Hi Will - I appreciate all your help. I'm beginning to feel more comfortable making the milk Kefir. I've received some Ginger, waiting for the turmeric (spell) for the ginger ale. The Ginger came in large roots. Do you chop them up, can you re-use the ginger and turmeric roots. Also - I'm interested in buying some coral for the ginger ale. We use coral calcium now and know the benefits. I want to buy one pound of the coral if it's reasonably priced.
@jamesoo700 Hi James, Sounds like you are off to a good start! Yeah, we like to peel and chop the ginger into medium sized chunks/slices for ginger ale. And yes, I do use the same ginger for several batches. You will taste the flavor decline and realize you need to change the ginger! Same goes for the turmeric.
I can send you info on coral. Message me through youtube privately and I will send you information on that.
Hi Will, Did I understand you correctly, that you used the milk Kefir in your ginger ale? Where did you find the coral? And last but not least, what was it you added to cleanse the colon?
@jamesoo700 Yes James, that's correct. I use milk kefir grains and convert them to digest honey instead of lactose (milk sugar). We gather the coral ourselves. We do ship coral to folks all over. Please youtube message me if you want details. And we regularly use food grade diatomaceous earth. It's also called fossil shell flour. Easy google search for that.
Hi Will, me again. My kefir looks more like cottage cheese with large curds. Do I need to sift out smaller curds (lots of them) or break them up. I'm the one that used the whole paturized homogenized milk. My kefir after 24 hours looks more like curds and wae than thick buttermilk.
@jamesoo700 Kefir does commonly look like cottage cheese, the curd part at least, when it's really cultured (done). What I do is shake the jar pretty roughly prior to straining the kefir. That way the small grains will break off the large grains. Also, I strain through a plastic strainer so the really small grains go into tomorrow's smoothie! My kefir also looks like curds and whey after 24 hours. Maybe thin the amount of grains you use if you want the kefir less ripe.
Hi Will, I am using milk Kefir so should I then use dried fruit It was my first tast today I am new to Kefir and it was real sour , so I added honey, figs and bananas it tasted much better ! also it stood on my for 48 hrs as it was not seperating much .Does it realy need to seperate as you show to get the full benefit ? thanx Mike
@viejapetra Hey Mike, no the kefir doesn't need to fully separate in order to be 'done'. The clear separation just shows when it's completely digested the lactose and is done for sure. Yeah, the sour flavor takes some getting used to. It's not common in our culture to appreciate the sour flavor.
Keep on with the kefiring. It's fun and rewarding.
Hi Will I received my kefir grains today and I would like to know if you can add any fruits or would some be detemental the info you are giving is great keep up the good work ! Mike
@viejapetra Hi Mike, Thanks for the kind comments! If you are using water kefir grains, then yes! Definitely use some dried fruits. Water kefir loves the natural sugars in dried fruits such as prunes, apricots or figs. On the other hand, milk kefir wouldn't do so well I don't think.
Thank you for such a quick and informative answer! I will definitely follow your suggestions! I am also going to try and use the compost tea in my garden this year. Do you think it will make a difference if I also water the lawn with it, or would that be a waste? Thank you.
@xnelyax Lawns respond very well to compost tea! No waste! While compost tea isn't a miracle cure, it does reduce common lawn issues like thatch and helps to establish optimal microbial balance for lawns. It is fulfilling to hear that my videos help. Thanks for letting me know!
Hello, great great video! Thank you for all the information! I am really interested in getting kefir grains, but I would like to find out a good place to get them. Do you have any suggestions?
@xnelyax Thanks for the kind comments! I suggest folks get kefir grains in two ways. First, contact your WAPF local chapter leader by going to westonaprice(dot)org and looking on the right side for 'find a local chapter'. Search in your area and contact that person. They generally will be a great resource for quality info and kefir grains.
If that doesn't work, check out culturesforhealth(dot)com. They sell kefir grains and are doing good work.
Thanks for video post! Can you explain to me if dairy kefir is good or bad? I've read a lot of functional medicine articles proving milk to be bad for humans, even raw milk. Since i have an autoimmune diease and bad acne i have to be careful with dairy. With this said is it ok for me to continue drinking dairy kefir or should i switch to non dairy kefir?
