Two batches of pineapple scrap vinegar are sitting on the counter, fermenting. It’s a good way to use the parts of a pineapple you’d throw out (or maybe compost), and you end up with a useful product.
Pineapple scrap vinegar starts with the skin, core, and any non-edible bits of the fruit you wouldn’t care to eat. Note: not spoiled parts – just bruised or “woody” parts. Basically, you cut it up, add ugar water, stir, cover with a rubber-banded paper towel, and let it do its thing. You stir it daily, and if all goes well, you end up with probiotic-filled vinegar that you can use in dishes or add to your chickens’ water for a healthy boost. Continue reading “Adventures In Zymurgy: Pineapple Scrap Vinegar”
It’s Day 14 for the chicken eggs in the incubator, so we candled them again to check on development…and to avoid “exploders”. A bad egg can apparently explode and spread harmful bacteria to other eggs in the incubator. The thought of a stinky, slimy rotten egg blowing up and spreading deadly ooze on all the other lovely developing eggs is enough to send a shiver down the spine. 
It was another cold one out there this morning. The ducks’ pond had about an inch of ice on top, and the rabbits’ bottles were frozen solid. The chilly temperatures bring out a special kind of beauty, though: as we walked, in the darkness, to retrieve the rabbits’ bottles, the flashlight shone on the frosted grass, which sparkled like it was bejeweled, crunching underfoot.
Today, it was time to cycle out a batch of kombucha tea. Every two weeks, a new batch is ready for bottling. This batch was from 12/20, composed of the following tea(bags): 2 darjeeling, 2 green, 1 white, and 1 oolong.
Per the standard procedure, new sweet tea was made, inoculated with some of the previous batch, the jar was filled with reverse osmosis filtered water, and the SCOBY was added to the fresh mix. It will sit, covered with a breathable cover, for two weeks. If it ferments for longer than that, it will become much more vinegary…in fact, there are designated jars with batches that have been left for a month or longer, specifically to turn into