Below details how to brew kombucha and set it up to grow a SCOBY (Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast), which is what you will harvest later for the bioleather. The SCOBY will grow to the dimensions of your liquid’s surface, so keep that in mind when selecting a glass pan/container for it to grow in. The SCOBY will need time to grow thick enough to harvest, so plan on waiting at least 6 weeks before you will be able to have your first finished sheet of bioleather.
View the three how-to videos below, with Sarah Garrison [20 MID] taking you through the kombucha bioleather making process.
Materials:
—Large pot
—Large glass pan
—Cooking spoon
—Cotton fabric (tin foil, or plastic wrap will also work) – large enough to cover the top of the glass pan
Ingredients:
—¾ cup sugar
—8 black tea bags (or 3 tbsp loose leaf black tea)
—16 oz store-bought unflavored kombucha
—12 cups water
Method:
—In a large pot, boil 4 cups water
—Dissolve sugar in water
—Remove from heat
—Steep tea for 15 minutes
—Add 8 cups cold water (solution must be room temperature BEFORE adding kombucha)
—Add bottle of kombucha and stir
—Fill sterilized large glass pan, leaving at least ½ from surface to lip of pan
—Refrigerate remaining liquid for a later step
—Cover with cotton fabric and secure (if you are using tin join or plastic wrap poke a lot of tiny holes in the material so you liquid can get plenty of fresh air)
—Place in a warm, dry location away from direct sunlight
The SCOBY is a living thing and will need new nutrients to continue growing!
—Add more liquid once a week, or more often if your pan begins to dry out. If you run out of liquid, make a ½ or ¼ batch of this recipe, omitting bottled kombucha.
—Within 1 week a film should start to form on the surface. It will look strange, don’t worry!
—Wait 3-4 weeks to see proper SCOBY growth
—Seed mat can be placed below the glass to speed up metabolism
https://naturelab.risd.edu/discover/biomaterials-you-can-make-at-home
