Making kefir is one of the most important things I do to keep our family healthy. It is not always readily appreciated by other people. Somehow it's flavor can be offensive to some people, but I think
anyone can learn to enjoy a kefir smoothie. We sure do!
Now, I do not do a lot of research so I am not really that knowledgeable of all of kefir's health benefits, but I have read that it has more probiotics than yogurt does and is easier for you to digest. The guy I got my grains from said that the kefir had healed him of his lactose intolerance and acid reflux.
When you first start your kefir journey you might feel like you need to do it just so. That is not really the case with kefir, it is a very simple product that is very forgiving. Just keep going and giving it fresh milk and your grains will live.
It starts with getting the kefir grains. You find a friend that already has some and they can share. They are always growing so they won't mind sharing. Or there is a
website where you can get them from someone else for a small fee or just the shipping cost, this is how I got mine. Although they are called grains they aren't of the wheat, barley type grain family. Sometimes your grains will be a big glob and other times lots of little globs.
Once you have your grains you need to put them into a jar with milk, any milk will do. It is creamier with whole milk but works with raw, pasteurized/homogenized, and skim. About 1/2 cup of grains to 1 quart of milk. You need to place them in a glass or ceramic container ( Islamic people used to keep it in a goatskin water bag) that is a little bigger than the amount of milk you use as they do produce a gas and expand some as the fermentation process continues.
The more grains you use to the amount of milk just speeds up the process and the kefir will be ready a little quicker. If you are a person who likes to measure and do things on a schedule than it might be wise to keep track of the amount of grains you have. I just notice that the kefir looks ready and so on, no measuring ever :)
Now that your grains are in the milk you can
put the lid on and let sit for 24 hours on the back of your counter. They do seem to grow faster in a warmer environment.
If you notice a little whey in your kefir before you are ready to strain it you can
give your jar a shake, shake, shake. In fact you should do that at random intervals anyways. (in some cultures they kept their kefir hanging in the doorway and everyone who passed by was to give it a swing, to mix the grains up)
The next day after they have sat for about 24 hours put a strainer over a container and gently pour your kefir into the strainer. It can kind of splat a lot, so pouring slowly and having a rubber spatula handy is useful. I rub my grains with the spatula to get all the kefir out of them.
If your kefir gets to a chunky with whey stage don't worry, use it anyway. It does that if it sat a little to long.
After you strain your grains put them in room temperature milk, give it a shake and start the process all over again.
To use your kefir is as varied as there are people, but my favorite way is to make smoothies. Once in awhile I use it for sour cream and in baking but rarely very much there as I feel like a lot of its value is then baked out of it, or killed. I do soak my wheat in a little kefir plus water before making bread.
To make a smoothie I place some frozen berries and about 1/4 cup of sugar into the blender and then pour kefir to fill it about 3/4's of the way full. Too full and it will find a way to escape from the blender! We also use frozen juice or apple sauce, cinnamon and brown sugar. Beatrice's favorite way right now is orange juice concentrate, tiny bit of sugar and vanilla added to the kefir and blended well.
Store your kefir in the fridge until you are ready to use it. It will continue to ferment/ripen as long as it isn't eaten. Keeping it in the fridge just slows down the process.
Things to pay attention to.
Don't expose grains to chlorinated water, always use dry jars, strainers and so on.
Don't expose your grains to heat, such as hot containers from the dishwasher.
Don't expose your grains to metal unless it is stainless steel, or has a a non- reactive coating.
Don't keep them to long in a closed container that is too small as gas will build up which could burst your container.
Happy kefiring!
~Anna
This month we have been enjoying fresh raw honey and also as a special treat honey in the comb from Abbi's honey bees. It has been a special treat that we have enjoyed on our bread with butter, in tea and even by the spoonful (the honey comb). It has certainly been a sweet and sticky treat! This morning however we branched out and had it in baked goods. Chocolate chip muffins were requested for breakfast so that is what we had, or the children had. Travis and I had chocolate chip muffins minus the chips and they were delicious. These are plenty sweet enough to be used like a cupcake and served with a little frosting to dress them up.
The original recipe prior my modifications came from my Better Homes and Gardens Cook Book. It is my regular go-to cook book that my Grandma Cleone gave me for Christmas in 1991. It is getting very dog-eared and worn but I continue to use it regularly. It has all the basics in it.
Serve warm and enjoy!
