Kefir Fermenters Unite!

[pepperette]

Originally Posted by metqa

Golden Kefir with a hint of Lemon ( Lemon flavored Cod Liver Oil)
No sweet, but very tasty!

[metqa]

Originally Posted by pepperette

No really, you can't detect the texture of the cod liver oil because the Kefir is already full Fat kefir and super thick because of my Super powerful grains.

Because my kefir is so strong, it already has a citrus-y kick to it, which is why I tend to add lemon or lime when I make my blueberry/strawberry smoothies. So the lemony cod liver oil has the same effect as adding a true lemon packet. Texture of the Cod Liver Oil is similar to the MCT oil that I add to my smoothies anyway, so basically It's just like I added MCT oil, a packet of lemon powder to my kefir, which I normally do when I make a sweet smoothie.

I remember as a child taking cod liver oil and it was awful. I don't know how they process it today to make it so much more palatable. It's clear and smells like lemons and is about as oily as MCT oil which I take anyway. I could take it from the spoon without any gagalicious sensations.

This is what I use.

[iamfaithful]

Interesting.... my Golden Kefir isnt sweet either... Dont have the LCLO but a dash of lemon or lime juice would be worth a try.

Going to post this here cause it has to do with kefir....

I was looking for a JUN culture last year... sent a fella the $ to send it to me but all I got were excuses & a request for MORE MKG sent to him - I sent him some as a courtesy for his JUN culture...Anyway - I found a reliable source & will let you know when I get it how the culture goes... I still share with my friends!

BUT I dont know if ya'll remember my experiment last year with MKG & sweet tea actually brewing a SCOBY-like culture and then actually using that culture & liquid to make Kombuch. I tried the same experiment at the same time with WKG and absolutely NOTHING happened.

WELL I got to talking to my sister & thought I would try an experiment. I made 2 cups of sweet GREEN tea with the same ratio as for KT but added HONEY (locally made by local bees & the little ol' beekeeper) 2T for the correct ratio. I have it covered on top of my cabinets in the kitchen & will see what develops in a month. I will let you know...

[Maid of Erin]

jun culture?

[iamfaithful]

Yes, it is brewed like Kombucha but has a SCOBY that has adapted itself to culturing in GREEN TEA & NATURAL UNPROCESSED REAL HONEY. Cultures the same ratios etc but has less yeast stringies & is milder... have never tasted it... just heard about it last year & you know me.... got to try it! I will FB you with the link to the blog so you can see side by side picts of the cultures.

[iamfaithful]

I was going to post my first observation on the MKG, tea/honey...2/29/12
Today without moving it, I lifted the wash cloth covering (still has cloth banded on it) & viewed it with a flashlight. I have little areas of a SCOBY like substance in speckles on the top... I think we may have a winner here! It is too light to post on my FB page but will when I can move it & get a good picture. When my JUN culture arrives this week I will get my fresh honey from the farm up the road & start the culture. By the time it is ready & I have had my first taste, maybe this experiment will be ready to get a good comparison... if not down the road we will see...

I kinda think that BOTH JUN & Kombucha have come from the MKG based on my 1st & possibly the results of the 2nd experiments with MKG & sweetened tea... now if we can figure out where they and the WKG originated.... fun... Porcupine... are you up for the challenge to look????

[Janknitz]

I was curious about water kefir, but lacking the grains I tried it with MKG. It didn't taste very good, I think the sugar/molasses water I was fermenting with is the culprit, not the grains themselves. I ended up dumping it, not drinking it. I need to get some real WKG's.

Meanwhile, I asked DH--a professional winemaker--to run an analysis on the water kefir I made. He measured 5% sugar, I don't remember how much of that was fructose. And it had 1% alcohol (essentially non-alcoholic).

I'll ask him to run a test again when I get real WKG's, but I'm not sure yet if I even like WK.

