I have an abundance of healthy scobies waiting for a new home ;-)

Can tough stringy leftover Chuck pot roast be resurrected into something edible? The pot roast was gently cooked in a slow cooker with red wine, stock, tomatoes, celery. onions, carrots, garlic and fresh thyme. Flavor was good, I am clueless why the texture was so rubbery. Maybe why it was on sale for 3.99/lb ?!! . Will more simmering eventually make it tender? Any insights appreciated!!