posted
Thank you everyone, I am very excited about trying this out... I will try the yahoo Kefir group as suggested by the Queen.
Do you all only use Kefir with raw milk??
Posts: 33 | From Lebanon, NH | Registered: Oct 2006
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GiGi
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Raw milk is no longer a good idea, in my opinion. Most (or all) of the raw milk has been pulled off the shelves in our State. I use only pasturized milk for Kefir. Don't need another microbe to make us ill.
After all, the word kefir translated into English means "feel good".
Posts: 9834 | From Washington State | Registered: Oct 2000
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posted
I use raw milk and have never had any trouble.
You can convert grains that have been in raw milk to regular milk - it just takes a few batches for them to adjust.
-------------------- Getting older is when we would rather not have a good time than have to get over it. - Oscar Wilde Posts: 386 | From Radnor, PA - where the ticks run free | Registered: May 2006
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GiGi
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posted
Of course, I use only O R G A N I C pasturized milk. Some people prefer the same type goat milk. We prefer cow's milk. (hopefully this does not contain the negative stuff).
There is quite a difference between right and left-turning lactic acids. Also the difference between yoghurt, kefir, etc.
Take care.
P.S. we had an outbreak of E.coli in raw goat milk here less than a month ago. No more raw goat milk at Whole Foods Market. For me, the proliferation of microbes and infections is just way above what I want to take a chance at.
Today we had in the news: Deer attacks a woman while walking to her mailbox in a nearby rural town. Several people had to help free her! Is it the Mad Cow's Disease in the deer that people on this board talked about recently, or are Bambis now suffering from Lyme???????????????????????
Posts: 9834 | From Washington State | Registered: Oct 2000
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Michelle M
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posted
Kefir will enjoy just about any kind of milk.
I can't find any goats around here I'd have some goat's milk!
We just use regular 2% milk.
For a real treat, use whole milk or even go all out and add some cream occasionally!
The kefir goes wild! It has a drunken kefir party!
You can use coconut or almond milk, but prepare to need a few milk cycles to return the flavor to normal.
It's way fun.
Dom's site is a must-read.
Make sure you get real grains; you can get started with only a spoonful or two and before you know it, you'll have so much your pets will be having the excess!
(I never get to use this icon!)
Michelle
Posts: 3193 | From Northern California | Registered: Apr 2005
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There was a lady on another forum I use to be on who claimed she had Mad Cow Disease. She was on there the whole time I was there and she seemed reputable.
Her comment about it was that doctors don't like to talk about it. Sound familiar?
posted
What about the commercial Kefir sold in supermarkets (at least in the ones in my area)? Is there a problem with them?
-------------------- Mark J. Wallin, Ph.D. Posts: 32 | From Holland, PA | Registered: Jul 2006
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Michelle M
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posted
quote:Originally posted by mjwallin: What about the commercial Kefir sold in supermarkets (at least in the ones in my area)? Is there a problem with them?
Hi Mark. I haven't tried it so really can't opine, except to say I've heard it's a weak sister next to the real thing! Also, it doesn't self-propagate forever and ever like the real thing!
Surely the fermenting process is stopped somehow in supermarket kefir; else the jars would explode! Because even in the fridge, they continue their process, albeit at a much slower rate... I like mine fridge-finished a day or two as it gets extra creamy that way!
Michelle
Posts: 3193 | From Northern California | Registered: Apr 2005
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GiGi
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posted
Besides controlling the quality of the milk used, there is the expense. We do this usually every day and I do make a lot of Kefir out of a half gallon bottle milk at a much lower price.
And the love of making it - being able to share with my friends -- my "cauliflower rosettes" (grains) which came via my friend from Chile are by now in every corner of the United States getting people better. On my next trip to Germany - they will start spreading their wings over all of Europe.
Take care.
Posts: 9834 | From Washington State | Registered: Oct 2000
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Michelle M
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posted
KEFIR!!!
Recommended in the official Burrascano Guidelines!
Mmmm!
Michelle
*Kefir Essentials:
The right kinda jar, and the perfect lid for your brew:
Must-have plastic colander, & sumpin' to drain the kefir into:
Draining the grains -- "Shake, rattle & Roll!" Posts: 3193 | From Northern California | Registered: Apr 2005
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I would urge you not to store your Kefir in plastic. In fact, I would urge you to store nothing in plastic if you can help
Anything that you stretchwrap in plastic (seran) while it is warm is being contaminated with plastics. I know that from Dr. K. because practically every patient that comes in has to be detoxed of plastics also. We are already full of phthalates. That means we are already loaded with plastics. Read "Our Stolen Future"
Take care.
Posts: 9834 | From Washington State | Registered: Oct 2000
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Michelle M
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Gigi's right on!
Glass rules. The colander used to "strain" the kefir after brewing it is plastic only because kefir doesn't like metals and most colanders (like for spaghetti, etc) are metal.
The broken CD cover is recommended by everyone on the Yahoo! Kefir groups as being the best cover while brewing. It seems to be better than a paper towel with a rubber band for aeration purposes for some reason. I've tried both and I gotta say - it works and produces creamier-textured kefir than a paper towel on top. Looks a bit odd but hey!
Kefir is magical stuff. It reproduces itself over and over, providing you start with real, living kefir grains. You can't buy them in a store. Get them from a friend or join the Yahoo group or order them from someone highly recommended on eBay. The 'where it came from' question is filled with folklore! I think that no new kefir can be produced by man. It all has to originate from some existing batch of kefir somewhere!
There's even medical literature on kefir! It's a superb probiotic so keep that in mind when timing with antibiotics.
