Water Kefir

[Guest guest]

>

> Marilyn,

>

> Thanks so much for the water kefir grains.

I got mine from Marilyn, they were dehydrated but they are now growing

and fermenting like crazy. Only a week later. She sent directions on

a paper,

recipe:

1/3 cup sugar dissolved in water

1 slice of dried apple or banana or one whole dried peach or pear or

any non sulfered dried fruit

1 quart of non-chlorinated water, well water or spring water is best,

do not use reverse osmosis or distilled water

Put the lid on tight, Ferment for one or two days. Taste test so you

know it is done the way you like it to taste. Strain out solids and

discard. Rinse kefir grains. Start over. Ginger is a nice addition

if you want.

For a secondary fermentation to develop CO2 (the fizz) fill empty

water bottles up to the brim and cap tightly. Leave our for 1/3 days

then refrigerate. When bottle gets hard you know there is fizz inside

and it is time for cold storage. You can add rootbeer concentrate to

your bottles before pouring in finished water kefir. Also vanilla is

a lovely addition. It's called cream soda.

Also you can use coconut water from tetrapaks. If you use the canned

with fiber or pulp, strain it first .

I have tried juices like grape or peach, with half water. The grains

seem to love it and it is enjoyable to drink to me.

There is more information too, if you want I can type the rest at you.

>

> Now, what do I do with them?

>

> Seriously, I've been reading and between the OT group and this one I

think I

> have gotten confused between KT and water grains.

They are both special. Kt makes a applecider tasting drink and the

Kombucha mushroom looks like a jellyfish to a tan powder puff that I

have seen. The water kefir can tide you over while you wait for the

slow fermenting kombucha .

>

> How do I start off my water grains and what type of container do I

need.

Just a jar will do, with a lid. Do

> I need to worry about the opening size and evaporation with them?

Nope, just worry about burping the jar once they get perkin.

>

> Thanks,

> Jazz

>

> (who is once again recovering for a couple of down days)

I am sorry to hear that you are feeling down. I hope you get to

feeling better.

Hope this helps and sorry Marilyn for butting in

3jsmom31

>

[Guest guest]

Thanks for butting in. I went to a funeral today and just got back. I

am way behind in my chores. Good to know there are people here who can

fill in for me.

MarilynOn 9/29/06, threejsmom31 <threejsmom31@...> wrote:

Hope this helps and sorry Marilyn for butting in3jsmom31 >

[Guest guest]

I can a lot of fruit could I use canned fruit or does it need to be raw?

ita

Re: water kefir

>> Marilyn,> > Thanks so much for the water kefir grains.I got mine from Marilyn, they were dehydrated but they are now growingand fermenting like crazy. Only a week later. She sent directions ona paper, recipe: 1/3 cup sugar dissolved in water1 slice of dried apple or banana or one whole dried peach or pear orany non sulfered dried fruit1 quart of non-chlorinated water, well water or spring water is best,do not use reverse osmosis or distilled waterPut the lid on tight, Ferment for one or two days. Taste test so youknow it is done the way you like it to taste. Strain out solids anddiscard. Rinse kefir grains. Start over. Ginger is a nice additionif you want.For a secondary fermentation to develop CO2 (the fizz) fill emptywater bottles up to the brim and cap tightly. Leave our for 1/3 daysthen refrigerate. When bottle gets hard you know there is fizz insideand it is time for cold storage. You can add rootbeer concentrate toyour bottles before pouring in finished water kefir. Also vanilla isa lovely addition. It's called cream soda.Also you can use coconut water from tetrapaks. If you use the cannedwith fiber or pulp, strain it first . I have tried juices like grape or peach, with half water. The grainsseem to love it and it is enjoyable to drink to me. There is more information too, if you want I can type the rest at you. > > Now, what do I do with them?> > Seriously, I've been reading and between the OT group and this one Ithink I> have gotten confused between KT and water grains.They are both special. Kt makes a applecider tasting drink and theKombucha mushroom looks like a jellyfish to a tan powder puff that Ihave seen. The water kefir can tide you over while you wait for theslow fermenting kombucha .> > How do I start off my water grains and what type of container do Ineed. Just a jar will do, with a lid. Do> I need to worry about the opening size and evaporation with them?Nope, just worry about burping the jar once they get perkin.> > Thanks,> Jazz> > (who is once again recovering for a couple of down days)I am sorry to hear that you are feeling down. I hope you get tofeeling better. Hope this helps and sorry Marilyn for butting in 3jsmom31 >

[Guest guest]

Hi ita,

We use dried fruit because it maintains its integrity after being with

the water grains for two days. It is easy to remove when it is time to

strain them. You might have a mess on your hands using canned or fresh

fruit.

