"Psycho" is definitely a classic and my favorite parts were always the creepy shots of 'mother' in the rocking chair in the highest window. Now that I've gotten into home brewing of kombucha (booch, for short), I can totally understand how my friend, Sal, from the Co-op ended up with a sketch of a booch 'mother' in a rocking chair in the highest window of a creepy house: Mother takes a lot of work and she is creepy!
Here's what she looks like:
She actually covers the entire surface area of this 2.5 gallon spigot jug (you can see the space between her and the jar on the edge). The heavier white circle is actually her new baby growing underneath. [Shiver.]
How did I get into growing a mess of fermented yeast when I've already killed (truly the cold weather did that) a basil plant this spring? I got 'mother' thanks to the very generous gift of Joey. [Although I think the true blessing was getting to see Joey again!] The new booch brewing hobby comes as part of my goal to spend the year engaged in individual change projects related to social and environmental concerns. My 'booch habit' is not only a cost I cannot afford long-term, but it's a cost to the environment in that it requires the production and transportation of heavy glass bottles. We always focus on the carbon emissions associated with travel, but travel accounts for only 14% of carbon emissions compared to the 18% associated with the production, distribution, refrigeration, etc. of our food. [Actually, 18% is only the estimate for our meat and dairy production, so the true number for food and beverages would be much higher given that the average meal travels 1,500 miles to get to our plates.]
So, in thinking about how I want to relate to the world and what systems I want to participate in, I decided to try to brew my own booch. Rather than paying $4 a bottle for booch from Beverly Hills (literally), we attended a class at the New Pioneer Co-op. I resisted my typical urge to buy a 'kit' for home brewing ($250 with heater), did some online research instead, and came up with a 'continuous brewing' system for about $60 total. So far, my new system has yielded 12 bottles (see below) so I should break even by my next batch!
Besides the fact that I'll hopefully (as long as mother doesn't get moldy, fruit fly infestation, or vinegar eels [shudder]) save myself a ton of money and the environment more carbon emissions, my new hobby has already made me feel more connected and productive.
I actually grew something! Everything above I grew from Joey's lovely gift. But I also am growing a spare 'mother' from a bottle of store-bought kombucha for a SCOBY 'hotel.' I've learned it's best to have a stack of mothers in a jar(s) in the event of said eel/mold/fly infestation [shudder, again]. She's pictured below. She's much smaller, but she's still good.
More importantly, I actually grew my connections with people. I met more people at the Co-op. I got to see Joey again. Melanie and I have worked together to maintain the temperature and health of mother and baby. I'm happy. Now as long as I don't poison us both, it's all good! :) B.
Yay! Throw some chia seeds up in that kombucha when it's ready!
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