The Most Disgusting Food Ever!

[errantember]

I brew kombucha. So far my efforts have produced very vinegary, not-as-good-as-the-stuff-from-the-store results. The thing that converts the extra-strong, sugary tea first into alcohol, and then into vinegar, is called a Symbiotic Colony of Yeast and Bacteria, and it generally looks like this:



It's every bit as disgusting in person as it looks in this picture, and, worse yet, it feels like *MEAT*! Like steak! It has the same slimy, firmish, meaty quality that real meat has.

Every time you brew a batch of kombucha, the SCOBY makes a new, pancake-like layer. After a few batches, half your brew tank is *full* of this *thing*! The first time I wanted to get rid of the excess, I took it outside and threw it on a tree, figuring it would make good fertilizer.

This time, however, I'm going to eat it!



I've found a limited amount of sketchy information on the Interweb that this will not necessarily kill you. The thing I'm trying first is dehydrating it, which is going on *right* *now*! The result is supposed to be sweet and jerky-like.

This is officially the craziest food-related thing I've ever done! Yay!

I will continue to do research while it's dehydrating to see how much of a risk I might be taking. I'm also only going to have a tiny nibble initially, then see what happens.

Comments

[emmainfiniti.livejournal.com]

Strangely, I understand the tension between "it will not necessarily kill you" and not wanting to waste something that could be construed as food.

Aren't you growing chickens? If you can't eat the blob, maybe it could be fed to the fowl?

BTW - I am both disgusted and entertained.