@lllogical Wow, great questions! I can't offer medical advice and can't say what is best for another. What I can say is I believe many cultures simply would not be here (I'm half eastern European) if it weren't for dairy and kefir. Any 'proof' of proving something good or bad for everyone is a very opinionated generalization and dangerous information (IMHO). Kefir isn't a cure all. However, it does play a fundamental role for high nutritional and probiotic rich diet.
@lllogical Follow up, to read tons of info on kefir, it's history, ability to heal, etc. google 'Dom's kefir insight'. Dom is really the grand daddy of all kefir knowledge being passed around the net. There is a strong correlation between skin health and lung and large intestine health. So, drinking kefir to improve colon health/function will help to clear up the skin and your acne. However, you must cut out all vegetable oils. Holler for more info on this!
@lllogical Yeah, vegetable oils ARE the real culprit in causing arterial damage leading to heart disease. Don't be fooled by the party line on this subject. There is boat loads of proof showing a clear link between increased veg oil consumption and increased systemic inflammatory response.
Check out the book, Deep Nutritions, by Catherine Shanahan, MD. Very good read.
Great info! I have a question. I have been making Kefir for about 2 weeks now and started using grains in cow milk, the person that gave them to me used goat. I'm on my 3rd batch now and the grains are looking healthy and producing superior kefir. What I 'm not sure of is when I do my strain, the grains are left but also very thick almost like cottage cheese muck is there too. What should I do with that stuff? Thanks for you time! Kris
@krisvirgin Great question! I love your comment 'very thick cottage cheese muck' hehe. That's part of the curds and is part of the kefir! In other words, you eat/drink it! :) I shake my kefir (thin stuff is whey, thick is curds) through the strainer then put the grains in a fresh jar.
You are correct that you can switch grains from goat to cow's milk just fine. My grains originally came from a person who used goat milk.
@AbuAbdullahUK Ooo, great question! Ok, I'm not the final word on this, but I prefer to use glass simply because it's been around for a long time and we know that it doesn't give off any off gassing! Call me cautious, but that's my perspective. After all, kefir does create an acidic drink (lactic ACID) and acids to tend to have the capacity to react with whatever they are in contact with. There's my two cents.
@TeamingWithNature Thanks for the prompt response! I just received some kefir grains today and emptied them in a plastic storage jar. I guess I'd have to wait for the grains to ferment and empty them, after 24 hours, into a glass jar next time. Thanks a lot. And to your health too!
@spraywithpleasure As a parent you know all this already, but, first, make the smoothies good for you and enjoy them and your kids will want some (when it's best for them). My daughter has some several times per week but not daily like I do.
Second, what flavors do they enjoy? We've been experimenting with putting frozen organic blueberries in our kefir smoothies recently, yummy! Put a bit of honey or maple to make it more palatable.
Also, check out my other video on our best kefir recipe!
@dbztiki Getting kefir grains is becoming easier and easier with ebay and craigslist. I would suggest you do a craigslist search for them in your local area first. If that doesn't work you can get some from me. Depending on where you live and the time of year we ship them it can be pretty simple. Holler with any other questions.
Hi Will i heard u mention kombucha ive just started growing the culture at my home in sweetened tea, I was just wondering why you dont talk about kombucha seeing that its a pro biotic, whats your opinion on kombucha and do you/ have you ever grown the culture yourself, and in your opinion is kefir just an overall better culture then kombucha? and ahha have u ever tried combining kefir with kombucha to make a so called "hybrid" ive seen a few pplz on here talking about it :) thx for your answers
@Reaper139139 Great questions about kombucha. My focus has been on kefir for the past several years. I do plan to take up making kombucha as soon as we settle into our new home. I am not a fan of white sugar so I'll end up experimenting on other forms of simple sugars for the brew. I think the probiotic benefits of kombucha are great. Kefir I consider superior given its nutritional benefits along with all the probiotic benefits. I've never considered a hybrid. Try it and let us know!
Hi Will, I have watched about four of your videos and would like to start making my own kefir. I would be glad to send you the cost of sending me the milk kefir grains.
Please let me know the best way to go about doing this. Thank you, ginny dexter
@strau233 Thanks for the question. At this point I do not offer water kefir grains. I am currently only offering milk kefir grains, which I still do offer.
