Kefir grains

11 years ago

I make yogurt at home all the time and now want to expand to kefir making. Mainly for smoothies for breakfast or light dinner. I have been reading a lot about it and would like to get some good quality kefir grains. Is there a source you can recommend. Is yogourmet brand any good - it is what is available in my local wholefoods. Ideally, I would like to make enough for 2 glasses per day for DH and I. Any tips to make the kefir that tastes mild and not too tart?

Comments (2)

User
11 years ago
I haven't been making it very long but I have gotten a product that really tastes great and is very easy to do. I got my grains from a friend . He had then stored in 2% milk. They like to be in what they are used to according to what I read. I tried them in whole milk as that was all I had and they weren't happy :( I got some 2% and they have been very happy since. I take one tsp of grains and place in a clean pint mason jar and fill up with the cold 2% milk. I stir well once. I leave on the counter over night. In the am it is the consistency of soft yogurt and a little bit fizzy...very mild. I take out one tsp of curds and add to a new pint of milk and drain the rest of the grains and use as soft cheese like ricotta. I either make a smoothy or use in soup the current pint or put into the fridge.

I have read on here as well as all over the net. The kefir grains like to be used. They like fresh milk. They don't need to be be "big" to do what they need to do. As a matter of fact since I have been using mine every single day they are milder and multiplying but staying soft and small. All together I love them way better now than the ones I got originally which were larger and firmer and much more tart.

This is just my take and I am sure grainlady will come by...she has been doing this for years. I am very very happy with mine and the product I am getting is superior. Good Luck !! c

draining the grains...you can see how small and soft they are :

up close draining:

after 24 hrs:

making a smoothy !
grainlady_ks
11 years ago
Put the word out to your friends, check "Freecycle", or a local health food store or food co-op (check the bulletin boards) and see if anyone has some REAL kefir grains, or know someone who has some, they would share with you. There are also sources on-line - I just haven't ever used one to suggest it.

Skip the Yogourmet kefir. It's entirely different from the kefir you make with REAL grains. I first started using Yogourmet until I found the grains, which I've used now for about 10-years. If you do use Yogourmet kefir, you can use a portion from your first batch (1/4-1/3-cup to 2-4 cups of milk) to use as a starter for another batch or two (kinda like you do with homemade yogurt), but the bacteria quickly die and you won't get a curd. Which proves it isn't REAL kefir, just a selection of a few bacteria. But you will get several quarts for the price of one that way (always looking at the economics ;-).

The amount of kefir you make will depend on how many grains you have (grains to milk ratio). I normally use 1/3-1/2 cup grains to 2-1/2 cups milk and make it every few days, or will make 2 or 3 consecutive batches if I need more to use as a substitute for buttermilk, or drained and used in recipes for cream cheese, plain yogurt, or sour cream. We use it in a smoothie every morning as well.

Once you get the grains, they will start growing pretty quickly with regular use. I rest my grains in the refrigerator in a cup of milk in a pint jar with a plastic lid on the jar. If the grains have been resting in that milk for several days (or up to a week or two - if you go on vacation), when I take the grains out to use for the next batch and I just let the jar with 1-cup of milk sit out to ferment as well. There will be enough bacteria from the grains sitting in it to ferment the milk and make curds/whey. So don't toss that milk out!!!

If you haven't found Dom's Kefir In-site, the link below, will give you lots of information.

Good luck with your search for grains.

-Grainlady

Here is a link that might be useful: Dom's Kefir Insite
Related Discussions
kefir grains 'homemade'
Q
Comments (2)
I don't know. I bought mine off the internet recently, and now they reproduce. I'd share with you, but I have a long list of people I intend to force them on. An interesting web site is Dom's kefir site. I can find the actual url if you'd like.
...See More
Free Milk Kefir Grains - Northern NJ
Q
Comments (21)
Ruth, unless you really want a ton of spam in your inbox and worse, it's not a good idea to post your email address on public forums. People can contact you through Houzz's messaging facility. You can edit your post to remove your email address if you wish.
...See More
Free pack of Water Kefir Grain(SKG)
Q
Comments (10)
Water kefir notes Probiotics, think of yogurt but not dairy. So it's very good for you like any other fermented type food, sauerkraut, miso, kimchi, etc, 2. Easy to make, won't fail or go bad. 3. Put them in soup, smoothies, etc. helps with pets digestion as well. cause it's sugar water, so anything you want to cook with that calls for liquid and sugar are ok. Experiment. 4. Make a beauty mask out fit 5. Add it with any flavor of juice concentrate, bottle it you got Italian soda! But the fizz last much longer cause it keep producing it. Ball quart jar is perfect. 1/4 cup -1/3 cup sugar. 1. Fancy version: mineral water, organic brown sugar, a touch of molasses, with organic lemon slice/ ginger / raisin, etc 2. Daily version, fridge filtered water or tap water sit 24 hours, regular brown sugar, that's it. Cover with a piece of paper towel tight with rubber band 3. When it double, filter the grains out and rinse it with filtered water, repeat process. Put water kefir in a glass bottle, with a screw-on lid, let it sit on the counter for 24 hours, then flavor it ( individual AW plastic bottle root beer is perfect, it's the strongest flavor and the color matched! that's what my husband bring to work everyday) put It keeps a longtime. Next time when you have children over, instead of giving them store bought soda, have them try this instead. SASBE self addressed stamped bubble envelope or SASE( Self addressed stamped envelope) It's a common lingo in seeds exchange forum. In this case, if it has to go through post office machine, it won't hurt them. Unlike seeds; will be crushed This post was edited by itsy_ant on Sat, Aug 3, 13 at 20:41
...See More
I am seeking kefir grains + raw goat milk source
Q
Comments (20)
I wouldn't add any sugar or butter, although I understand the grains like a little milk fat. Meanwhile, mine are happy fermenting in fat-free reconstituted powdered milk. I do occasionally add a bit of half and half if I happen to have some around after I read that information. Raw goat milk probably has the fat in it since I doubt it's been processed through a separator. If I have some milk in the refrigerator I think is about to "turn" on me, that's when I make a point of making kefir. It's going to sour anyway during the fermentation stage. I try to use the freshest milk I have when I rest them in the refrigerator, especially if I know it's going to be several days, or up to a week, before I make kefir again. What will help your grains grow is making consecutive batches - non-stop kefiring. Once your grains are acclimated, you can add them to milk and ferment for 6-8 hours and then take the grains out and add them to another batch. Leave the first batch sit for 12-24 hours TOTAL (until you achieve the thickness you like). There is more than enough good bacteria in the first batch to make nice thick kefir even without the grains in it. If you do that for a several days you should see enough growth to divide the grains within a week or two. You may also need to put the grains in more than one cup of milk as they grow. I use 2-1/2 c. of milk per quart jar + 1/4 - 1/3 c. kefir grains. What is the temperature where you are placing your kefir for fermenting? As our home gets colder (mid- to lower-60-degrees F), it takes the kefir longer to ferment, but it's also sweeter-tasting and less tart than in the summer when the house is much warmer. The kefir also ferments much quicker in the warmer temperatures. If the fermenting temperature is too warm, the kefir gets very grainy and separates, instead of a nice smooth curd. I divide the grains when they get to the size of a quarter. How to: with clean fingers (make sure there isn't any soap residue on your hands after washing them), pull them apart into 2 or 3 portions. They easily pull apart where they are the weakest. -Grainlady
...See More

Kefir grains

Comments (2)

User

grainlady_ks

Related Discussions

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US