Making Kefir From Kefir Grains (part 3)

[bsktool]

Can I freeze my extra grains do you know?

I notice you use a steel bowl to strain it into. Is that OK?

Thanks for your helpful videos.

[CtrlAltDltYou]

Is it possible to make sauerkraut using kefir whey without using salt?...even if it takes longer to ferment, would it still work that way?

Thanks for all the great videos by the way :)

[LoricaLady]

Another helpful vid, but where are your cool Aussie accents? Also, just fyi, no way manna could have been kefir. It fell from Heaven, landed on the earth, and tasted like honey.

[candyalien86]

why do your kefir grain look more stringy

and mine looks like cauliflower am I doing something wrong?

[heresay24]

I just ordered some of your grains. I have read so much about kefir and love it. I was wondering if you would no when i would expect to have them. I am in Canada now and I ordered them on Tuesday jan 11. Please let me know, thank you

[reeram]

I just ordered some kefir. I'll prolly be back a zillion times to your site lol, I know absolutely nothing about this...I hope ya don't mind! =) Thanks for the vids

[pocketsofthefuture]

@reeram Don't mind at all! Enjoy. Leslie

[reeram]

@pocketsofthefuture Thank you so much! Yall are so sweet!! =)

[1972Sunbird]

Do yourself a favor and only use Dom's kefir site for it's wealth of information.

Order your kefir and other cultures elsewhere.

Unfortunately Dom does not deliver but does take your money.

[pocketsofthefuture]

@1972Sunbird Someone else told me this too. His site surely is wonderful for info. I am reading about his tooth cleaner at the moment. Thank you for posting. Leslie

[jmohno]

good job with your videos .very informitive.Your ideals and tradititional food preperation is very important to maintaining a disease resistant lifestyle.Thank you for sharing this.I think i may have the same grains.Mine are kind of flat and not round cauliflower like ive seen.I would like a more effervecent less sour kefir.Like you say it can be "yeasty"with a tight lid. Is it just going to be yeasty if i try for carbonation?Ive been kefiring loose lid and tight lid for the ripening.

[pocketsofthefuture]

@jmohno I don't know from any personal experience. I have never tightened the lid before and on those days when the kefir is just right, the balance btw effervescence and flavor seems perfect to me. I don't actually know how you would shift that balance. Seems like you are working in the right direction though. Leslie

[mollysmommy97]

There was a mention of a yahoo group. Can you share that group name here so I can find it? There are several I found on yahoo and want to be sure I am in the right place. Thanks so much!

[pocketsofthefuture]

@mollysmommy97Surely. It is Kefir_making. It is a very active list with lots of information. Leslie

[7Cap7]

Awesome, thanks for all the info, this is something I am just starting to look in to in hopes of clearing up my daughters eczema.

Have you heard of Dr. Natasha Campbell McBride, she's promoting a condition she calls GAPS, Gut And Psychology Syndrome, she links your gut health with problems such as autism, ADD and dyslexia, even schizophrenia and cures them through diet. Kefir is something she promotes.

[pocketsofthefuture]

@7Cap7 I have heard of her and read a little of her work some years ago. Her connections make sense to me. It is my understanding that eczema is often linked with food allergies. I know it can be very tough to deal with so I wish you and your daughter well with it. Thank you for your comment. Leslie

[joshuanodharma]

I got kefir grains from a local woman in thailand. also got some grains shipped from the states. both batches are just sludge. not at all like your grains. nothing solid in it at all. Is this normal? I dont have these cauliflower looking grains. its just white sludge.

thanks

[capcbd]

Great set of videos.... I've been drinking Kefir for over a month now... I found a store in my area that cultivate it there... I would very much like to start making my own... they've told me that they sell the grains there and to use organic skim milk... Is Skim milk the way to go or should I get something with more fat in it so the grains can thrive more?

[mmb2412]

skim milk will do nicely. it's not in the fat but in the lactose (milk sugar)

[ariestheramone]

I've just received my first tbs of grains, which i have just begun to ferment today...and for support and helpful informational videos here on youtube, so far your videos are the most helpful and enjoyable to watch.

I believe like what you said, that making money is not what this should be about.

Some of the videos I've seen, they don't let it ferment enough, or they are too lazy to sift it out properly.

Thanks so much for sharing these videos!

[dabulls108]

can I use it in cereal?

[GuyInChair206]

on granola... makes it taste like cheesecake

[johnwantling]

Great kefir videos. Thanks very much for posting. I make kefir with raw milk usually, and in the fridge as this slows the process down. I get the impression that the grains dont multiply so much when kept in the fridge. I drink it raw just like you. This is how it should be drank. John Wantling, Rochdale, UK

[pocketsofthefuture]

Glad you like the videos. We hope many more people start making real kefir at home. You are correct that refrigeration slows down fermentation. You only have to change milk about once a week or so in the frig. Did you know that the nutritional content skyrockets the day after the kefir is made if it sits out on the counter? Thanks for your comment. Leslie

[anyusmoon1]

A link to the Australian gent you're referring to so often would be nice.

