Food Storage Through Fermentation – Milk Kefir

I can hear some of you now, “Okay, so I get the general gist of fermentation, but I’ve never heard of kefir!  What is it?  Why would I want to eat it?”  I totally follow you.  Before I was introduced to kefir about 12 years ago, I had no idea what it was.

Kefir has been around for a long time – at least since the 1800’s.1  It originated in the Caucasus Mountain Region.  “The word kefir is derived from the Turkish word keyif, which means “feeling good” after its ingestion.”2    Think of kefir as a drinkable yogurt.  Just like yogurt, if it isn’t sweetened, it is sour, but a pleasant sour.

Besides being fermented, so it’s a good source of probiotics, it also has a bunch of other health benefits.  It is the only source of the probiotic Lactobacillus Kefiri which works with the body to defend against e coli and salmonella.3  It can also help prevent osteoporosis.4    

But I don’t want this blog post to start looking like a doctoral dissertation.  So enough of the citations.  Let’s just start by saying, it’s incredibly healthy on a whole bunch of levels.

Kefir is made by adding kefir grains to milk.  It’s a drink so you don’t eat it, you drink it.  The grains ferment the milk, and imbue it with all the beneficial properties that I mentioned above and so much more!

Making Kefir

You make kefir from kefir grains as I said above, but unless you have a friend who has kefir grains, you’ll have to buy yours.  I bought my kefir grains from Cultures for Health.   If you buy them from Cultures for Health or most other places,  they’ll more than likely come dehydrated.  Before you can use them, you’ll have to rehydrate them.  This is what you’ll need.

It’s a very simple process.

You put 1 C of milk into a quart-sized canning jar.

You’ll add the kefir grains to this milk and stir it up.  Make sure that you use a wooden spoon to stir it though.  NEVER, NEVER use metal with Kefir grains.  It can destroy them.

You finish this first part out by covering it with a coffee filter or a tight weave cloth secured with a rubber band.  You’ll want to put it in a warm place for 8-24 hours.  Once the milk starts to change consistency and becomes thicker, then you’ll be ready to move onto the next stage.

Stage Two – Feeding the Grains

From this point on once your kefir grains start to change the consistency of the milk, you’ll do something new.

1.) Start by pouring your milk and kefir grains through a PLASTIC strainer (comes with the kefir starter kit) in order to remove the grains.  You’ll discard the milk from which you’ve just strained the grains.

2.)  Rinse your glass jar and now add one and a half cups of milk.   To this, add your kefir grains, stir with a WOODEN spoon, and cover it again.

3.)  Make sure you secure the coffee filter or tightly woven cloth with a rubber band.

You’ll continue to check it starting at 8 hours.  As soon as you notice a change in consistency, you’ll be ready to start at step one.  Each time you strain our your grains, you’ll put them in 1/2 C more milk until you reach 4 C of milk.

Stage Three – Making Kefir

Once your kefir grains are properly fermenting in 4 C of milk, you can start using them to make kefir.

1.)  When you make kefir, you will do it in almost the exact same way.  Pour 4 C of milk into your canning jar.

2.)  Add your kefir grains, and stir with a WOODEN or PLASTIC spoon.

3.)  When your kefir starts to thicken, use your strainer to remove the grains from the kefir.

4.)  Refrigerate the kefir until you’re ready to use it.

5.)  Start another batch of kefir.  You will need to continue making kefir for approximately 4 weeks before you can take an extended break from making kefir.

Stage Four – Taking a Break

1.)  Strain your kefir grains from the fermented kefir.

2.)  Place your grains into 2-4 C of milk and put a solid lid onto your canning jar.

3.)  Place this jar into the refrigerator until you are ready to make more kefir.  You can store the grains this way up to 3 weeks.

4.)  When you are ready to make more, strain the kefir grains from the milk in which you were storing them.

5.)  Rinse your jar and add 4 C of milk.  Add your grains and stir (with a wooden or plastic spoon).

6.)  Cover with a tightly woven towel or a coffee filter and secure with a rubber band.  Start fermenting again as usual.

While all this may sound technical and complicated, it’s really a very simple process.  Sometimes you have to practice it to get the hang of it.  Once you do, you’ll see how easy it really is.

What About You?

Are you ready to tackle fermenting?  What holds you back?  What excites you about possibly learning how to ferment?  I’d love to hear!  Leave a comment below or if you are receiving this by e-mail, just hit reply.

Remember, knowledge isn’t knowing something, it’s living it!

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