HI, will how often can you use kefir grains over and over? and you also talked about purchasing grains from you but just pay for postage and handling pls get in touch with me.
@TeamingWithNature By the way, you can use kefir grains over and over forever assuming you care for them. They propagate and grow while they kefir the milk you use. It's incredible really to consider the health impact of growing out your own kefir grains.
Hi Will, thanks for yet another great vid. I have a couple of questions. The kinds of kefir grains you are talking about is really interesting. I had never water kefir, I got two different cultures of milk kefir grains that I used so far with sucess for both milk kefir and coconut water kefir for my son who is milk allergic. Initially my grains were round, globular kind of structures but with time they sort of opened up to those ropy, stringy, sheaty structures you are calling piimä grains.(?)
Thanks for the kind support. I have noticed that my rounder grains will kind of 'loosen up' and string out during the summer. If it's not that, then did you combine the grains originally? If so, one type may have 'outcompeted' the round strain. You may have incidentally selected out the rounded type and the ropey type are what's left.
I thinned the ropey type out quickly when I didn't like what I was seeing with the kefir.
Perhaps holler a message to me so we can discuss further.
Hello again, very kind of you to reply so quickly. I have never mixed the two cultures of my milk grains. They were so distinctly different from the very beginning I wanted to keep them separate. The first one was very grainy (huge amounts and multiplying quickly by making more "cells"), the other was softer, whiter and its grains became really big increasing rather in size than in amounts of cells. Both cultures became out of same with time. Maybe change of milk caused it all......
-cont....originally I used organic UHT, non-homogenized milk.Later I switched to raw full goat´s milk. To my surprize the grains started to grow like crazy and kefir tasted like never before...thick, creamy, delicious. Later the grains started to open up and kefir eventually though still being good became thinner and really sour. Is it possible to overfeed the grains with "too good milk"???? I never heard of piimä grains. I live in Finland (homecountry of piimä) lol.
Thanks for the education in Finnish language! I meant viili, not piima! I just put a note on the video making that correction! :)
I don't think you can overfeed the grains with 'too good milk'. Clearly, you have to thin them at times to keep the amount of grains you use fairly consistent, but I don't think you can overfeed them. I think grains have a 'lifespan'. So, when I thin mine I take out or break apart the biggest ones.
Thank you so much for the vids. Thank you for sharing and I appreciate it very much. The kefir grains are doing really well and I am so excited that they are propagating and they seem to like the raw milk w/ colostrum.
Thanks for your generosity and tell Barbara how much I appreciate her taking the time on her busy schedule to meet with me.
Aloha Will...I was wondering if you could tell me where to get the kefir grains?
I live in poipu...mahalo
hawaiikawika1 6 days ago
@hawaiikawika1 Kawika, email me at teamingwithnature(at)yahoo(dot)com and let's discuss this. I can help! Aloha
TeamingWithNature 6 days ago
Hi,
Thanks for your good videos!
You make great videos and I am convinced and eager to try pro-biotics made by kefir.
I am living in Switzerland and I have no idea from where to by Kefir.
I will be so glad if I can buy from yours. Could you be so nice to provide me some?
Thanks in advance and wish you sunny day,
Elitsa
elitsaml 5 months ago
Hi Will - I appreciate all your help. I'm beginning to feel more comfortable making the milk Kefir. I've received some Ginger, waiting for the turmeric (spell) for the ginger ale. The Ginger came in large roots. Do you chop them up, can you re-use the ginger and turmeric roots. Also - I'm interested in buying some coral for the ginger ale. We use coral calcium now and know the benefits. I want to buy one pound of the coral if it's reasonably priced.
jamesoo700 5 months ago
@jamesoo700 Hi James, Sounds like you are off to a good start! Yeah, we like to peel and chop the ginger into medium sized chunks/slices for ginger ale. And yes, I do use the same ginger for several batches. You will taste the flavor decline and realize you need to change the ginger! Same goes for the turmeric.
I can send you info on coral. Message me through youtube privately and I will send you information on that.
Thank you for your interest.
To your health!
