Kefir

      For many years, we have tried to eat a rather healthy diet. I had heard over the years about Kefir (pronounced kay-fear, but no one says it that way here in the midwest cause that drawls it out too much. We say Keefr). It is made from grains, and I thought that's just what they were, grains. It originated from somewhere in the Caucasus Mountains (which by the way borders Europe and Asia). I mean, fermented grains? In a skin bag no less! That sounds way too complicated to me, so I'll just stick to my yogurt. Stir a little Dannon into my goat milk, keep it warm on the pilot light, or in a foam cooler, and if you want it thick enough to stay on your spoon, cheat and add a little powdered milk. Right?
     Well, finally, my friend Nancy (who also has goats) introduced me to Kefir. Oh, you make kefir? Where on Earth did you get the grains? From Sharen? More goats. LOTS of goats! Goat queen you might say. I've known Sharen for over 20 years, she never gave me any Kefir grains! I tried it. A little like buttermilk, no not quite. More like drinkable, tart yogurt. So she told me how you make Kefir and said she'd share some grains with me. The rest is history. Well, it's all history really, cause this happened 2 years ago, and I've been making Kefir ever since from the descendents of those very grains.
     So following is my little pictorial tutorial :) on making Kefir.
                                                                                         

     These are the GRAINS. They are not really a grain at all, but colonies of probiotics, which feed off of the milk and ferment it, making it a very beneficial addition to your already health conscious diet!
                                                                                         

     As you can see, they take on different shapes as they grow. These are all on the smaller side. Sometimes, they hang together in sheets, or string together in long clusters. It's fun to observe, and you get excited when you see a new morph appear in the jar. But, I'm kind of weird that way. I am so fond of my Kefir grains, I took them on vacation to North Carolina with me!
                                                                                             

     You put your grains into the milk, in a GLASS jar, about 1/2 cup per quart. Leave some room at the top for expansion. Right out of the udder is best, as cold slows the growth of the grains. However I do put mine in cold milk if I am trying to use the older milk out of my frig. It just takes it a little longer than the standard time to reach the desired consistency and tartness when I do that. Cover the jar. I use a paper towel usually with a rubber band, and cover with an extra washcloth or towel during fruit fly season. You can see here that I have a pickle jar. I usually make a half gallon at a time. I leave mine on the counter, near the coffee pot. If you think of it when you are doing the dishes, give it a stir once or twice during the day. If you don't it will still be fine. See how easy this is?

     After about 24 hrs give or take depending on the temp, your Kefir will be ready to strain. Cooler temps take a little longer. Sometimes it will separate a little like you see here. The yellowish clear liquid is the whey. Sometimes the whey will be all at the bottom, and all the thick Kefir and grains will be on top. No worries. Give it a stir and strain away. Next time though, you will probably need to add more milk. After just a few days, you will see your grains are beginning to multiply. Soon you will be looking for friends to share them with. Or you can add them to your smoothies if you like for an added probiotic boost! Just make sure if you decide to feed them to your chickens, to chop them up really fine. Ask me how I know...

     Now it is time to separate the grains from the fermented milk. Just pour it into a plastic or nylon strainer/colander. I put mine over a canning funnel, then put the funnel in the jar. You are not supposed to use metal, it reacts.  I did use a stainless strainer for a while when I first started making mine, until I got a plastic one. The stainless was way too small, and it took forever to get the job done. Now I just dump. I personally detest plastic, but it's in there for such a short time, I concede. You can see I used a stainless spoon here. I think stainless is probably fine, but there may be those who differ from me on that.

                                                                                       
     If you would like an even thicker product, (remember I said, it's kind of like drinkable yogurt) you can drain it through muslin cloth. This will make it like greek yogurt or sour cream.
                                                                                            

     Place your cloth in a colander, place your colander in a bowl large enough to catch and hold some of the whey, place a plate on the top, and flip the edges of the cloth over all. This is very important, because the whey will inch its way down to the edges of the cloth and drip on your refrigerator shelf if you don't:)
I leave mine on the counter at first for a few hrs, checking periodically and draining off the whey. When the separation slows, you can put it in the frig.

     This is what the whey looks like. There are many uses for whey, but that is another post. I have recently  okay, yesterday, finally started making fermented mayonaise. Add a couple of Tbs to your homemade mayo (also another post). Most of mine goes to the chickens:)
                                                                                           

      Scraping the sides speeds up the process a little, but after about 24 hrs or so, you should have a nice thick product, to which you can add some of that mayo and make veggie dip, use it as sour cream, or it makes fantastic tzatziki sauce for gyros!
                         By the way, you can store your grains in between times in the frig with just enough milk to cover them, if you begin to feel as if you are swimming in Kefir. It is not optimum to do this, as it slows down probiotic production, so I would recommend making just small amounts at a time if need be. It will not harm your grains if you neglect them for a few days on the counter, either. Also, if you know you are going to be gone for an extended period, you can rinse your grains gently under running water and place them in a container in the freezer. Take them out when you come home, thaw, and pick up where you left off.                                                                 

       After the kids are all in bed, hubby and I are ready to sit and chat, or watch an episode of All Creatures Great and Small (while simultaneously tackling loads of laundry that needs folding). Now for my favorite way to enjoy Kefir! I stir in a couple of Tb each of hemp seeds and chia seeds, about 4 drops of flavored stevia (vanilla creme, chocolate raspberry, english toffee or whatever suits your fancy), let it sit for about 5 min.What a great ending to a busy day. I guess it's my current comfort food. Yes, that is a Blue's Clues cereal bowl that has somehow survived my plastic purging. It's days are numbered. I'm sure very soon, the dog will wander off with it after she finishes her meat scraps or leftover scrambled eggs, and my husband will hit it with the lawn mower:)