MarilynOn 9/29/06, DRRD <RompingRockDairy@...> wrote:

I can a lot of fruit could I use canned fruit or does it need to be raw?

ita

-

[Guest guest]

Thank you Marilyn,

Now that you give the reason I can see exactly what you are speaking of, but finding the fruits w/o any sulphur or other drying agents up here may be difficult, very difficult. I may have to dry my own. I already make all of our butter, cheese, slaughter & butcher our meat (hubby is a sweetheart but he has trouble even helping), and this spring I will finally have my greanhouse. So I need to learn about kefir all I can because of my other health problems and how active I am.

Sincerely,

ita

Re: Re: water kefir

Hi ita,We use dried fruit because it maintains its integrity after being with the water grains for two days. It is easy to remove when it is time to strain them. You might have a mess on your hands using canned or fresh fruit.Marilyn

On 9/29/06, DRRD <RompingRockDairy@...> wrote:

I can a lot of fruit could I use canned fruit or does it need to be raw?

ita

-

[Guest guest]

Hi ita,

You sound very self-sufficient. I bought a few Harvest Savor

dehydrators off ebay this year and have them going 24/7. It is

convenient to dry small batches of fruit with this type of drhydrator.

Also the Harvest Savor doesn't cook my kefir grains when I dry them,

which I put on the top tray.

I buy overripe bananas and dry them and someone just let me pick 5

gallons of pears off their tree. Water kefir grains like pears, too. So

I am all set for a while. Your water grains don't need that much dried

fruit at a time. It is easy to get stocked up on dried fruit even if

you dry it yourself.

MarilynOn 9/30/06, DRRD <RompingRockDairy@...> wrote:

Thank you Marilyn,

Now that you give the reason I can see exactly what you are speaking of, but finding the fruits w/o any sulphur or other drying agents up here may be difficult, very difficult. I may have to dry my own. I already make all of our butter, cheese, slaughter & butcher our meat (hubby is a sweetheart but he has trouble even helping), and this spring I will finally have my greanhouse. So I need to learn about kefir all I can because of my other health problems and how active I am.

Sincerely,

ita

[Guest guest]

even raisins and prunes can be used. I also enjoyed the product using

half juicy juice and half bottled water. Today I used some cranberry

juice/water and sugar, so will know soon if it is enjoyable. I have

blackberries frozen that I could juice, but would end up with purple

grains . Marilyn, does the coloration hurt the grains? Hope this

helps you get ideas to try. Also, local grocery store has dried apple

slices, even by cultivar, and we are in the middle of nowhere. My

raisins and prunes don't list anything but raisins and prunes so I am

hoping they are suitable. So far, the least enjoyable has been dried

apricot, but even that was okay. Please correct me if I am wrong on

anything, but am having fun trying things. Take care,

3jsmom31

[Guest guest]

--- I was interested to read your recommendation regarding fruit vs

dried fruit for water kefir. I've used raisins and dates and they

worked but the dates fell apart,and the grains actually grew in the

raisin wrinkles and were a pain to clean off or separate. I finally

gave up after dipping each raisin separately to rinse.

Now I usually use small chunks of fresh peeled apples, pears and some

orange mango peach or even kiwi (which yes does fall apart when it is

very ripe, but I like the flavor.) Cherries in season gave it a

lovely pink color and taste. I liked the flavors of these fruits.

Particularly the apples were nice in combination with other fruits.

Peels made the kefir bitter.

I found fruit in general, particularly the firmer apples, lost their

sweetness as they kefired, but they don't spoil. I spoon them out

first with a plastic spoon when I change the water, and usually eat

the fruit. Isn't that how ancient peoples preserved their fruit?

The sweetness is missing but I assume the beneficial enzymes are

available.

Is this OK? Fresh fruit is easier to find organic, not to mention

often less costly.

Thanks,

Olive Kaiser

[Guest guest]

I add my fruit after the grains are strained, then let the whole lot sit for

another 2 days or so- very nice.

Saturday, September 30, 2006, 2:34:33 PM, you wrote:

> --- I was interested to read your recommendation regarding fruit vs

> dried fruit for water kefir. I've used raisins and dates and they

> worked but the dates fell apart,and the grains actually grew in the

> raisin wrinkles and were a pain to clean off or separate. I finally

> gave up after dipping each raisin separately to rinse.