TeamingWithNature 5 months ago
Hi Will, Did I understand you correctly, that you used the milk Kefir in your ginger ale? Where did you find the coral? And last but not least, what was it you added to cleanse the colon?
jamesoo700 5 months ago
@jamesoo700 Yes James, that's correct. I use milk kefir grains and convert them to digest honey instead of lactose (milk sugar). We gather the coral ourselves. We do ship coral to folks all over. Please youtube message me if you want details. And we regularly use food grade diatomaceous earth. It's also called fossil shell flour. Easy google search for that.
To your health!
TeamingWithNature 5 months ago
Hi Will, me again. My kefir looks more like cottage cheese with large curds. Do I need to sift out smaller curds (lots of them) or break them up. I'm the one that used the whole paturized homogenized milk. My kefir after 24 hours looks more like curds and wae than thick buttermilk.
jamesoo700 5 months ago
@jamesoo700 Kefir does commonly look like cottage cheese, the curd part at least, when it's really cultured (done). What I do is shake the jar pretty roughly prior to straining the kefir. That way the small grains will break off the large grains. Also, I strain through a plastic strainer so the really small grains go into tomorrow's smoothie! My kefir also looks like curds and whey after 24 hours. Maybe thin the amount of grains you use if you want the kefir less ripe.
To your health!
TeamingWithNature 5 months ago
Hi Will, I am using milk Kefir so should I then use dried fruit It was my first tast today I am new to Kefir and it was real sour , so I added honey, figs and bananas it tasted much better ! also it stood on my for 48 hrs as it was not seperating much .Does it realy need to seperate as you show to get the full benefit ? thanx Mike
viejapetra 8 months ago
@viejapetra Hey Mike, no the kefir doesn't need to fully separate in order to be 'done'. The clear separation just shows when it's completely digested the lactose and is done for sure. Yeah, the sour flavor takes some getting used to. It's not common in our culture to appreciate the sour flavor.
Keep on with the kefiring. It's fun and rewarding.
To your health!
TeamingWithNature 8 months ago
Hi Will I received my kefir grains today and I would like to know if you can add any fruits or would some be detemental the info you are giving is great keep up the good work ! Mike
viejapetra 8 months ago
@viejapetra Hi Mike, Thanks for the kind comments! If you are using water kefir grains, then yes! Definitely use some dried fruits. Water kefir loves the natural sugars in dried fruits such as prunes, apricots or figs. On the other hand, milk kefir wouldn't do so well I don't think.
Enjoy the process!
TeamingWithNature 8 months ago
Thank you for such a quick and informative answer! I will definitely follow your suggestions! I am also going to try and use the compost tea in my garden this year. Do you think it will make a difference if I also water the lawn with it, or would that be a waste? Thank you.
xnelyax 11 months ago
@xnelyax Lawns respond very well to compost tea! No waste! While compost tea isn't a miracle cure, it does reduce common lawn issues like thatch and helps to establish optimal microbial balance for lawns. It is fulfilling to hear that my videos help. Thanks for letting me know!
To Health!
TeamingWithNature 11 months ago
Hello, great great video! Thank you for all the information! I am really interested in getting kefir grains, but I would like to find out a good place to get them. Do you have any suggestions?
Thank you so much in advance!
xnelyax 11 months ago
@xnelyax Thanks for the kind comments! I suggest folks get kefir grains in two ways. First, contact your WAPF local chapter leader by going to westonaprice(dot)org and looking on the right side for 'find a local chapter'. Search in your area and contact that person. They generally will be a great resource for quality info and kefir grains.
If that doesn't work, check out culturesforhealth(dot)com. They sell kefir grains and are doing good work.
I hope this helps. Holler with questions!
TeamingWithNature 11 months ago
Thanks for video post! Can you explain to me if dairy kefir is good or bad? I've read a lot of functional medicine articles proving milk to be bad for humans, even raw milk. Since i have an autoimmune diease and bad acne i have to be careful with dairy. With this said is it ok for me to continue drinking dairy kefir or should i switch to non dairy kefir?
lllogical 11 months ago
@lllogical Wow, great questions! I can't offer medical advice and can't say what is best for another. What I can say is I believe many cultures simply would not be here (I'm half eastern European) if it weren't for dairy and kefir. Any 'proof' of proving something good or bad for everyone is a very opinionated generalization and dangerous information (IMHO). Kefir isn't a cure all. However, it does play a fundamental role for high nutritional and probiotic rich diet.
