Dairy Kefir Guide

By Patty Donovan and Baden Lashkov

Introduction Kefir, a thick but liquid drink, is a probiotic food, meaning that it is a food rich in friendly bacteria and yeasts. (The yeasts are suitable for an anti-Candida diet.) Its consistency may ary from almost as thin as milk to as thick as yogurt and !ill ary throughout the year. "ecause it is such a rich probiotic food, be sure to start !ith one teaspoon on the first day and !ork up slo!ly. #ther!ise, the product can cause intense deto$ or die-off symptoms. %ydrated kefir &grains' (not grains at all) are blobs that look like tiny cauliflo!er florets and feel a bit like gummy bears. The kefir grains are used as a starter, fermenting the dairy added to them. (hen people say they are drinking kefir, they are referring to the liquid created. %o!e er, it is fine and ery health-gi ing to eat the grains themsel es, too.

Materials Required an area in !hich to ferment glass )ar(s)

lid
paper to!el and elastic (optional) strainer or ery clean hands kefir grains milk

*or details on many of the items listed abo e, please see belo!.

Fermentation Tem erature The ideal temperature for kefir fermentation is +,-+- degrees Celsius (./-00 *). This !ill create a successful ferment after +1-2. hours. Cooler is fine, but the cooler it is, the longer the ferment !ill take. In !armer temperatures, kefir !ill culture ery rapidly. #n a day !armer than +- degrees Celsius (00 *), you may !ant to culture it for t!el e hours on the counter then t!el e hours in the fridge. 3ccording to a !inter-time e$periment in a cool house, an 4$calibur dehydrator, set to its lo!est possible spot on the temperature dial, generally runs +,-+2 degrees C (./-02 *).

Lids 3t some points in your kefiring, you !ill !ant a lid that allo!s air through !hile keeping dust, etc, out. This is !hat the loose-fitting lid, or the paper to!el held by elastic, is for. (hen shaking your kefir, or !hen storing it, you !ill !ant a tight-fitting lid. "ecause metal, aluminum and stainless-steel leach chemicals, especially !hen in contact !ith an acid medium like kefir, this type of lid should ha e parchment paper bet!een it and the kefir. 3 plastic lid needs no barrier.

!trainer 5any say that kefir should ne er come in contact !ith stainless steel. 6om, a kefir-guru, does not feel this is an issue, especially considering the brief period of this contact. This said, many choose to use plastic or silicone. Milk 7a! milk is preferable, but not e eryone has access to or can afford it. 8o long as it has in ol ed no gro!th hormones or antibiotics, pasteuri9ed (but preferably non-homogeni9ed) milk !ill !ork !ell. If at all possible, a oid ultra-pasteuri9ed. (hile it !ill still make a great kefir, the effects of ultra-pasteuri9ation may result in a kefir less easy for the body to process. 3ll materials must be truly clean. This said, in terms of the )ar itself, you might choose to start !ith a ne!, clean )ar only e ery fe! batches. This !ill support the gro!th and maintenance of the grains and kefiran (soft )elly-like goop, e$tremely health-gi ing, that e entually de elops around the grains).

!te "ne # "$tainin% Grains *ree9e-dried kefir starter can be purchased in health food stores. This starter !ill not reproduce so !ill need to continually be re-purchased. 3lso, ha ing only about ten strains of bacteria and yeast to the grains: thirty-fi e, free9e-dried starter is less effecti e than !hole kefir grains. To obtain !hole dairy kefir grains, post a request to your online support list or look online for someone offering them. #ne great source is this ;ahoo <roup, !hose members !ill share grains for )ust the cost of postage= http=>>groups.yahoo.com>group>Kefir?making> %a e your supplies (e$cept the milk) ready for !hen your grains arri e. "e prepared to purchase some milk upon their arri al.

!te T&o # ' on Receivin% (our Grains Dehydrated Grains (hard and yello!) 6ehydrated grains !ill need se eral batches, possibly o er the course of t!o or three !eeks, to &re i e' them. @. +. 2. 1. 7inse the kefir grains !ith fresh milk. Aut the grains into a )ar. Aour )ust enough fresh milk to co er the grains. Co er )ar !ith loose-fitting lid (or paper to!el secured by elastic). 5. 8et )ar at +,-+- degrees Celsius (./-00 *). .. 4 ery one to t!o days, dispose of this milk (but not the grains) and add a fresh supply of milk. 0. 7epeat 8tep 1, immediately abo e, until the grains are fluffy, soft and look like tiny pieces of cauliflo!er. Then mo e on to the instructions under &*resh <rains', belo!. Fresh Grains (soft, look like cauliflo!er) @. 7inse the grains !ith fresh milk. Take a general estimate of the grains (in tablespoons). Alace the grains into a )ar. +. # er the grains, pour appro$imately four cups (one quartB one litre) of milk to e ery one tablespoon of grains. (ith time and e$perimentation, you may find that your grains desire a different ratio and that:s fine. 2. Co er the )ar !ith a loosely-placed plastic lid, or !ith a piece of parchment paper then metal lid, or !ith a piece of paper to!el held by the elastic.

4. 3fter appro$imately eight hours, shake the )ar. (If your )ar is quite full, you may !ant to
put the fitting lid on for this. 3fter shaking, replace the lid !ith the loose fit or !ith the paper to!el again.) This !ill help the milk to stay mi$ed !ith the grains.