Can't get raw milk in my area but... hoping it works with store bought stuff.

Thanks for the vids.

[pocketsofthefuture]

Just Google Dom kefir and his sites will come up for you. He has pages and pages. Yes, the grains will make kefir even with store bought milk. Hopefully you will find a source for raw milk sometime soon. Thanks for commenting. Leslie

[patzilee2]

@anyusmoon1 

[patzilee2]

@anyusmoon1: Don Anfiteatro from Australia is not a reliable place to purchase kefir grains. I ordered grains, his book and e-book for $70. After 6 month of e-mails trying to get my grains and books, I decided he is a SCAM. I finally ordered from another source and got them in a week..

[anyusmoon1]

@patzilee2 Thank you for your candor and I'm sorry you had such a difficult time. The only real value in youtube information is in everyday folks like us telling each other what works, what doesn't and why. It's not easy being the bearer of bad news, especially when you're at the short end of the promises stick- but its a great service to others that you share.

[pocketsofthefuture]

@patzilee2 I am sorry to read this. He never struck me that way. While I am on one of his yahoo groups, I haven't read it for a long while so don't know if something is going on with him. Still that wouldn't help your situation anyway. I am glad you got yourself some grains. I hope you are enjoying your kefir. Leslie

[airbuzzer]

Thanks for the video, great info, you guys know your stuff. Nice to know that true nutritional information is getting around along with Sally Fallon and the great Weston A. Price

[pocketsofthefuture]

Thank you for your kind comment. We appreciate real kefir so much and hope that more and more people learn of its benefits and how easy it is to make. Leslie

[dctrex]

This is really great, Thank you so much. I use store bought Kefir to make smoothies in the morning. I usually put the Kefir in at the last second without blending it. Does the blender harm or kill the probiotics in anyway? I'm definitely seeing the benefit of making your own!

[pocketsofthefuture]

Some people think using a blender does do some harm and some people don't. However, if you are using storebought kefir, I wouldn't worry about it too much as it has already been exposed to more processes than freshly made anyway. Putting the kefir into your smoothies at the last second is exactly the right thing to do so enjoy! Leslie

[sarahpipczynski]

Thank you so much for sharing this info as well as your grains! I can't wait to make my own kefir :)

[iloveolivesyesido]

Wont they start tasting funny, if they dont ever got washed, as well as the jar? And what happens if you dont want to make any kefir milk for a while?. How should u preserve the kefir grains?

Great vid btw

[pocketsofthefuture]

No, they don't taste funny. They just happily thrive in an environment that is right for them. We do wash the jars every once in a while!

If you want to slow down your kefir making, you can stick the jar of grains and milk in the frig and change the milk weekly. You can even freeze the grains although we have never done it.

Thank you for your comment and questions,

Leslie

[thebystander]

wow, you guys are awesome...I just made my first glass of kefir and it is primo stuff! unfortunately, I ordered "kefir fromage" before reading more into kefir....now that I've seen your videos and websiteI think I'm going to order some grains.

Thanks

[pocketsofthefuture]

Thank you for your kind comment. We did the same thing and started with powered kefir starter. I think we did not have the cows yet so we were using pasteurized milk and the starter.

Sometimes the kefir was alright. Other times it was not so good, almost undrinkable. So we stopped making it for a couple of years until we got the grains. The kefir from the grains is different from the kefir from the starter.

[frozentootsiepop]

what amish catalogue did you mention at :58? Was it lehmans?

[pocketsofthefuture]

Yes it is Lehmans.

[yardsnacker]

Thanks for taking the time to share this important information!!

[pocketsofthefuture]

Thank you for you kind comment.

[KARStarla]

May I ask where you got those jars? They are perfect for this

[pocketsofthefuture]

Than you for your question. My wife never knew about these jars either until we moved to the country. They are just half gallon Mason or Ball jars (canning jars). Sometimes we find them on the shelf in Southern States or feed or tractor supply stores. If that size doesn't happen to be on the shelf, they can order them easily.

[KARStarla]

thank you very much,God bless you

[sk8cre8]

You guys are stellar. Nice vid.

[djayray]

Does kefir taste like buttermilk? I'd like to get some idea of what it taste like before buying anything. Great video!

[pocketsofthefuture]

More like a more watery yogurt. It is also a little bubbly like you added soda water to it. Its called the champaign of milk. It is basically fermented milk.

[dionysusstar]

The kefir cheese is interesting to me because I don't have to keep buying little packets of enzymes to get the cheese to make cheese. It doesn't seem very natural or sustainable to have to buy something you can't make yourself to make cheese. I've read that the enzymes are made from scraping the stomachs of animals which doesn't sound very practical to most of us. The kefir cheeses sound like a perfect alternative. lol@indoor livestock!! That's exactly what I need for my no land homestead.