Kefiriffic

Wow, so I made my first batch of kefir, and it turned out fine! It's a weird taste for sure and definitely needs some flavor enhancement to be truly palatable. I added honey and cinnamon to mine and downed 4 ounces quickly. I don't care for milk, especially if it's been open in the fridge a few days, but this was not an offensive taste, just yogurty with a hint of carbonation and slight vinegar note, also reminiscent of buttermilk. It'll keep longer than milk in my fridge and provides a rich source of probiotics that yogurt doesn't. I've had stomach issues my whole life, so I'm hoping this gives me better health, especially since I've just been on an antibiotic. I'm hoping to sneak it into some smoothies for the rest of the family as well.

So my kefir process is to put the grains into a clean glass jar with cold milk added. I stir a bit and put a plastic zipper bag over the top, followed by a canning jar ring. The plastic is loose enough to allow for some expansion of the gases. I leave it on the counter for 48 hours, then give it a little shake to loosen the cultures from the starter grains. Then I have a snap-on straining lid that I use to strain the kefir into another clean canning jar, which I then put a canning lid on and put in the fridge. Then I rinse the grains with a bit of cold milk, strain again, and cover the grains with a few tablespoons of milk and put that starter back into the fridge until I'm ready to make more. Very easy. I made a pint first, and I'll be drinking 4-6oz/day, so I think it'll be a 1-2x/wk procedure in addition to the yogurt that I make 2-3 gallons of weekly right now.