A New Field
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Recipe

Kombucha (SCOBY) leather

A pellicle of bacterial cellulose grown in sweet tea, then rinsed, flattened and slowly dried into a thin leather.

Every A New Field recipe has been run in a domestic kitchen or community hall. Read the safety notes before you start and adapt for your venue.

What you’ll make

Amber, translucent, leather-like when oiled; papery if left bare.

Flexible slots (flex around your material)

  • Culture

    Bacterial celluloseOne large mother

    Cellulose grown by kombucha SCOBY in sweet tea. Dries to a leather-like sheet.

    Examples Kombucha SCOBY

    Note — Rinse gently before drying.

  • Finish (optional)

    Plant oil (drying)a thin rub

    Oils that polymerise and harden on exposure to air. Used as finishes and binders.

    Examples Linseed oil

    Note — Turns it leather-like.

Fixed ingredients

  • Black tea + sugar · 1L tea + 70g sugar

Equipment

  • Large glass jar or tub
  • cotton cloth
  • rubber band
  • flat drying surface.

Refinements and variations

  • Brush with linseed oil once dry for a tougher leather
  • Dye the sheet before drying with turmeric or onion skin.

Source notes

Well documented in Materiom and biofabrication communities.