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

[ORChick]

Definitely time to give them more milk to work with. Mine are in full kefir mode, and I have about a pint of buttermilk-like kefir every morning. The chickens are getting some, I am getting some, and the cats have been offered, but have so far refused . The grains themselves don't look like much; I am a little surprised that they still seem as though they are not fully re-hydrated - not quite as squishy as I would have thought. However they are doing their job, and I am doing mine (by drinking the stuff ). i find that by pouring off the finished kefir into a second jar (and capping that tightly), and leaving that at room temp (instead of in the 'fridge) I am getting a sort of second fermentation causing a slight fizziness, and it also isn't so cold that I can't face it on a chilly morning. I am not fond of super cold drinks, even in summer; definitely not in January.

 

[Hinotori]

I broke open the grains I had forgotten (bad Kim, bad) that were all hard. There was some good part in the middle that started growing and eventually I was able to clean off the hard parts and have only good grains.

 

[Emerald]

I'm gonna get out some pint jars and move it up to a bigger jar tomorrow and for some reason my older cat isn't that fond of it but the younger furball almost climbed on my lap when I had that spoonfull for her to taste. but she likes tangerines too.
I'm planning on buying the stuff to make miso soup at home (cuz I'm addicted and it's expensive) I will probably have to beat her off with a stick when she gets a hold of the bonito flake smell..!
And the smell of it is very nice almost identical to buttermilk and I have used buttermilk as an inoculated for some of the soft creamy cheese I used to make so this should be a really nice cheese once I get up to a quart to drain and make kefir cheese out of it. even hubby said that it smelled nice this time.
Oh and on the look of the grains.. they look good in spots and kinda small and harder in others. if they start growing I may pinch off the part that doesn't look right and keep the part that does(that is if they grow good for me)

 

[ORChick]

Give them their own time to grow; it may take them awhile to get started, but they will grow in time.

Tangerines? And I thought my old cat was weird for liking asparagus, melon, and raisins. And one that I have now begs for bits of gingerbread cookies at Christmas

Homemade miso soup is so good, and, once everything is on hand, probably the easiest soup there is to make. We love it too. Can't say the cats have ever said anything about the bonito flakes, but perhaps the jar isn't open long enough for the little kitty noses to pick up the scent.

 

[CheerioLounge]

Give them their own time to grow; it may take them awhile to get started, but they will grow in time.

Tangerines? And I thought my old cat was weird for liking asparagus, melon, and raisins.

Be careful with grapes and raisins as they can cause kidney failure in both cats and dogs.

 

[ORChick]

Give them their own time to grow; it may take them awhile to get started, but they will grow in time.

Tangerines? And I thought my old cat was weird for liking asparagus, melon, and raisins.

Be careful with grapes and raisins as they can cause kidney failure in both cats and dogs.

Thanks for that reminder, although none of the present kitties have any desire for such things. My old boy lived for a healthy 16 years, but he only got raisins occasionally. What he was really crazy for was asparagus, and would beg for it every Spring. And every year I would hold a spear in front of his nose and say "Silly cat; cats don't like ...", and then it was gone! And by the following year I had forgotten again