Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Kefir And The The Mad Scientist -


Little ol' me.



My little buddy, Melanie, sent me my first batch of Kefir Grains.
We call them, "her offspring". Which makes me feel really bad, when even just one of them goes down the drain! I'm sooorrryyy!!





I'd never heard of them before Melanie told me about them.
They're weird little things.





They're not soft, or hard. Kind of in-between. Put them in a clean glass jar and rinse them with Spring Water, only. And never touch them with anything metal!





These are the supplies you'll need, if you ever decide to make Kefir Water.
(Which is supposed to be really good for us!!)
You'll need four of the jars. Wash them really well, but without soap/detergent.





Put 1/4 cup of the Organic Whole Cane Sugar into the bottom of the glass jars.
Try to make two batches at a time.





Then add about 1/4 cup of the Kefir babies on top of that.





I feel like such a mad scientist at this stage, because I know they'll multiply like crazy!





Fill the jars to within an inch from the top, with Spring Water.





Put on the little coffee filter 'bonnet' and secure it with a rubber band to keep out any gnats,
flies, or whatever.





Set them somewhere warm to help with the fermentation.





I sat them on the window sill, but ended up moving them, because that window gets the full afternoon sun, and that's not good for them. It'll do 'em in. Oh, the guilt!!





After forty-eight hours, the drink is usually done.





It's fun to see the outcome after that time, because they've eaten all the sugar
and seriously multiplied! Very cool.





Strain the Kefir Water into a clean jar and put the Kefirs back into the jar they came from.





It hardly has any taste, so add a few slices of dried fruit to give it some flavor. I chose apples.





Put a clean bonnet on it and stick it in the refrigerator for twenty-four hours.





Pour the Kefirs back into the jar and rinse them with the Spring Water.





See how they've multiplied?! Crazy!!





Add enough water to cover them and put them in the refrigerator, unless you're making more right away. If you're making more, just follow the same directions as the first batch.





If you're waiting between batches, put the bonnet on first and then the lid.
(Because you can't use any metal.)





After twenty-four hours, the Kefir Water you put in the refrigerator is ready.
Remove the apple slices, or they'll get mushy and messy...





And enjoy!



This is a great article about Kefir; it's health benefits, in-depth directions on how to make it, where to order it, and fun stuff like that.

Let me know if you make some!


For another healthy drink, you may also want to try, Rejuvelac.





There are SO many things to love!
I love "Followers" and comments too!
Thank you.



Signing off for now,
gabriele


5 comments:

  1. Okay- I have never heard of this...but I am going to pop over and read up on it! Amazing! xo Diana

    ReplyDelete
  2. Kind of a modern -- and healthy -- take on the sharing of the ever-popular Friendship Bread starter. Cheers!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I like that you introduce me to so many new things that are good for me- thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  4. As amazing and succulent as your photos are, I'm sticking to coffee and orange juice. But thanks.

    ReplyDelete