Kefir
Hold on to your hat we’ve got alot of pictures coming up in this here tutorial. Hope you aren’t still suffering with archaic dial up. That is truly sad. There oughta be a federal grant to help the poor souls that must toil and persevere through 56K.
These are the ingredients. Kefir (it’ll become clear in a moment how to “make” it), half a can of pineapples, a banana (the banana was picture shy) and stevia (still hiding in the cupboard). You will also need a broken strainer and a bowl. Ok, even a non-broken strainer will work but you won’t have the memories of how it got broken each time you use it. Actually, I don’t *know* how it got broken and I don’t make the kefir anyway.
Step 1: Dump kefir into strainer precariously balanced on bowl. Definitely a two hand job. That is Jenna’s arm. Do you remember when your skin was that smooth? I do but I try not to think about it.
Step 2: Scrape remaining kefir out of the kefir jar. Jenna also has calluses on her fingers from playing so much guitar. I never had anything cool like that. All I ever got was dry lips from blowing in a flute. But I wasn’t good like Sheila.
Step 3: Gesture to your mother about something in the process of kefir making. Look at that creamy kefir. By the way, I have no remembrance of what exactly Jenna was trying to convey to me during her gesturing. Call me spacey. Or call me focused. That’s what I am. So wrapped up in my desire to bring you quality tutorials. Uh-huh.
Step 4: Stir
More stirring. Your goal is to stir until the kefir slips through the holes in the strainer and into the bowl below where you can then have your way with it.
Look, she is making progress. Just one more thing that girl excels at. Stirring. She got those genes from me. I’m a fabulous stirrer. You’ve never seen someone stir until you’ve seen me.
Voila, the kefir has dissipated and all we have left are grains. The infamous grains.
Step 5: Into a new jar those happy little grains go. Grains have been described to look like soggy cauliflower or cow brains. Yep, cow brains. Isn’t that appetizing? Thanks Jerry. How do you know what cow’s brains look like anyway?
They are all moved in and now have to decide which wall the couch will go on. It’s a tough decision when you live in a circular glass house.
Step 6: We provide the food. After all the little buggers are busy picking out drapes.
We drown them with milk. But they like it.
Step something: We give them the best view on the counter and they settle in and get to work. You can’t see them but they are doing a happy dance in their new home. Just about all the sugar from the milk is consumed in 24 hours so they were getting a bit hungry.
Yes, that is an itty bitty jar we are now making our kefir in. Don’t ask. Time to dump the kefir into the blender. This is the part Jenna excels in.
Perfectly executed. And we were not in the middle of an earthquake when I took this picture. I was holding a baby, talking to children and taking a picture. See Kristy, I can multitask. Just don’t ask me to shop and talk on the phone. No way. Last time I did that I ended up with endive in my cart.
Pineapple time.
What happened to the picture of Jenna pouring off the juice into a cup to drink later? It’s lost. It’s gone forever and we shall never see it again. sad. sad. Time to put half a can of pineapple in.
Here is the shy banana. Horror of horrors, Jenna is disrobing the banana. I can see years of therapy in Mr. Banana’s future. Unless we put an end to his misery.
Yep, in went Mr. Banana. I feel better now, don’t you? We use two dropper fulls of stevia.
And the ice to fill up the rest of the blender.
Then, because you are a wiener to the 10th degree you have to call your little brother over to run the blender. Jenna will need a brave husband. Or at least someone that is not afraid of small kitchen appliances. Oh and our walls are not mustard yellow contrary to what this picture is trying to tell you.
On goes the blender and look at how light and fluffy that kefir is getting. It’s dern frothy.
Jenna is back on the scene after curling up in the corner with her hands over her head while the blender ran. Pouring she is cool with. There are no loud noises when you pour. I mean, I hope there aren’t.
Looking good!
Serve cold with CLO.
Swallowing is something else Jenna can handle without too much trauma and she is excellent at it.
Allow the kefir grains and milk to sit for 24 hours and repeat the process. Your intestinal flora will thank you.
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Ok, so your Kefir tutorial was hilarious. But how do you get kefir to begin with? And, I’m sorry, but to me it looks disgusting, but I don’t drink anything but water, lemonade or soda. Healthy I know. I can’t stand drinking milk.. does it taste like milk ? Or a milkshake? Or what? I really am curious.
Thanks for the compliment! I’m sure you weren’t as bad as you say you were. :D
I love making preparing Kefir, and your pineapple/banana regime sounds lovely. Since I’m the only one in the house who drinks the stuff, I usually make mine in the fridge and just have it out for a few hours at a time, (takes longer…a week?) and then I use it in my ultra-healthy smoothies. (Banana, orange, frozen ‘fresh’ fruit, juice, kefir, soy protein…oh yeah) Lovely.