To Your Health!
TeamingWithNature 11 months ago
@lllogical Follow up, to read tons of info on kefir, it's history, ability to heal, etc. google 'Dom's kefir insight'. Dom is really the grand daddy of all kefir knowledge being passed around the net. There is a strong correlation between skin health and lung and large intestine health. So, drinking kefir to improve colon health/function will help to clear up the skin and your acne. However, you must cut out all vegetable oils. Holler for more info on this!
I hope this helps!
TeamingWithNature 11 months ago
@TeamingWithNature thankyou for the advice, its probably all the vegetable oils thats causing my inflammation.
lllogical 11 months ago
@lllogical Yeah, vegetable oils ARE the real culprit in causing arterial damage leading to heart disease. Don't be fooled by the party line on this subject. There is boat loads of proof showing a clear link between increased veg oil consumption and increased systemic inflammatory response.
Check out the book, Deep Nutritions, by Catherine Shanahan, MD. Very good read.
I hope this helps.
To Health!
TeamingWithNature 11 months ago
Great info! I have a question. I have been making Kefir for about 2 weeks now and started using grains in cow milk, the person that gave them to me used goat. I'm on my 3rd batch now and the grains are looking healthy and producing superior kefir. What I 'm not sure of is when I do my strain, the grains are left but also very thick almost like cottage cheese muck is there too. What should I do with that stuff? Thanks for you time! Kris
krisvirgin 11 months ago
@krisvirgin Great question! I love your comment 'very thick cottage cheese muck' hehe. That's part of the curds and is part of the kefir! In other words, you eat/drink it! :) I shake my kefir (thin stuff is whey, thick is curds) through the strainer then put the grains in a fresh jar.
You are correct that you can switch grains from goat to cow's milk just fine. My grains originally came from a person who used goat milk.
Holler with any others!
To Health!
TeamingWithNature 11 months ago
Hi there, Would it be ok to make your kefir in a plastic jar or does it have glass?
AbuAbdullahUK 1 year ago
@AbuAbdullahUK Ooo, great question! Ok, I'm not the final word on this, but I prefer to use glass simply because it's been around for a long time and we know that it doesn't give off any off gassing! Call me cautious, but that's my perspective. After all, kefir does create an acidic drink (lactic ACID) and acids to tend to have the capacity to react with whatever they are in contact with. There's my two cents.
Thanks for asking!
To your health!
TeamingWithNature 1 year ago
@TeamingWithNature Thanks for the prompt response! I just received some kefir grains today and emptied them in a plastic storage jar. I guess I'd have to wait for the grains to ferment and empty them, after 24 hours, into a glass jar next time. Thanks a lot. And to your health too!
AbuAbdullahUK 1 year ago
do you have any recipes for kids I have been trying to get my kids to drink kefir milk I am having a hread time myself
Thank you I love your videos
spraywithpleasure 1 year ago
@spraywithpleasure As a parent you know all this already, but, first, make the smoothies good for you and enjoy them and your kids will want some (when it's best for them). My daughter has some several times per week but not daily like I do.
Second, what flavors do they enjoy? We've been experimenting with putting frozen organic blueberries in our kefir smoothies recently, yummy! Put a bit of honey or maple to make it more palatable.
Also, check out my other video on our best kefir recipe!
TeamingWithNature 1 year ago
Where would be a good place to get kefir grains?
dbztiki 1 year ago
@dbztiki Getting kefir grains is becoming easier and easier with ebay and craigslist. I would suggest you do a craigslist search for them in your local area first. If that doesn't work you can get some from me. Depending on where you live and the time of year we ship them it can be pretty simple. Holler with any other questions.
To your health!
TeamingWithNature 1 year ago
Hi Will i heard u mention kombucha ive just started growing the culture at my home in sweetened tea, I was just wondering why you dont talk about kombucha seeing that its a pro biotic, whats your opinion on kombucha and do you/ have you ever grown the culture yourself, and in your opinion is kefir just an overall better culture then kombucha? and ahha have u ever tried combining kefir with kombucha to make a so called "hybrid" ive seen a few pplz on here talking about it :) thx for your answers
Reaper139139 1 year ago
@Reaper139139 Great questions about kombucha. My focus has been on kefir for the past several years. I do plan to take up making kombucha as soon as we settle into our new home. I am not a fan of white sugar so I'll end up experimenting on other forms of simple sugars for the brew. I think the probiotic benefits of kombucha are great. Kefir I consider superior given its nutritional benefits along with all the probiotic benefits. I've never considered a hybrid. Try it and let us know!
