KEFIR grains-Mind if we give them their own thread?

[big brown horse]

Three more questions:

1. How much is a serving? How much is recommended per day?

2. Can you store it in a plastic container?

3. Can kefir just replace yogurt all together?

 

[freemotion]

Three more questions:

1. How much is a serving? How much is recommended per day?

2. Can you store it in a plastic container?

3. Can kefir just replace yogurt all together?

1. As much as you'd like!!! Minimum? Half cup per day??? Just pulling a number out of my...hat.

2. I store almost everything in glass, but especially anything acidic or anything "alive."

3. Kefir is quickly replacing yogurt here, but we still like to have yogurt sometimes since it has a milder taste. I love the drained yogurt, I miss it with the goat's milk. I'm not sure why kefir made with goat's milk will drain for me.....but the taste is somewhat sour, whereas drained cow yogurt is quite sweet.

Since I seem to have plenty, I am only using the kefir whey for fermenting now. I figure it has many more good beasties than my cheese whey.

 

[big brown horse]

Since I'm not a yogurt maker yet, I see it as replacing yogurt too. Heck, I have so much already I wont have to buy yogurt again!

Thanks for the info.

What is weird is that I am totally drawn to the smell and taste of the kefir. I seem to crave it...unlike yogurt. I wonder if my body is trying to tell me something?

I can store the grains in milk in the fridge to slow the fermentation down, right? It is already getting a bit out of hand here.

 

[freemotion]

That is how I felt, too! Una, where are you? You can store them for a few days, I did, when I was away for three days. Or you can just use less milk and keep them going. Sometimes I just use a cup of milk, and I have used as much as two quarts. It seems to work just fine.

As you get your family used to it, you will find you use up more and more of it. Try draining some and see if you like it. It makes a great veggie dip with some flavoring, some herbs and such. Draining it uses up quite a bit. Three cups becomes about one cup or so.

Follow your cravings! This is a good craving!

 

[ORChick]

Did I hear someone calling me?

Several choices when the kefir grains start getting uppity -

Determine about how much kefir you want to have ready every day, and then how many grains you need to achieve that. Any extra you can dehydrate or freeze as a backup in case something happens; or feed them to the chickens; or toss them in the blender with your next smoothie; or send them on to another desperate soul who is longing to join the kefir group.

If you just want to slow things down for awhile (going away for a trip maybe) put the grains into a glass container with more milk than you usually use for your daily batch, maybe twice as much (or a full gallon a la free ), screw the lid on tight, and refrigerate. I did that one autumn, and forgot about them till spring - both grains and milk were just fine, the kefir had not spoiled, and didn't even smell funny. I gave some to the chickens, and put the rest in a smoothie - 4 month old milk!

I prefer to keep my kefir in quart canning jars. Lacking such jars I would probably use one of the quart yogurt containers that I have saved over the years. But, like free, I am leaning more towards glass these days.

If you really like the taste of the kefir, as you seem to do, and the consistancy works for what you want, I can easily see just using the kefir, and foregoing the yogurt. I find the kefir rather strong for some applications, and so make yogurt as well. DH won't eat any fermented milk products except very fresh yogurt, and occasionally cream cheese. Kefir is too strong for him. For me too mostly, unless mixed with fruit or veggies. Yogurt, on the other hand, I like plain.

 

[big brown horse]

Thanks free and ORChick!

 

[freemotion]

I hope I am not the only one who can lose kefir grains....first in the gallon of milk, now....sheesh! I had a quart of milk that I THOUGHT was kefir-ing on the counter, and a lot of whey was separating out. I was canning and had the crockpot going, so I thought maybe it got too warm. So I strained it, looking for the grains. Not in there. It was just clabbered milk. Now, chicken food.

So I went into the fridge for some milk in the exact same type of bottle....dh had used some the night before in a shake and had exclaimed at a glob that came out, and he sniffed it and it was fine, so he figured it was just cream and turned the Vitamix on. Eeek. So I strained that bottle of milk. Still no grains. Did dh drink them in his shake?

Then I found another bottle of milk in the fridge, and with a sinking feeling, strained that as well. Whew....there they were, playing hide-n-seek with me! I have to start paying closer attention when I do this stuff!

I think I filled the dishwasher just straining everything into new clean jars!

 

[big brown horse]

I can totally see that happening to me!!

I am desperately trying to keep my batches small so that won't happen!

 

[Henrietta23]

I hope I am not the only one who can lose kefir grains....first in the gallon of milk, now....sheesh! I had a quart of milk that I THOUGHT was kefir-ing on the counter, and a lot of whey was separating out. I was canning and had the crockpot going, so I thought maybe it got too warm. So I strained it, looking for the grains. Not in there. It was just clabbered milk. Now, chicken food.

So I went into the fridge for some milk in the exact same type of bottle....dh had used some the night before in a shake and had exclaimed at a glob that came out, and he sniffed it and it was fine, so he figured it was just cream and turned the Vitamix on. Eeek. So I strained that bottle of milk. Still no grains. Did dh drink them in his shake?

Then I found another bottle of milk in the fridge, and with a sinking feeling, strained that as well. Whew....there they were, playing hide-n-seek with me! I have to start paying closer attention when I do this stuff!

I think I filled the dishwasher just straining everything into new clean jars!

I finally resorted to sticking labels on things because I couldn't keep track either! I worry DH will throw it all out too.

 

[freemotion]

Oh, I had labels....I just put them on the wrong bottles!