Amanda, yes, Kefir grains are ugly, but don’t say that to their ‘face’! Haha! They are basically a bacterial culture, much like yogurt in some ways. :) Finished Kefir is sort of sour (but not like sour milk) and tangy and oh-so-slightly effervescent. I’m not super crazy about it on its own, but blended with fruits and such, ’tis tasty.
You can obtain kefir grains from friends who have grains that have multiplied exponentially, and/or there are usually people online (go to dom’s kefir website or yahoo group) who are willing to send you some dehydrated, though you have to be willing to wait 6 months for the kefir grains to be ‘back to normal’ after dehydration.
Hope that helps!
Thanks Mrs. Bettendorf!
Sheila
Ok, I’m very frightened. I’d noticed before that we sprout the same way, we drink our cod liver oil from little shot glasses the same, and I knew we both did kefir similarily. Then last week I noticed you have the same pans I do, and now the same blender. Eerie.
Perhaps I sound ignorant, but what kind of similarities does this have to the kefir in the grocery store? Does it require the same culturing or can I just mix the store bought stuff in to a fruity smoothie thing and call it a day?
OK that was great but……………WHAT IS A KEFIR GRAIN?????? You didn’t go quite basic enough for this uneducated girl! LOL! I was hoping to find out how to start! Also, can you make it with anything other than pineapple since I’m very allergic to pineapple and would be in agony every day if I had to drink that every day?
I will have to try it like that… once I get some grains. We did not love it last time we had it… but it might be much better this way. :)
BTW… do you have any extra grains? ;)
Love,
Chas
Where did you get your grains? I used to have some, but then I was unable to find good milk, so I quit making it and the grains died. : ( Now that I have good milk, I’d love to make some again! Would you like to sell any of yours after they’ve multiplied a ton?
Now I’m really confused! I found some kefir “starter” and it is very fine and powdery, not at all like the big chunks like you have. Is there a difference besides just the way they look? Is one more benificial than the other? I am so new to this whole kefir thing and we like it, just not paying out the nose for the pre-made stuff at the natural food store.
Yah Deedee, I agree with you. Not basic enough for us beginners. Like, what temp is your milk and how did you get to the point you started? Where do you get quality kefir grains. The true kind. I ordered off Mercola and didn’t recieve the califlower like type.
Shell
http://www.shellsgang.blogspot.com
Okay, so I am new to the whole keifer thing as well. I bought some raspberry flavored at Mama Jeans, and well, it tasted like a drinkable yogurt. I don’t really like drinking yogurt. I like to eat it. So I am going to have to learn to make my own and create a smoothie with it. Because the store bought stuff was detestable. Of course I will still drink it all because it cost an arm and a leg. :) So, myself and a jar will be knocking on your door one day. Try not to think about the fact that your precious grains will be introduced to store bought milk. ;)
Obviously, us newbies to this want more info… although this was an AWESOME kefir smoothie tutorial. Loved the pics.
I, too, am trying to find grains. I googled and found a site that lists people near you who are willing to send grains. I sent an email to someone, so I’m hoping to hear soon. Then… I have to find some raw milk.
Qs:
Could you show us how to start fresh with grains??
Do you have to put raw milk over the grains when you drain all the kefir or every time you take some out?
If you don’t use the whole patch (cuz you have less than 12 kids), just strain what you need, then… put in more raw milk?
Does the jar really stay out on the counter all the time (with the kefir grains and milk in it)??
Buying ‘powdered grains’… is that what takes 6 months to grow them to cow brains?
Do y’all take a little smoothie every day for health?
THANKS, Katie!
OH, BTW, dh and I LOVED the bell peppers last night!! Yummo! Our first time to have wehani rice. Such a great aroma and flavor. OTOH, the kids all hated them. Sigh. I have not trained them right. We’ll keep having them every once in awhile to build up the kids taste buds.
blessings galore to you 14 today!
GfG
Thank you for posting this. Looks easy enough for little old me to try. :) Now I need some grains. Hmmmmm…
God bless…Angela
Katie,
Thank you so much for the tutorial, and I just LOVE your writing style! I have tried making kefir a number of times, and have never been successful. But I’ve always made it in a quart size jar. It looks to me like you are using a pint size jar. Maybe that’s my problem?
Katie, I’ll throw a new question to you: Why Blend-tec? Please compare a Blend-tec to a VitaMix for those wanting to know. I have a VitaMix, BTW, purchased for a discount at Costco. Gotta love Costco!
