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LAB Troubleshooting, Bacillus Subtilis Probiotics, Fish Amino Acid

Drake walks through LAB from start to finish: collect rice wash water two to three days until mold blooms, pour off one part into ten parts milk, and let it separate. The curd forms a protective cork that can hold for up to two weeks. Once poured off, mix in equal parts sugar by volume and keep the temperature steady so it stores for months. He covers the smell test at each stage: sweet turning sour on the rice wash, yogurt water on the milk stage, and a normal acetone smell when you first open stored LAB. Rotten eggs or vomit means it went bad.

On probiotics, Drake compares homemade LAB and IMO to store-bought products. Most commercial probiotics are just lactobacillus. He shows Jim McElvaney's Backyard Probiotics, a bubbler setup that cultures bacillus subtilis and bacillus lichenformis, the same microbes found in seed IMO. He also talks about taking DE111-strain bacillus subtilis capsules himself for a known, lab-grown dose. A viewer asks how Master Cho is doing; Drake's last update, through Dr. Park about four months earlier, was that he has retired from teaching and is in assisted living.

He explains the difference between fish amino acid and fish hydrolysate: hydrolysate is processed and often heated, which denatures the aminos, while knfFuel slowly ferments the fish with sugar into richer, intact aminos. No need to add IMO to the fuel bucket, just keep it submerged under a rock. For cover crops, give a leaf solution right before mowing or crimping, then a soil foundation with IMO and a soil formula afterward.

Drake shares Richard Perea's story of using Christmas berry fermented plant juice to recover from Agent Orange exposure, and warns Kaʻū farmers to remove Christmas berry slowly rather than clearing it all at once. He also explains why he's cautious with Jadam, since it relies on putrefaction and can grow pathogenic microbes, unlike Master Cho's edible KNF solutions. The episode closes with a viewer video from Julia in Finland making flower FPJ for her beekeeping friend's bees.

Questions answered

  • 11:49 My rice wash water for LAB has been sitting a while — can I wait too long? — Yes, once mold blooms on the surface it starts to rot, so pour it off as soon as you see that.
  • 15:15 How do I preserve LAB for a long time? — Mix in equal parts sugar by volume and keep the storage temperature steady, not swinging up and down.
  • 15:58 What should LAB smell like at each stage, and when has it gone bad? — Sweet turning sour, then yogurt water, then a normal acetone smell on opening; rotten eggs or vomit means it's bad.
  • 18:15 What's actually in Jim McElvaney's Backyard Probiotics setup? — A bubbler culturing bacillus subtilis and bacillus lichenformis, the same microbes found in seed IMO.
  • 27:00 Can I use water kefir instead of lacto? — Yes, water kefir is a type of lactobacillus, though likely a narrower strain.
  • 31:37 Does putting LAB in smoothies work? — Yes, the glucose in the smoothie helps carry the lacto deeper into your gut.
  • 34:03 Are bacillus subtilis probiotic capsules worth taking? — Drake takes DE111-strain capsules for a known, lab-grown dose, versus the mixed strains you get from homemade IMO.
  • 36:35 How is Master Cho doing? — He's retired from teaching and in assisted living, per Drake's last update from Dr. Park about four months earlier.
  • 41:15 Should I remove Christmas berry before starting a farm in Ka'u? — Remove it slowly and plant behind it, rather than clearing it all at once.
  • 42:19 What did Richard Perea say about Christmas berry juice and Agent Orange? — He drank Christmas berry fermented plant juice to help recover from Agent Orange exposure from Vietnam.
  • 47:39 What's the difference between fish amino acid and fish hydrolysate? — Hydrolysate is processed and often heated, denaturing the aminos; fish amino acid is slow-fermented by microbes into richer aminos.
  • 48:54 Should I add IMO to knfFuel? — No, it's unnecessary and can break down the oils; just weigh the fish down with a rock and keep it submerged.
  • 50:05 How do I apply KNF to cover crops? — Give a leaf solution right before mowing or crimping, then a soil foundation with IMO and a soil formula right after.
  • 53:33 My WCA bubbled over when I added vinegar to eggshells — too much? — Add the vinegar in two halves instead of all at once so it doesn't bubble over.
  • 54:43 Why be cautious with Jadam? — It relies on putrefaction, not fermentation, and can grow pathogenic microbes, so dilute it well and never ingest it.

Topics: lab, bacillus subtilis, probiotics, fish amino acid, fish hydrolysate, wca, imo, fpj, christmas berry, jadam, cover crops, master cho

KNF Office Hours is a free live Q&A every Sunday at 9 AM HST. Bring your question to pureknf.org/learn/questions or join live.

In this episode

  1. 0:00 Intro and Welcome
  2. 2:07 I Ching Reading: Providing Nourishment
  3. 11:49 Collecting rice wash water for LAB; how long to wait
  4. 15:15 How to preserve LAB for a long time
  5. 15:58 The three stages of LAB and what they smell like
  6. 18:15 Backyard Probiotics: bacillus subtilis and lichenformis
  7. 27:00 Can water kefir replace lacto?
  8. 31:37 Putting LAB in smoothies
  9. 34:03 Bacillus subtilis capsules vs homemade IMO
  10. 36:35 Master Cho health update
  11. 41:15 Christmas berry: remove or mulch before starting a farm
  12. 42:19 Christmas berry FPJ and Agent Orange recovery
  13. 47:39 Fish amino acid vs fish hydrolysate
  14. 48:54 knfFuel recipe: do you need IMO?
  15. 50:05 Applying KNF to cover crops
  16. 53:33 Adding vinegar to eggshells without bubbling over
  17. 54:43 Why be cautious with Jadam
  18. 57:16 Sugar vs molasses
  19. 58:31 Julia's flower FPJ for the bees
  20. 1:02:38 Bees and microbes on KNF video

Transcript

Auto-transcribed with Whisper. Click any timestamp to play from there.

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