Intro, now kefir

[Guest guest]

Hi Pam,

Glad you're going to check in with the group :-) Having your own grains

is the cheapest way to go as all it costs is the price of the milk, and it's

more healthy to make your own kefir. The store-bought kefir tends to have

additives like gelatin, and I'm not sure if they pasturize it or not. When

you think about it, it is rather difficult to have something that always

tastes the same, and it's probably lacking in some of the probiotic goodies

that you would get from making your own kefir. When you get your own

grains, you will find that the kefir changes from time to time - for

example, as the grains increase it will ferment faster and end up tasting a

bit more acidic. In addition, the grains seem to go through changes as the

season progresses, so sometimes the kefir will be thicker, and sometimes

more runny as the balance of bacteria and yeast that are changing. I've

been drinking kefir for a few years now, and find that however it turns out,

it always tastes good :-) As you get used to making it, you can adapt it

to be milder, and thicker, or you can leave it in the fridge for a few days

to get really tangy and increase the folic acid amount!

Cheers,

and the K9's

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>I buy storebought kefir, Helios brand and I love it!!!

It's expensive tho and I hardley get any for the price. I will

check into the group.

[Guest guest]

Hi The word "grains" is a bit of a misnomer. They are symbiotic cultures of bacteria and yeast. They feel rubbery and look like little off-white cauliflower florets. All you need to use is the raw goats milk. Kefir is a healthy probiotic drink. It contains even more good stuff than yoghurt and is very good for the digestive system. I'm sure that kefir would be great for your mother. It strengthens the immune system and gets the intestiman flora back into balance :-) Cheers, and the K9's What are kefir grains? Can I use wheat and raw goat's milk to make this? I assume it must be very healthy and I would love to make some for my Mother.

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

My sister in WA was intrigued enough to buy some canned goat's milk. When she tasted it, she said, You've GOT to be kidding! When she came to visit, it took me some time to get her to taste fresh, raw goat's milk. She could hardly bring herself to try it but when she took a tiny sip, she waited for the taste, which didn't come and finally drank the whole glass. She said it was delicious. I would never ruin good goat's milk by pasteurizing the milk. I make raw goat's milk cheese that resembles cream cheese and adding garlic powder, Jalapeno powder, Herbs de France and sea salt. Delicious!

Besides, all the beneficial enzymes are lost when you heat the milk to make cheese or pasteurize it. If milk should be pasteurized, God would have told us so.

Baugh

********************

Thanks to and Suzanne for comments on the taste of goats milk. The first time I bought it I thought it tasted really goaty. The second batch tasted better because I asked her not to pasturize it. She does not keep a billy in with the goats (I've checked) and she waits 10 days or whatever it is after treating for mastitis before she will let me have any milk. Ditto for worming.

I keep hearing people say that it tastes just like cows milk - but mine doesn't. I have to admit that I am not drinking the milk, but kefiring it first and then drinking it, but that shouldn't make a difference. Maybe it's the freezing and thawing that cause the problem. I try to use it as fast as possible, and only thaw it out in the fridge. It still has ice in it when I use it.

Maybe it wasn't cleanly handled :-(

Thanks,

and the K9's

[Guest guest]

Hi Your goats milk cheese sounds great. If you keep on about it, I shall have to break down and get my own goat so that I too can indulge in the joys of fresh raw goats milk and cheese! {lol} and the K9's. I make raw goat's milk cheese that resembles cream cheese and adding garlic powder, Jalapeno powder, Herbs de France and sea salt. Delicious!