Kefir making as alternative to yoghurt making.

wigginsmum

I was looking at one of the kefir sites, with photos of what it looks like after 24 and 48 hours. There apeared to be curd stuff in the strainer, and what looked like whey in the jar. What do you do with each? Do you separate the grains from the curds, and what do you do with the whey?

shykins

u can seperate if u really want to then u can make cheese etc

i just tip the whole lot thru the strainer and it sorta mulches together.. hope that makes sense
x

leonie_2

Do you know, I didnt even get one thanks button when I started this thread :rotfl: I honestly thought it may get the odd one or two glances but its had over 4000 views!

I started it after reading about its effect on preventing tumours and as a general pick me up. (my daughter is in remission at the moment) none of us are keen on the taste so we add more milk to it and some crusha milkshake.

I hate plain and greek yoghurt though so its no surprise its not to my taste.

I havent been drinking it for a little while as things have been hectic here. However a few days ago I started back on it and i'm having an energy burst... I can only put it down to the kefir?

Kazonline

I've just been back and pressed it leonie!!!!!
Not like me to not press it for something like this - was it maybe when the button was 'on strike'?
I for one am VERY glad you started the thread - so THANK YOU
Kaz x

shokadelika

I ferment my kefir for 24 hrs then strain it off put in new milk.The stained kefir I put in another old coffee jar and screw the lid down tight leave it somewhere warm for another 24 hrs it makes a fizzy kefir great in the blender with blueberries or bannanas etc.
I have left a jar of kefir in the same milk in the fridge for 6 months as an experiment rinsed it in fresh milk and it started again it smelled a bit but was still active I even bravely tasted it it was very sharp but not "off" like you would expext. Unpasturised milk makes fantastic Kefir if you can get it as does Gold Top.I would advise against using UHT milk for anything let alone kefir it thrives on full fat organic milk non-homogenised is better and better for you.
The cooler the temp the slower it works.
A lady who I know had a "movement "around once or twice a week since using the Kefir she is now a daily member of the planet as is her Son who had the same problem.
I drink around 200ml a day you don't have to consume pints of the stuff though IBS etc may need more and more frequent doses
I inherited my grains from a lady that had her first culture in 1976 so the stuff is pretty indestructible.If you are going on holiday just leave it in the coolest part of the fridge in some milk it will be fine for weeks.
People forget Kefir making is an ancient process and was / is used for preserving milk be that of goats.cows,sheep or horses ! anyone know where I can get some mare's milk to try!!.
Unpasturised "raw" milk does not "go off" it seperates into curds and whey.Pasturization kills the bad and good bacteria (like the ones present in the Kefir) so it rots and turns green and rancid.In effect the Kefir is restoring the good bacteria probiotics antiboitics etc to essentially "dead" through pasturisation milk!

If calves are fed pasturised milk they die!.

https://www.westonaprice.org excellent site on milk and natural foods

https://www.seedsofhealth.co.uk excellent uk site for more info and raw unpasturised green top milk producers farmers around the UK

If you are lucky enough to find some unpasturised milk or Green Top the Royal family drink it you will find that a full one third of the litre bottle is cream not the top 10mm so who is selling the cream off the milk?
Homogenised is worse because the fat miolecules are dispersed throught you cannot tell how much cream is in the milk because it does not seperate out in a cream line.As usual we are bieng conned.

leonie_2

Ha ha Kaz, that made me chuckle. Thanks!! :j

The one thing I find with kefir is you have to be careful when using it for cooking as it can separate.... but not always! I hate that its so hit and miss

larmy16

OK it seems to me that Kefir virginity is much like the common old ordinary virginity - a very individual experience!!

I drank the milk (still thin) with a lot of crusha milk shake stuff. It was a bit squeebish and smelt vaguely alcoholic, but I drank it! I have now put mine in full fat milk and will leave it again - the blobby stuff does seem to be increasing in size though I had only had it in semi skim which was all I had.

Will press on though with the experiment.

PS If it ever gets to yakult type taste, I will be so grateful to you Leonie, for now will a thanks do??:)

Ted_Hutchinson

larmy16 wrote:

and smelt vaguely alcoholic,

Well what do you expect from a fermentation process but a little alcohol.:beer:

larmy16

Well Ted, I gave up alcohol 7 years ago so am not used to that smell!:D

It would be good though if Kefir helps with indegestion - I wonder if it does???

Kazonline

Not too sure about the indegestion bit ...... I actually managed to 'swallow' one of the grains tonight and within a minute could feel it 'repeating' on me It settled down quite quickly though. One of my blobs is now so big it can only just fit through the neck of a 2 ltr bottle!! I'm totally amazed at how quickly this stuff reproduces.
Kaz x