5. 3fter +1 hours or so (@+ in !arm !eather), look at the sides of the )ar.
3re there tiny ri ulets snaking do!n the sidesC These indicate the beginning of !hey separation and are one indication of readiness.

6o you see a slight separation of curds and !heyC This, too, is a sign of readiness. 6oes the product smell yeasty, like pi99a dough, and sour, like yogurtC This, too, is a sign of readiness. Dote= #ccasionally, a first batch !ill ha e an &off &odor. 3lthough safe, you may !ant to discard this batch. It may take se eral batches for the grains to acclimati9e to your house and milk source. 8et a toothpick into it, standing ertically. If the kefir holds it up, it:s ready. Please note) 6epending on the ambient temperature, your first fe! batches may take longer than +1 hours and e en up to 2.. .. (hen the kefir is ready, you need to separate the kefir from the kefir grains. 8trainer 5ethod= 8et a strainer o er a )ar or bo!l and pour e erything in. ;ou might need to let the kefir drip out o er se eral minutes, or to stir !hat is in the strainer to help the liquid mo e through. %and 5ethod= If your kefir is too thick for a strainer, !ash your hands !ell, then pull the grains out. Dote= The grains !ill feel firm and not fall apartB the curds, on the other hand, !ill fall apart. 0. 8tart o er at 8tep +. (Dote= 4$cept as noted belo!, do not rinse the grains.)

!te * # Preservin% a Back+u Batch 8ometimes, bad things happen to good grains. #ne should ha e a back-up batch of grains. #nce your grains start increasing in si9e, free9e or dehydrate some. Free,e Aut the grains in ice cube trays or in small )ars )ust co ered !ith milk. 6om, a kefir-guru, recommends grains spend no longer than si$ months in the free9er. %o!e er, some ha e had success reconstituting fro9en grains after more than + years. Dehydrate @. In chlorine-free !ater, rinse grains. +. Aat dry. 2. Eay out on linen or paper to!els. 1. Co er !ith another to!el. -. 4 ery day, agitate them a little (mo e them around a bit).

.. 6epending on room temperature and humidity, drying usually takes 2-- days. (hen the grains are completely dry (hard, small, yello!ish) put them into a baggie and store in the refrigerator. 6ehydrated grains can successfully be reconstituted after a year or more.

Reducin% !u%ar -ontent # !econdary Ferment Kefir uses up most of milk:s lactose. %o!e er, if you are concerned about its remaining sugar content, you can do a secondary ferment. 3fter straining the grains out of a +1-2. hour batch, set the kefir at the usual fermentation temperatures for one more day, or else in the fridge for fi e to si$ days. The resulting kefir !ill be ery tart. Aeople put off by tartness might use it in a smoothie !ith fruits, etc.

Grains .ot Gro&in% @. 5ake sure the milk you are using is from animals gi en no antibiotics. +. 5ake sure your utensils are dry, and free of any chlorine from tap !ater. If you ha e ensured the abo e t!o points=

1. 7inse the grains in chlorine-free filtered !ater, then rest them in plain organic yogurt for
t!enty-four hours.

Kefir !mells /!tran%e0 @. 5ost commonly the &off' smell is actually the kefir:s characteristic yeasty scent (similar to pi99a dough). This is normal and usually not a problem. %o!e er, a ery strongly yeasty scent can be balanced ia a yogurt rest= 7inse the grains in chlorine-free filtered !ater, then rest them in plain organic yogurt for t!enty-four hours. The yogurt rest !ill restore the balance bet!een the bacteria and yeast. +. 8ometimes kefir !ill smell strongly of a chemical (such as that used in arnish, etc). Kefir produces multiple aromatic compounds as it ferments. Eong ferments are more likely to produce these at a noticeable le el. The kefir is still safe to drink. 2. If it smells disgusting, there is a possibility that it is contaminated !ith something not good. ;ou can try the yogurt rest mentioned abo e, but if resting in yogurt doesn:t fi$ the nasty smell, thro! out the kefir and the grains and start !ith ne! grains. (This is !here your back up batch comes inF) 1. If mold (green, gray, fu99y) e er forms, you should thro! your kefir and grains a!ay. 3gain, this is !here your back up batch can come inF

Grains Get Lar%e and Flat This is normal. It occurs occasionally and is nothing to !orry about. It usually means you ha e too many grains for the quantity of milk you are using. "reak the grains up then increase the grain-to-milk ratio (fe!er grains or more milk).

Grains 1ery Lar%e and !lo& Gro&in% "reak the grains into smaller piecesB this !ill rapidly increase their gro!th. This is a trick you can try any time the grains are not gro!ing !ell. !torin% Grains (hen starting out, you !ill be building your dosage slo!ly. Thus, a small amount of kefir !ill go a long !ay and you !ill not desire large batches dependent on a lot of milk. *or other reasons, too, you might need to back off sometimes on kefir production. 3t these points, the method for storing kefir grains is ery helpful= @. (ithout rinsing them first, put the grains into a )ar. +. Aour o er )ust enough fresh milk to co er the grains. 2. #nce a !eek, dispose of this milk (but not the grains) and add a fresh supply of milk. This can go on for any length of time.

Too Many Grains

When you have more grains than you need for regular ferments and a back-up supply, you can eat the grains or offer them out.