Can you eat the Kombucha SCOBY?

I can answer that with a resounding "yes." What the fungus does for tea, it can also do for you: provide you with a wealth of nutrients. Why you should try the SCOBY , delicious tea fungus recipes , and the latest SCOBY trends await you in this blog post.

What the Scoby can do

The SCOBY (SYMBIOTIC CULTURE OF BACTERIA AND YEASTS) – botanically a lichen – has been known for centuries and is an amazing plant: It lives, thrives and gives us the health-promoting, delicious kombucha.

Anyone who brews kombucha at home knows that the scoby spore grows larger over time, and eventually you end up with more scoby spores than you need. This raises the question of whether there's anything else you can do with the excess scoby spore.

What does a SCOBY consist of?

• Cellulose
• Bacterial cultures (e.g. lactic acid and acetic acid bacteria)
• Yeast cultures
• Microorganisms
• Interaction in a kind of symbiosis

Why should you eat the Kombucha tea fungus?

The Scoby…

• is the source of the beneficial bacteria in kombucha
• Contains insoluble fiber, which is extremely gut-friendly
• helps regulate blood sugar levels
• has an alkaline effect on our body
• has hardly any calories and still gives a pleasant feeling of satiety
• absorbs excess cholesterol in the bloodstream
• is full of vitamins, minerals, enzymes and trace elements

These are compelling arguments to simply give the SCOBY a try. Of course, the tea fungus can simply be cut into small pieces and eaten. However, there are no limits to creativity if the taste is a bit unfamiliar the first time.

What can we use the kombucha SCOBY for?

The edible tea fungus: A new trend, like jerky or fruit gum? The Scoby as a beauty mask, foot bath, pet food, or even as a leather substitute? I'd like to give you an overview, followed by a recipe section.

1. Alternative to fish in sushi

Especially for vegetarians, the use of the kombucha tea fungus is a very attractive alternative to fish. When cooked, the scoby resembles calamari in consistency. The scoby is especially popular as a fish substitute in sushi. If you want to retain all of the scoby's nutrients, it's best to use it raw.

2. Latest trend: Scoby jerky

Marinate the scoby in your favorite sauce for 24 hours, then lay it flat on a piece of baking paper. Dry it at 30 to 40°C until it's dry and has a jerky consistency. Tip: Any food processed at temperatures up to 42°C is still considered raw, and most of its valuable nutrients are still preserved.

3. Make delicious kombucha smoothies

Smoothies get a special nutritional boost from a few pieces of SCOBY. The tea fungus goes well with green smoothies, sweet berry smoothies, or a breakfast bowl.

4. Scoby for your pet

The SCOBY can also have an impact on your pets, whether they're dogs, cats, rabbits, or horses, and do something good for their metabolism. Try giving them a piece of tea fungus to see if they like it.

5. Other uses for the tea fungus

• For your beauty: Use as a face mask , hair treatment, or foot bath. Your skin and hair will thank you.
• For wounds or sunburn: Apply the pureed scoby to minor wounds or skin infections. Mixed with a little aloe vera gel, the SCOBY makes a soothing after-sun lotion.
• Humus for your flowers: Simply put the scoby on the compost instead of in the trash.
• Scoby as a leather substitute: Scoby not only serves as a plastic packaging substitute, but is also professionally produced as so-called “vegan leather”.

Exciting Scoby recipes

Berry Scoby Smoothie

Ingredients:

• 30 g SCOBY
• 60 g frozen strawberries
• 100 ml rice milk or other milk substitute
• 100 ml Kombucha Original
• some honey or maple syrup

Preparation:

Mix everything together and your power smoothie is ready!

Applesauce with Scoby

Ingredients:

• 30 g SCOBY
• 4 to 6 apples (depending on size)
• 50 ml Kombucha Original

Preparation:

Cut the apples into pieces. Then add them to the kombucha with the SCOBY and blend until the desired consistency is reached. If desired, you can also add cinnamon or a little coconut blossom sugar. Be sure to refrigerate the finished applesauce.