[iamfaithful]

You will like WK especially if you like flavored carbonated drinks. Use just plain sugar for a better taste. I do a 2F with juice,fruit, jams,ginger etc. I put them in old pop bottles for the 2F & when it is "tight" I refrigerate them. Loads of carbonation! I have about 1/2 gal of WKG as they XX so fast! 2 day ferment max unless you want NO sugar which then is 3 days. Remember no metal on them unless it is stainless. KU

[tstarre]

JUN sounds yummy. Hope you have good luck with it. We have a great store here where I live called honeyman. He always has beautiful local honey. Pricey yes compared to sugar but mmmmm so tasty. I love bees.
If you end up with baby cultures I have a home I can give one. I'm a good mom;O)

[tstarre]

just googled JUN and read that it does better in cooler temps than KT which will be perfect for me this winter as our home is rather coolish in the winter. YAHOO

[gte510i]

Hi guys, I am brand new to making kefir (got my wkg in the mail today)! I am not new to fermentation as I make kimchi frequently.
I may have jumped into the kefir making too soon though. I wanted more ways of getting probiotics into my system and a bottle of Kevita from the grocery was very tasty (and only 2g carbs!)
Anyway, I know that the grain consume all the sucrose leaving behind mostly fructose. Most of my reading on nutrition (I am paleo with lots of WAPF tendencies) hold fructose to be nearly as bad.
Could someone point me to data or information that will help me find out if I can safely drink this and continue to lose weight? The fact that so many of you do it is heartening.

I took my batch of grains and combined it with 1/4 cup of sucanat.

btw: metqa I am originally from Athens too.

[metqa]

Hello GTE,

I didn't know there was a commercial water kefir.

I don't have the answer to your question. water kefir is still much of a mystery to me. I don't brew it currently myself, but I'm sure someone will be able to pop in with some info.

I'm Originally from Illinois actually, so it seems we've switched places, LOL!
Welcome to LCF!

[iamfaithful]

There is very little data on water kefir & loads more on Milk Kefir... I dont know if some of the sites can be linked here as they sell products. If you just google water kefir some places should show up. Dom in Australia is the gru of kefir & has some information on his site. Just google Kefir Dom & you should find something.

The grains do eat the sugar... I have been making water kefir for over a year & it can be used in so many ways... straight after ther 48 hour ferment to add to tea concentrate for iced tea... add juice to it or ginger or fruit & bottle it tight for a carbonated drink...

Recently I let mine go with loads of brown sugar & some molasses in it as I was waking them up from kefiring in the refirgerator for months. I let them kefir for about a week as they were bubbling nicely... then one day they stopped bubbling... the result was a very thick viscuis fluid that was full of kefirian! WOW! So potent I took it to a friend that just had opened heart surgery to help replenish his gut.

Water kefir has its place along with milk kefir, kombucha, JUN & all other vegie ferments in my house... I will never be without them... & kefir (milk or water) has never slowed my weight loss & has only given me energy & restored the health of my gut...which means what I eat is readily absorbed therefor I eat less & maintain my weight.

Hope this helps some....

[Janknitz]

The weather is cooler and that means my kitchen stays pretty cold. It only gets to 63 when the heat is running, but the heat is off all night and most of the day.

So DH (my kefir drinker in chief) is complaining that the kefir is thinner and more mild--he likes it pretty sour. I've started fermenting for 48 hours instead of 24, but I agree, it's not so thick and sour any more. I don't really have a warmer spot for the keft, so I'm not sure what to do.

The grains have coalesced into enormous balls of grains. They continue to grow quickly, so I have to discard the extras becuase I've run out of suckers--er, friends--to adopt the new grains. I tried giving them out on Free Cycle, but that became time consuming because people never show up wihen they said they would and then call me with endless questions afterward.

Anyway, could the big ball of grains be partly responsible for the milder flavor, since there's less surface area there was with smaller grains? Or is it the cooler temp in my kitchen?

[iamfaithful]

Yes! Divide it up! The larger the grains (ball) the less surface area to do the fermenting.

If you have a light in your oven or even a pilot light you could place it in there at night...

