Waiting on a SCOBY
Last week after I moved my kombucha jar to take a photo for the blog, the SCOBY that was floating on the surface sank to the bottom. Now there is a new SCOBY forming on the top which is almost a quarter inch thick. The older SCOBY is starting to rise back up to meet the new SCOBY. I am hoping they combine into one SCOBY, but I think it will be okay to have two. I am hopeful I will be able to start the first batch of kombucha this week or the week after depending on the growth of the new kombucha mama and if the two combine.
My childhood home was a place that became a “container of experiences” for me, I lived there for 16 years of my life and have many memories there from growing up. Since my parents sold that house and I have not lived there for the last 7 years, other places have become meaningful to me in my life now. The home I have created in the last four years has become meaningful to me in a different way than the one I grew up in. It is a space I have molded to fit my life and the occupations I choose to pursue. I have a basement pottery studio and plants on almost every available surface, they make me feel calm and at home. My partner and I remodeled the kitchen; we removed a wall and a low ceiling and installed new cabinets, flooring, and counters. We have built a garden in the backyard and are raising chickens for eggs. Growing my own food is an experience I really enjoy, and I like knowing the chickens I get eggs from are treated well. At first this house was just a space, but this has changed now that my partner and I have made it our own through personal experiences, routine, and the setting we have created. “'What begins as undifferentiated space becomes place as we get to know it better and endow it with value’(Hasselkus & Dickie, 2021)”. This house has grown into my new container of memories that can grow and evolve as I do. While it doesn’t have the long past connection compared to my childhood home, it represents me and my future.
Making kombucha is a becoming a new ritual and new part of my routine. It is an experience in that requires concentrated attention. The chapter about space and place in The Meaning of Everyday Occupation talks about having ways to express harmony and how this relates to how we feel in an environment. For me, learning to brew kombucha is a way to support my health and well-being. It is important for me to be able to have occupations in my environment that support my comfort and happiness.
Works Cited
Bond, S. (2021, May 7). The Simple Guide to Kickass Kombucha. Retrieved from Live Eat Learn: https://www.liveeatlearn.com/the-simple-guide-to-kickass-kombucha/
Hasselkus, B. R., & Dickie, V. A. (2021). The Meaning of Everday Occupation. Thorofare, NJ: SLACK incorporated.
Hi Maddie! I'm excited to see if your SCOBY's combine into one. I'll have to check back next week. I loved reading about your experience of place in your new home. I bet remodeling a bunch of the house was a huge part of the transformation of it from a space to a place. Is there a specific moment you can recall of feeling like your house became a place? I'm still getting settled in my new apartment and I just hung up some decorations in my room and I'd say that contributed to it feeling a little more "placelike" (if that's a word). I want to start growing some of my own food next year. What do you grow and do you have any suggestions for someone just getting into gardening?
ReplyDeleteHey Maddy! Remodeling my house has definitely been a huge part of making it more of a "place". I don't think I had a specific moment I realized I felt comfort and a placelike feeling in my home- I think it was a long process of designing the house and space to fit my needs and wants. It slowly grew on me. I think decorations are a great start to making a place feel more like it is yours! I made a little nook in my house with my papasan chair, plants, and some artwork and it has become my favorite place to be when I feel overwhelmed. I will say I love gardening but it has definitely been a learning curve! I think it is important to grow foods that you like to eat, I grow a lot of tomatoes and make sauce that I can freeze and use all winter. I also really like peppers but haven't had as much luck with them so far. I grew garlic for the first time this year, it is planted in the fall and harvested mid-summer. This has probably been my favorite thing I have grown so far!
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