ULOG #18: Life stuff & KOMBUCHA: Experimenting with Flavors!

in #ulog6 years ago (edited)

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Honestly, I'm having a hard time lately. I'm feeling super anti-social and even commenting/interacting on facebook or discord is giving me raging anxiety. I told my husband that I just want to go hole up in a cabin in the mountains for a while and just write with no interruptions. I have started a new story that I think will be really freaking cool, but I get so distracted with all of the typical daily 'need to' things. I don't quite know how to balance things very well. It's never been a strong suit of mine!

Anyway, I wanted to make a post of some sort today, but I am keeping some of my fiction under wraps, so today you get an update on my kombucha journey (with a little bit of a reality check at the end!) instead:

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I bought a new 2 gallon jar for upping my game. Now that I appear to have figured out this kombucha brewing thing and more of us are drinking it (imagine... the kids didn't like drinking it when I kept making it taste like pure vinegar!) I wanted to start making more. And I want to be able to keep it going. This has basically become a continuous brew situation.

Each week (or however often I need more) I brew up some strong tea using 2/3 green tea to 1/3 black tea. Two cups of sugar or honey to two gallons of tea. AFTER it's cooled down, then it gets poured in the jar with the scoby and a little bit of starter tea where it will sit on the counter fermenting for a few days to a week or so.

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I had been using 32 oz glass bottles that I recycled from Abyni's favorite lemonade (because you need to use the flip top bottles as the pressure can really build up during the second ferment. But once I started getting the hang of it, I invested a little bit into getting some new 16 oz. bottles. I'm thinking I might even get some 8 ounce bottles next time.

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I used up the last of the grape juice I had bought for flavoring and filled up 7 of the new bottles.

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This batch got SO fizzy! I'm not sure why, but it was freaking delicious and SO bubbly. I LOVE bubbly drinks, but I really dislike soda, so this has been perfect for me.

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I decided to experiment with some new flavors. I bought some peaches, ginger and mango. I cooked it all down...

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And put it through a strainer to get the nice, thick juice for flavoring the next batch of kombucha. I am REALLY really curious to see how it tastes with the ginger in it. I love the slight kick that ginger gives to foods, so I'm really intrigued at the thought of the sweet and spicy idea in a drink!

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And... just in case you think I'm a health nut (I wish I was!) I have actually been having a really hard time lately with emotional shit, bipolar swings that have been all over the place making me feel quite crazy/depressed/manic, whatever... and I've been eating way too much junk food. So much so that I've literally given myself headaches and made myself ill from eating too much junk.

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I am trying to be kind to myself right now, but I definitely need to use the kindness by feeding myself healthy fuel and getting OFF the sugar-junk food kick. I'm trying to do some longer fasts this week... but we'll see how that goes.

Anyway, I am writing a LOT, but I'm saving it for the book I will be publishing at the end of the month (mid September, actually) so that I can publish a compilation and include 'Never Before Published' stories in it as well!

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Short Stories

A fun series: Letters froma Boat Cat!

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My most recent short story done in AUDIO!

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howdy today @byn! so sorry that you have been stressed out and distracted from your writing, I didn't know about the bi-polar issue either. but you are still here and accomplishing! you're unstoppable because you have a calling to write.

and you almost have your book ready to publish, that's tremendous progress! I'm thrilled for you. this healthy stuff, the Kombucha, have to try that sometime myself.
stay strong girl. God bless you!

I'm getting there. I took the step to actually have a real break this week! I will say that I will definitely miss your daily encouragements, though! Thank you SO much, really, for all of your supportive words, it means more than you know!

oh that's so nice of you to say, now I'm gonna get all weepy all over my keyboard! lol. well maybe not quite but you will still have posts on steemit just not everyday right?
and if you ever need prayer or anything you can find me on my posts or an old one of yours, gina will alert me. we ALL need help from time to time!

I so can relate - I am not feeling being social on social media right now either. Really have to make myself to post...
As you can see - haven't done the poetry drawing, poetry digest, newbie recommend drawing or anything else for the freewrite House. I just want to sleep 😳

I totally get you! I am taking a break this week (which also means no freewrite favorites from me this week... maybe we could just have a FWH break that day?) and staying off of all social stuff until I get my website crap figured out.

For me, it's NOT wanting to sleep but feeling too energized/anxious so much that I feel like I can't even keep my attention on one thing, so I'm spinning like a top and not finishing/actually accomplishing anything!!! ACK!

Omg prepare for an explosion! Don't open those inside until you know for sure. It turns out that ginger ferments exceptionally well. You can even do just a ginger starter. Which I do plan....

But the time we did a ginger water kefir omg worse than champagne! Open it outside. Hopefully you just did a small touch of ginger and it will go great.

I want to do a ginger ferment to preserve half gallon jars of fresh fruit. Just as soon as I figure out which fruits I can eat bunches of. Cherries and peaches fermented really great with water kefir. Oh but we kept them in fridge. Usually they were gone within 2 weeks. We just kept adding fresh or frozen fruit into the jars.

We took them home to Mitch's family gathering. And that was that. Then we managed to ruin our water kefir and then life.

So. I've been thinking of starting over with just the ginger ferment as the starter.

I've not been keeping up. My brain is finally starting to feel better after the last round of illness. After being cooped up in the house for over a month, I can somewhat relate to what you're saying about the frustration of feeling up and down and all over. And the feeling of just being incapable of actual conversation.

This morning though my brain was like high on ideas and stringing entire essays together in five minutes ... All in my head of course. But it felt so great! I'm hugging it like a long list friend and terrified I'll do something else stupid to make myself physically ill.

So! Just be encouraged. You will get to the other side of your ups and downs. You've succeeded before. You know how. It will come to you bit by bit.

One of the essays brewing is actually in part because of a question you asked months ago. My struggles this last month has left me examining in much more detail ideas you started. So, I promise, I'll work on it faster, finally!

I'd say more but I have to pack all my toys that are scattered all over the coffee shop table. They close soon. Bummer.

Thanks for the warning! I really didn't use much ginger and it's divided between 6 bottles with no ACTUAL ginger in them (I just strained the juice that cooked down into the bottles) but I will still be careful!

I'm glad that I was able to inspire some writing! I'm taking a bit of a break as well. I have just been pushing and adding things to my "To Do" list every day until I'm just feeling totally burned out, stressed out and incapable of anything!

I hope you'll tag me if you post from a question I asked so I am sure to see it!

Thanks for the comment and the warning!

It sounds like it should be safe. I am exceedingly curious about how this combo turns out! I do promise to tag you.

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