I would not throw out your grains! You can put them into smoothies etc or you can burry them in your house plants. Also, although I have not tried it... you can freeze them for later just in case... Not sure how to do that but for me personally I would put them with milk in an icecube tray so they are covered in milk when they freeze to keep freezer burn away. Then if you have a vacuum packing maching I would vacuum pack them for long term storage... matter of fact I might just do that as my ferment fridge is full to the max with things!

MKG love cool temps! I have several gallons in the fridge that fermented in the fridge, If you remove your grains & let the kefir continue to ferment on the counter you will get a stronger more sour taste.

I have grains in a gallon of milk *now Kefir* that is in the fridge well separated.... I will have to stir it down today to make it easier to harvest the grains when I am ready to make more... but since I was growing grains to mail out... I do that on the counter & I have almost enough to take a bath in

Where did you get your grains? How long have you been fermenting... I have sent so many all over the country & to other nations dont remember if you got some of mine or not...

Hope this helped! & NEVER WASH YOUR GRAINS WITH WATER ESPECIALLY IF THEY ARE GELLING TOGETHER! I found this takes some of the umph out of them...

Gentle Hugs! <3

[Janknitz]

Thanks! I got my grains on eBay for a few dollars including shipping and they've been great. During the summer they produced a reliable degree of sourness every 24 hours, but really slowing down now.

. I will try breaking up the grains but I find the sticky strands and the crunchy sound of breaking apart the grains kind of gross! Almost like crunching bones. It sort of makes me think of aliens in a Star Trek episode--"The Trouble with Kefir Grains". LOL!

[pinemeadows]

Hi everyone - I have been gone for a very long time - probably almost a year! Had lots of things happen during that time...lost my husband to cancer...but am slowly adjusting, day by day.

I have my kefir grains in the fridge but they haven't been fed for months on end. Is there any hope for them? I don't know if I should even try to revive them or just ask for new grains. Any thoughts on this? How long do they live in a cool environment without milk?

And here's something interesting: This morning I read on a researcher's blog that a small study showed that kefir, yogurt, and even buttermilk has something that can slow down and in some cases stop cancer cells from spreading. I can't remember now what the magic item is but I immediately remembered my poor hungry grains in the fridge!

[iamfaithful]

Originally Posted by pinemeadows

Hi everyone - I have been gone for a very long time - probably almost a year! Had lots of things happen during that time...lost my husband to cancer...but am slowly adjusting, day by day.

I have my kefir grains in the fridge but they haven't been fed for months on end. Is there any hope for them? I don't know if I should even try to revive them or just ask for new grains. Any thoughts on this? How long do they live in a cool environment without milk?

And here's something interesting: This morning I read on a researcher's blog that a small study showed that kefir, yogurt, and even buttermilk has something that can slow down and in some cases stop cancer cells from spreading. I can't remember now what the magic item is but I immediately remembered my poor hungry grains in the fridge!

Hi Sweetie... good to have you back & so sorry for your loss.

As for the grains, pull them out & rinse them in MILK not water... Then set them to culture... the first few batches may be off but if you have any problem... let me know...I dont get here often but you can always find me on F B the link is below.... let me know how they do...

HUGS!

[butterball]

hello All, I'm fairly new to Low carb friends and have only just found this thread. I promise I will read all 31 (currently ) pages but can someone tell me in the meantime ,for the sake of my tracking, roughly what the carb levels are in Milk kefir. I use full fat (4% +) and ferment for 24 hours out of the fridge and then ripen in the fridge for another 24 hours although sometimes less if I run out !
Thanks. I look forward to reading all your posts.

[iamfaithful]

If I remember correctly and it is NOT an exact science,
subtract one carb for every ounce you drink...

eg: IF whole milk had 12 carbs & you drank 8oz then the net would be 4

Milk kefir is very friendly on a Low Carb diet...
If you get grains make sure they are live grains as dehydrated ones do not culture well for a very long time if at all...

I have pictures on my FB page of some of my cultures but they are in with others & you have to do some sorting...

Hope this helps!