I make about a half gallon a day, even more in the summer! Did you go give all your grains away? Oh, you said not to ask…never mind, I’ll just imagine. I have people ask me every couple of weeks, so I have to jealously guard mine! I try not to get below a heaping Tablespoon of grains for myself.
Oooooh, the pineapple sounds yummy! We’ve only tried peanut butter/banana, and strawberry/banana. I buy the bananas and strawberries in bulk and then freeze them. I’ve never added ice to ours either, but I suppose the frozen fruit has much of the same effect. I don’t know if it’s just me or what, but I thought that stevia had a bad aftertaste, almost like a diet cola or something. I use honey to sweeten.
My question is about your cover on your jar. I was always told that it had to “breathe” so I use a cloth wipe over the jar and secure it with a ring. Have you heard anything about that?
Did you really put all those grains into one little jar of milk? Good heavens! It oughta be done in half a day! I use one grain per pint of milk, unless I’m in a hurry.
I showed Elena the pic of just he grains and said, “Ya know what that is?”
She said, “Oh yea! That’s the uh, um, uh, stuff you make kefir with.”
Thanks Katie! I like a little humor to start my day. I killed 2 batches of grains before I got the hang of things. Thanks to Momma for helping me out with new grains! I keep mine in the fridge and “brew” in a gallon jug. I guess this is a lazy way but it works for us. Now that it is getting warmer we will drink more smoothies. Drinking something that cold during the winter is too much for me.
My BabyJ saw the picture of the grains in the jar and yelled out “That’s my kefir!”
I always cover the jar with a square of fabric or a paper towel and secure with a rubber band. I have heard that the kefir needs to breathe and shouldn’t be tightly covered while fermenting.
Motherofblessings, I just stopped adding ice and used more juice or milk or water and made thinner drinks for the wintertime. I let the Lambies use straws to make it fun! No one gets hypothermia like they did before I stopped adding the ice.
Tender CA kids! What would they do in Missouri?
Do you always use a metal spoon to scoop out your grains? I’d read that isn’t good for them. I only use non-metal items for making my kefir. My grains are right now ‘cooling off’ in our freezer; waiting for the warm day when I decide to start making daily kefir shakes again.
Great tutorial, but I still can’t drink the stuff. I tried kefir once and failed at it miserably. Yogurt I can do.
I’m comforted to know that my eldest isn’t the only girl this age who still shies at loud noises.
I am new here ( my sister-in-law sent me your link) and am dying to get kefir grains…..can you suggest a place. I got a SCOBY from a friend (I made my first great batch of Kombucha and then got the stomach flu, so the thought of drinking it makes me want to – well, you know!!) but I don’t know anyone that makes kefir from grains. They just use the powdered stuff. Do you know any online sources for grains. We love kefir and would love to make our own.
Karen
I was wondering if you can start kefir the same way you can start yogurt….use a small amount of plain bought commercially from the store to start or do you have to start with the grains….there is someone nearby that is giving some away, but i have been unable to drive there (one car and no gas!)….but they do sell it at kroger in the organic area…got some yesterday and was going to try it, but just wondering if anyone has tried this before……..oh yea, thanks for the tutorial! It was fun to “watch” and my son acts the same way as your daughter!! I can’t even listen to the radio in the car….those long 4hr drives i make are VERY quiet!
thanks again
Cynthia
Hi All: I just started making kefir. I got some grains from someone locally. You should check out the Yahoo groups/message boards on Kefir. There is one by a guy named Dom (you should also check out his extensive kefir-making sites — he has been doing this for years and is a fountain of knowledge). Those of you seeking a local source of grains can post and possibly find someone. That’s how I found mine. I have been making my kefir for three days now. I must admit it was quite tart (even mixed with honey and strawberries and frozen blueberries). But, I did not add any additional milk or juice or anything. So, that might have been the issue. My second batch turned out thicker (faster than my first batch). I know that grains have to go through an adjustment period after shipping or transfer from one type of milk to another. So, I think my second batch turned out better than the first. For those of you who don’t like it super sour, I have heard you can leave it for just 12 hours instead of the traditional 24 (especially in warm weather when it sets up faster). It might not have all of the same probiotic benefits (although it will still have some), and maybe it will be more palatable.
I must say that I thought it was extremely sour tasting and kind of weird, but that was my first batch. My second batch is chilling in the fridge after sitting for 20 hours. My third batch is “brewing” now. I am trying it with the lid on (instead of just a coffee filter and a rubber band, to see if I can get more fizz.
I loved it. I am a new Kefir user, I drink shake with frozen strawberries and banana’s with honey. My kids love it but I am going to try the pineapple as that sounds great. My kids will love it with lots of ice too.
Thanks!