If you drop a grain, eat it - it's good for you!
Keep hands and utensils squeaky clean, a'course.
Looks a little like large curd cottage cheese. And just keeps growing, and growing. Every day. Strain some and put it in a zip lock in the freezer with a little milk in case your mother comes over and throws yours out. Best to have a talk with her first, though...
OK, enough of my Kefir-tising!
Be well!
Michelle
Posts: 3193 | From Northern California | Registered: Apr 2005
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posted
*organic* pasturized milk has kept our grains happy for years now.
cooler climate here, paper towel under a ball glass jar lid works well. keep it in a shady spot -- and always in the same spot. i find it is very sensisitive to it's environment. it acts differently through the seasons.
this is wonderful stuff.
mo
Posts: 8337 | From the other shore | Registered: Jul 2002
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hardynaka
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posted
Gigi, if you come with your kefir grains to Europe, please tell me. I'm trying to find it here around, with no success.
Selma
Posts: 1086 | From Switzerland | Registered: Oct 2005
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GiGi
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posted
I've settled into my new apartment and would like to celebrate with kefir..since I can't bring out the champagne.
What essentials items, other than the milk and grains do I need? Michelle thanks for the visual. I would not have guessed that was a broken CD cover. Gigi if you avoid plastics what do you use in place
I would prefer non plastic items as much as possible.
I bought yogourmet Kefir grains from Whole foods. Will these do or should I find another source.
Posts: 628 | From the south | Registered: Dec 2005
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hardynaka
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HI serendipity, I'm not Gigi, but I suppose glass would be the choice??
Gigi, thanks I'll take a look into the site!
Selma
Posts: 1086 | From Switzerland | Registered: Oct 2005
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posted
Thanks GiGi! I have just sent an email to someone in Denmark to see if they could send me some kefir. This is exciting!
Posts: 155 | From Norway | Registered: Jan 2006
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posted
Thanks Selma, I am still looking into what I need to set up the kefir.
What is a good source of starter grains for example. Sorry if some of these are old questions. I should do a search beforehand.
Posts: 628 | From the south | Registered: Dec 2005
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GiGi
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Both kefir and yogurt are cultured milk products... ...but they contain different types of beneficial bacteria. Yogurt contains transient beneficial bacteria that keep the digestive system clean and provide food for the friendly bacteria that reside there. But kefir can actually colonize the intestinal tract, a feat that yogurt cannot match. Kefir contains several major strains of friendly bacteria not commonly found in yogurt, Lactobacillus Caucasus, Leuconostoc, Acetobacter species, and Streptococcus species.
It also contains beneficial yeasts, such as Saccharomyces kefir and Torula kefir, which dominate, control and eliminate destructive pathogenic yeasts in the body. They do so by penetrating the mucosal lining where unhealthy yeast and bacteria reside, forming a virtual SWAT team that housecleans and strengthens the intestines. Hence, the body becomes more efficient in resisting such pathogens as E. coli and intestinal parasites.
Kefir's active yeast and bacteria provide more nutritive value than yogurt by helping digest the foods that you eat and by keeping the colon environment clean and healthy.
Because the curd size of kefir is smaller than yogurt, it is also easier to digest, which makes it a particularly excellent, nutritious food for babies, invalids and the elderly, as well as a remedy for digestive disorders.
Posts: 9834 | From Washington State | Registered: Oct 2000
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GiGi
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After searching for a while, I have settled for a wide-mouth glass bottle with reusable snap-on lid from some fruit juice (LoozA) that I purchase from a World Market that sell all the goodies from abroad.
It works great.
For a big funnel, I cut the top off a plastic one-gallon vinegar bottle (about 7 inches) leaving the bottle handle intact. Into the funnel, set your colander, and let the finished Kefir drain into the wide-mouth bottle. Use a little spatula to help it drain through the colander quickly.
I use a 2 cup plus ceramic or porcellan jug. Put the grains into it, add about two cups of organic pasteurized milk. Cover with a paper napkin and a little flat piece of wood. It sits on my kitchen windowsill for about 16-24 hours. Pour into colander/funnel/glass bottle as described above. Store in fridge.
I use it for a lot more than just drinking plain. Add minerals, add proteins, add fruits, concentrated fruits/berries, liquid letithin, powdered phosphatydil choline. All mixed smoothly in seconds in my Black & Decker 3 cup blender (Amazon $15.) - never a day goes by when I don't use this little blender. Chop & mix, puree anything. Makes the best fruit deserts - in seconds, with a little organic whipping cream mixed in
I also use Kefir often for cooking and baking.
Take care.
Posts: 9834 | From Washington State | Registered: Oct 2000
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posted
weeeee!!! I am getting my kefirgrains in a few weeks! This is exciting!
Posts: 155 | From Norway | Registered: Jan 2006
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GiGi
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Kindly thank Mo - she is the one who put Kefir on the map here! Thank you, Mo.
Posts: 9834 | From Washington State | Registered: Oct 2000
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Thaks Mo, and GiGi for repeating topics such as this and apple cider vinger (I have some in my fresh green chard and cucumber juice) for us newbies and sorta newbies.
I am seeking a source of kefir grains, getting the supplies together and excited about this too. I digestive system is slowly healing, in part due to diet changes and I hope this will be an another help.
Posts: 628 | From the south | Registered: Dec 2005
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canefan17
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posted
Does cocnut milk kefir mess with blood sugars?
Do people with hypoglycemia need to steer clear from kefir?
Posts: 5394 | From Houston, Tx | Registered: Aug 2009
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