Tip: If you're using a blender, you can just remove the stems from the apples and leave the cores and seeds on. These contain valuable fiber that cleanses your intestines, and the pectin in the cores is good for your gut bacteria.

Scoby Energy Balls

These delicious energy balls will help you recharge your batteries and quickly get back to full fitness after a brief bout of tiredness.

Ingredients:

• 125 g oat flakes
• 40 g dried cherries, dates or figs
• 50 g nut butter
• 3 spoons of honey
• vanilla powder, cinnamon or other spices as desired
• 30 g SCOBY

Preparation:

Mix all ingredients thoroughly and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Then, using a spoon, separate the dough and form small balls. Then, refrigerate the finished Scoby Energy Balls.

Strawberry Scoby Sorbet with Rose Petals

Ingredients (makes approx. 750 ml sorbet):

• 500 g prepared strawberries
• 100 g honey
• 150 ml Kombucha Original
• 2 cl rose essence
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1/2 packet of apple pectin
• 2 handfuls of rose petals

Preparation:

1. Wash the strawberries and put them in the blender
2. Next, add honey, lemon juice, kombucha, and apple pectin. Blend the ingredients and season the sorbet mixture with lemon and rose essence. The strawberry kombucha sorbet should now thicken slightly thanks to the pectin.
3. Pluck the rose petals and sprinkle the petals into the sorbet mixture.
4. The sorbet mixture can now be frozen in an ice cream maker, or you can pour it into ice cream molds and freeze them in the freezer. The soft sorbet also tastes delicious unfrozen.

Scoby jerky

Ingredients:

• 5 to 6 thin kombucha scobys
• 1 tablespoon grated ginger
• 1 tablespoon diced garlic
• 120 ml soy sauce
• 7 tbsp honey

Preparation:

1. Cut the scobys into strips.
2. Mix the remaining ingredients into a marinade and soak the scoby for 24 hours.
3. Place the kombucha scoby in strips on the tray of your dehydrator.
4. Dry the strips until most of the moisture has disappeared (about 8 hours at 40 °C).
5. Store your Scoby jerky at room temperature in an airtight jar and use it within one month.

Notes

The easiest way to get thin scobys for this recipe is to carefully scrape off the top layer of the kombucha fungus. Alternatively, you can try separating a thick scoby into layers.

If you don't have a dehydrator, you can prepare your Scoby jerky in the oven. Simply set the oven to the lowest temperature and leave the door propped open with a wooden spoon.

Scoby fruit gum

Tools:

• mixer
• Dehydrator
• Baking paper or dehydrating film
• Angled spatula
• Pizza cutter or scissors

Ingredients:

• 500 g SCOBY
• 125 g fruit puree (strawberry or mixed with raspberry puree)
• 25 g cup organic sugar

Preparation:

1. Puree the fruit, add the sugar to the fruit and set the mixture aside.
2. Puree the scoby in a blender at medium speed.
3. Add the fruit puree and continue mixing until well blended.
4. Cut the baking paper to fit the dehydrator tray.
5. Pour the SCOBY fruit mixture onto the paper on the rack.
6. Spread the mixture with an angled spatula to all edges (about 1/2 cm thick).
7. Repeat steps 1 through 5 until all trays are filled.
8. Dry the mixture at 30°C for 24 to 36 hours or until the mixture is dry and no longer sticky.
9. Remove the dried mass from the dehydrator and place it on a cutting board.
10. Using a pizza cutter or scissors, cut 1/2 cm wide strips across the entire dried scoby fruit mass.
11. Leave the dried Scoby fruit gum on the parchment paper and roll up the Scoby fruit.
12. Store in an airtight container.
13. Remove the Scoby fruit gum from the paper before consumption.

ENJOY YOUR MEAL!