Donna - This is for you!

I promised my cousin that I would teach her how to make milk kefir, and even though I've posted information about milk kefir before (see what is listed on the right on this page) I want to try to simplify it for her.

Above, from left to right, you can see what I use.  First is the jar with the kefir grains and milk that has been fermenting for 24 hours.  There are a LOT of grains in there because I'm letting them propagate so I have plenty to give away.

Then you see a glass bowl with a stainless steel strainer, a jug of Vitamin D milk (whole milk) and last is the container I use to keep the liquid kefir in the refrigerator.

So, to reiterate, you need the following:

Milk kefir grains

Fresh milk

Glass jar with a lid for fermenting

Glass or plastic bowl

Stainless steel strainer (or plastic colander with small holes)

A glass jar or container with a lid for storing the liquid kefir

Here is the jar with the kefir grains that has been fermenting since yesterday:

Pour the contents into the strainer over a bowl:

Bounce the strainer up and down until most of the liquid kefir has drained into the bowl.  Here is what they will look like then: 

Return the grains to the fermenting jar and pour enough milk over them to cover the grains well.  

Replace the lid.  Do not tighten it.  It needs to be a little loose so the gases can escape.  Set the jar out of the way somewhere in your kitchen:

Pour the liquid kefir from the bowl into your refrigerator container and put it back in the fridge:

After 24 hours, repeat!  The grains will multiply and you can either eat the extra or discard them or share them with someone else.  Other than milk, you never have to buy another thing.  I've had mine for a long time and bought them originally on eBay.

Once a week, I wash my fermenting and storage jars.  This takes a lot more time to talk about than to do.

Donna, I am going to send you the grains.  Just put them in a jar immediately and cover them with milk.  Then, the next day, proceed.

Easy peasy!

Love you!

Kefir - Chapter 18

I have been brewing milk kefir since 2009, and as you can see on the right hand column of my blog, have posted many "chapters" about it.  I admit that it is an "acquired taste", but I really do love kefir and it didn't take long to get there.  Mine is quite sour, smooth and with a full body.  It is wonderful, not only for drinking, but for baking, and the "kefir cheese" can be used in place of cream cheese.

I have reported a few "cures" I have observed through the ensuing years.  Well... I am here to tell you one of my own.  It is slightly embarrassing, but such a wonderful turn of events for me that I have to tell you about it.

About 12 years ago I contracted a food-borne illness from some tainted table grapes.  They were sold in a local store at a deeply discounted rate, so I stocked up.  The package that I used first had a little mold in it.  It never occurred to me  that would be a problem.  I took off the bad grapes, gave the others a good rinse and chowed down.  Big mistake!!!  I came down with the worst case of diarrhea I had ever had... and it continued.  After several days I was forced to go to the doctor.  He gave me an antibiotic, and something for amoebic dysentery and one other thing that I can't remember right now. The icky sickness I was feeling went away, however, the diarrhea did not.  And I have struggled with that ever since, every day.  Ugh.  It was embarrassing and exceedingly inconvenient. A gastroenterologist diagnosed me with collagenous cholitis and he said it was nothing to be concerned about, as far as it causing anything serious, so I thought, "Ok.  I'll just ignore it as much as I can and not keep trying to 'cure' it."  Now... on to the kefir part:

I generally only drank a small glass of the kefir every day, because for most of those years, we had milk goats and I wanted to be able to drink more fresh goat milk.  At the end of May, our milk goat, Heidi, died. So, I have been using the whole milk from the store since then.  About 2 months ago I started drinking a whole glass of milk kefir at breakfast.  After a couple of weeks I noticed my gut problem improving, and before long, I was almost completely normal. 

I am astounded and oh so grateful.  People talk a lot about probiotics.  The milk kefir is full of them - some articles say as many as 20 varieties.  Fermented foods of all kinds are very good for the gut flora and of course the kefir is fermented.

There you go!

Kefir - Chapter 17 - how I am doing it now...

I began blogging about milk kefir on December 10, 2009.  If you look over on the right side of this page, you'll see the "chapters" there.  I want to update you on how I manage it now.  It hasn't changed much, but I have learned, through experience, what works and what is easiest.

Ok, starting on the left and going clockwise, here is what you're looking at:

1. Quart jar of liquid milk kefir with the lid loosely screwed on.  I always let it sit out on the counter, and use it for many things, including drinking, "buttermilk" biscuits, pancakes and making kefir cheese - which I use like cream cheese... yes, even in cheesecake!

2. 1/2 gallon jar of fresh goat milk.  You can use any milk.  It needn't be raw or goat.

3. Small Pyrex bowl with a stainless steel strainer sitting in it. 

4. Pint fermenting jar with a lid loosely screwed on. In this jar are the kefir grains and I add fresh milk every morning after straining out the liquid kefir into the bowl there.

Kefir grains multiply, so when I have too many, I either share them with friends or just eat them.  They are kind of nice!  Sort of like a softish sour gummie bear.  Truly.  I like them.

Here is the morning routine:

1. Pour the contents of the pint fermenting jar into the strainer placed in the bowl.  Let it drain and then using a stainless spoon, I scoop the grains back into the jar, and eat some if need be.

2. Pour more fresh milk over the grains and put the lid on loosely.

3.  Pour the liquid kefir out of the bowl into the quart jar, shake it up and pour out some to drink.

4.  Put the two jars back in their spot on the counter.

5.  Wash up the bowl and strainer.  That's it! 

It's the work of about 2 minutes, probably.  Very easy and quick.  Occasionally I switch to clean jars when they start looking a bit crunchy, but it is perfectly safe not to do that.

If you were ever in a situation where you wanted to have milk, but had no refrigeration, using kefir grains would keep your milk safe indefinitely.