[metqa]

Has anyone used frozen/thawed whole milk for their kefir? If so , did it still ferment well?

[butterball]

hello ,thanks for your reply. I have been taking 4 oz perday and halving the carbs of whole milk .
I did a bit of research and you're right ,it isnt an exact science !

[iamfaithful]

Originally Posted by metqa

Has anyone used frozen/thawed whole milk for their kefir? If so , did it still ferment well?

No I have not tried that but there should not be a problem....just shake the milk really well before adding the graines... Milk fat seems to want to separate when frozen... be sure to let it thaw all the way!

Let us know how it does...

[iamfaithful]

Originally Posted by butterball

hello ,thanks for your reply. I have been taking 4 oz perday and halving the carbs of whole milk .
I did a bit of research and you're right ,it isnt an exact science !

You got it figured correctly...

Going to try something

There is a FB page that is non advertisement... just a bunch of us fermenters that get together to learn from another and share... I am posting a link to it as it is just a fellowship group that doesnt sell & hope that it is OK...

Come join in the discussion there as lots of cultures are discussed not just kefir.

https://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/K...HealthHealing/

[metqa]

I'll pour some for my current ferments and freeze the other half gallon so it won't go bad while I'm drinking the first half. Half gallon of milk costs as much or more than a whole gallon and when I'm full throttle, I use it all up, but in the slow season or when I'm not drinkig as much I hate the last of the milk going bad before I can ferment it.

Or maybe I should throw a few grains in the remaining milk to fight the buggies and slowly kefir the remaining milk. The kefir lasts 4 times as long as the fresh milk. Duh! But I'll remember the freezing thing for when they mark down a whole bunch of half gallon milk jugs at once.

[iamfaithful]

Metqa, I used to freeze milk at the beginning of the month when we had a chest freezer. Let the milk thaw til there is a big chunk of icemilk still in the jug, then put it in the fridge for the rest of the defrost. The chuck of icemilk keeps it fresh & cold while in the sink defrosting but you will want to thaw the rest of the way to keep it from spoiling. You will not want to put your grains in it til it finishes, although they would probably keep it fresh while it finishes defrosting on the counter/in the sink..

I get a gallon of milk here at WM for 98 cents....

[terez]

Trader Joe's has run out of goat milk, which I've been using to make kefir. The local grocery store ran out. I know that a lot of the female goats are giving birth now, so that's probably why. In the meantime, I'm taking what's left of my goat milk kefir and putting my grains in there and putting it in the refrigerator until the supply comes back.

Meanwhile, I have to make do with store bought (plain) kefir.

[metqa]

store bought kefir uses cow milk, why not just buy some cow milk and make your own in the meanwhile with a few spare grains?

[iamfaithful]

Metqa beat me to the thought! Dont use all your grains because they will have to adjust to the cows milk then back again. Just take one or two big ones and use whole store milk! First few batches might be off but it is a lot better and cheaper than buying commercial and at least you can control what is in it. Your grains should be fine in the fridge for a long time...wont go bad but you may have to rinse them in goat milk to separate them from the curds when you get started again.. Big Hugs!

BTW milk went up to a whopping $1.48/gallon here a week ago... Still cheaper than gas!

Terez is that you I see on Kombucha Nation?

[terez]

Thanks, I thought about switching to cow's milk, but when I did the last time, the results were a disaster. The milk curdled and I had to throw it out. All of it.

I gave half of my grains to a friend last month and I don't have any spare. I don't anticipate the shortage lasting more than 6 weeks. When the goats give birth, their milk isn't fit for human consumption for 6 weeks anyway.

The store bought kefir is relatively cheap; $2.99 and I drink about 6 ounces a day, so a bottle will last three or four days.

By the time the cow's milk works on the grains, I figure the goat milk will be back. I'll be checking in at a few more stores in the area who might have stocked up for times like this. It's only Trader Joe's that's out that I know of.

Faithful, I think I went on that site once, but no, I'm on Kombucha Kamp. I just made pink grapefruit kombucha.