TeamingWithNature 1 year ago
Hi Will, I have watched about four of your videos and would like to start making my own kefir. I would be glad to send you the cost of sending me the milk kefir grains.
Please let me know the best way to go about doing this. Thank you, ginny dexter
ginnydex 1 year ago
Hi Will. Are you still offering water kefir grains? Thanks.
strau233 1 year ago
@strau233 Thanks for the question. At this point I do not offer water kefir grains. I am currently only offering milk kefir grains, which I still do offer.
To health!
Will
TeamingWithNature 1 year ago
HI, will how often can you use kefir grains over and over? and you also talked about purchasing grains from you but just pay for postage and handling pls get in touch with me.
thanks.
grijalvaky 2 years ago
Let's take this discussion to email at this point.
Thanks for your interest.
To health!
TeamingWithNature 2 years ago
@TeamingWithNature By the way, you can use kefir grains over and over forever assuming you care for them. They propagate and grow while they kefir the milk you use. It's incredible really to consider the health impact of growing out your own kefir grains.
To your health!
TeamingWithNature 1 year ago
Hi Will, thanks for yet another great vid. I have a couple of questions. The kinds of kefir grains you are talking about is really interesting. I had never water kefir, I got two different cultures of milk kefir grains that I used so far with sucess for both milk kefir and coconut water kefir for my son who is milk allergic. Initially my grains were round, globular kind of structures but with time they sort of opened up to those ropy, stringy, sheaty structures you are calling piimä grains.(?)
materidouska286 2 years ago
Thanks for the kind support. I have noticed that my rounder grains will kind of 'loosen up' and string out during the summer. If it's not that, then did you combine the grains originally? If so, one type may have 'outcompeted' the round strain. You may have incidentally selected out the rounded type and the ropey type are what's left.
I thinned the ropey type out quickly when I didn't like what I was seeing with the kefir.
Perhaps holler a message to me so we can discuss further.
Will
TeamingWithNature 2 years ago
Hello again, very kind of you to reply so quickly. I have never mixed the two cultures of my milk grains. They were so distinctly different from the very beginning I wanted to keep them separate. The first one was very grainy (huge amounts and multiplying quickly by making more "cells"), the other was softer, whiter and its grains became really big increasing rather in size than in amounts of cells. Both cultures became out of same with time. Maybe change of milk caused it all......
materidouska286 2 years ago
-cont....originally I used organic UHT, non-homogenized milk.Later I switched to raw full goat´s milk. To my surprize the grains started to grow like crazy and kefir tasted like never before...thick, creamy, delicious. Later the grains started to open up and kefir eventually though still being good became thinner and really sour. Is it possible to overfeed the grains with "too good milk"???? I never heard of piimä grains. I live in Finland (homecountry of piimä) lol.
materidouska286 2 years ago
Thanks for the education in Finnish language! I meant viili, not piima! I just put a note on the video making that correction! :)
I don't think you can overfeed the grains with 'too good milk'. Clearly, you have to thin them at times to keep the amount of grains you use fairly consistent, but I don't think you can overfeed them. I think grains have a 'lifespan'. So, when I thin mine I take out or break apart the biggest ones.
Maybe start with new grains?
To our health!
Thanks!
Will
TeamingWithNature 2 years ago
Hi Will,
Thank you so much for the vids. Thank you for sharing and I appreciate it very much. The kefir grains are doing really well and I am so excited that they are propagating and they seem to like the raw milk w/ colostrum.
Thanks for your generosity and tell Barbara how much I appreciate her taking the time on her busy schedule to meet with me.
Happy Kefiring!!
Mahalo
Raquel
heimatau69 2 years ago
Aloha Raquel,
I'm glad that your kefiring is off to a good start. It's my pleasure to share this information that has helped me and my family so much.
Happy Kefiring!
TeamingWithNature 2 years ago