Here are a few good options:
Leave your ‘baby’ SCOBY in the jar with the ‘mother’ SCOBY:
This is the simplest option – you can brew a normal batch of kombucha with multiple SCOBYs in the one jar. Normally they will fuse together into a mega SCOBY over time. Depending on what sort of jar you are using, this can make them difficult to get in and out when harvesting your fresh kombucha brew. Keep an eye on them if you are worried about this and separate them with a ceramic knife if you would like to the keep the size more manageable.
Start a new homemade kombucha batch or get creative:
Staggering your brews is a good idea to make sure you always have enough fresh kombucha on hand. Use extra SCOBYs so you can harvest a fresh brew every week. If you want to experiment with different flavours and get creative – use your spare SCOBYs without the risk of something going wrong and killing your only SCOBY!
Check back soon for some advanced kombucha brewing recipes.
Set up a SCOBY hotel:
You can store extra SCOBYs together in bulk with a SCOBY hotel for long periods of time. When done properly your extra SCOBYs will live happily in their hotel for months until you want to use them for something.
Check out this article for instructions.
Eat your SCOBY:
This is not something for everyone! The reality is that a SCOBY is great fibre, and also has the probiotic benefits of kombucha itself. There are a few different ways you way like to eat your SCOBY. Some of these include, blending up the SCOBY and adding it to a smoothie, using it for vegan sushi (the texture is like calamari) or trying a tangy SCOBY sorbet.
Make SCOBY jerky:
Simply cut your SCOBY into thin strips and dehydrate in the oven or by using a dehydrator. The time required will depend on how thick your SCOBY is. Regularly check to see when everything has completely dried out. The ideal temperature range for dehydrating is between 35-40°C.
Once dried, eat the jerky as a snack whenever you would like!
Feed your SCOBY to a pet:
Dogs, chickens and goats will happily eat SCOBY jerky, and some non-fussy pets will also eat a raw one without a second thought. The probiotics that are good for you are also going to be good for your pet’s digestive system.
Use your SCOBY for compost:
The last resort option for when you have SCOBYs coming out of your ears is to blend them up in a food processor and spread the SCOBY pulp on your garden. Dig a small ditch below the surface around the base of the plant, put the SCOBY mix in there and then cover with dirt. You may also like to mix this with other fertiliser or ‘worm tea’ from your own worm farm.
SCOBYs are pure cellulose (carbon, hydrogen and oxygen) which will break down into rich organic matter over time.