> Now I usually use small chunks of fresh peeled apples, pears and some

> orange mango peach or even kiwi (which yes does fall apart when it is

> very ripe, but I like the flavor.) Cherries in season gave it a

> lovely pink color and taste. I liked the flavors of these fruits.

> Particularly the apples were nice in combination with other fruits.

> Peels made the kefir bitter.

> I found fruit in general, particularly the firmer apples, lost their

> sweetness as they kefired, but they don't spoil. I spoon them out

> first with a plastic spoon when I change the water, and usually eat

> the fruit. Isn't that how ancient peoples preserved their fruit?

> The sweetness is missing but I assume the beneficial enzymes are

> available.

> Is this OK? Fresh fruit is easier to find organic, not to mention

> often less costly.

> Thanks,

> Olive Kaiser

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hi,On 9/30/06, threejsmom31 <threejsmom31@...> wrote: I have blackberries frozen that I could juice, but would end up with purple

grains . Marilyn, does the coloration hurt the grains? ...Not a bit. I noticed when mine got colored from using black strap molasses and then switched back to regular sugar, the water kefir tasted like molasses until the color went away after three batches.

Marilyn

[Guest guest]

I wonder could those softer fruits be put into a fine linen cloth bag? I have so much to learn. Our house is always very cool will that make a difference?

ita

ps: out here it is 160 oneway to the closest "real store"

Re: water kefir

--- I was interested to read your recommendation regarding fruit vs dried fruit for water kefir. I've used raisins and dates and they worked but the dates fell apart,and the grains actually grew in the raisin wrinkles and were a pain to clean off or separate. I finally gave up after dipping each raisin separately to rinse. Now I usually use small chunks of fresh peeled apples, pears and some orange mango peach or even kiwi (which yes does fall apart when it is very ripe, but I like the flavor.) Cherries in season gave it a lovely pink color and taste. I liked the flavors of these fruits. Particularly the apples were nice in combination with other fruits. Peels made the kefir bitter.I found fruit in general, particularly the firmer apples, lost their sweetness as they kefired, but they don't spoil. I spoon them out first with a plastic spoon when I change the water, and usually eat the fruit. Isn't that how ancient peoples preserved their fruit? The sweetness is missing but I assume the beneficial enzymes are available. Is this OK? Fresh fruit is easier to find organic, not to mention often less costly.Thanks,Olive Kaiser

[Guest guest]

Try it and give us the report. You may want to use a looser woven bag. You'll figure it out.MarilynOn 10/1/06, DRRD <

RompingRockDairy@...> wrote:

I wonder could those softer fruits be put into a fine linen cloth bag? I have so much to learn. Our house is always very cool will that make a difference?

ita

ps: out here it is 160 oneway to the closest " real store "

-

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

Mine don't float but they are happy.

If you can get them to grow they are happy enough.

Marilyn

On 8/22/07, <bsperk1216@...> wrote:

>

> I have read some things that said your water kefir grains should float

> is the are " happy " . Mine never float are they alright? The kefir

> tastes alright, I use them in grape juice. Thanks,

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

, I see no one has answered you! Water kefir, AKA Tibicos, is a

collection of bacterias and yeasts, just like milk kefir and kombucha.

Water kefirs medium is a sugar water solution, either fructose or

sucrose. So you could use white sugar(won't grow as fast), suscunat,

rapadura, molasses, or fruit juices. They really like minerals like

calcium carbonate and magnesium in egg shells, limestone and sea coral.

Here is a link to Dom's site-

http://users.chariot.net.au/~dna/kefirpage.html

And another site- http://www.weim.net/homeovet/Docs/water%20kefir.pdf

Hope that helps!!

Joanna

>

> I joined this evening, I know about Kefir but I know nothing about

> water kefir although I am intrigued by the many posts on it. Will

> someone tell me a little more about water kefir; how it differs from

> milk kefir (other than the obvious); does it have health benefits

like

> the milk kefir? How do you culture it?

>

> Thank you,

>

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

Sucanat will work fine. My recipe is 1 quart of water; 1/3 cup sugar, 1/4

teaspoon coral calcium. You might want to add lemon to the finished product

instead of while culturing.

Marilyn

On Wed, May 28, 2008 at 10:51 AM, cunninghamjulie123 <alanandjulie@...>

wrote:

> I recently bought water kefir grains (about 1/4C, maybe a bit less) and

> am not sure what to do next as far as ratios. I'd like to make

> Lemonade. I use SUCANAT, is that okay for kefir?

>

> Thank you,

>

>

>

> ------------------------------------

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hi Alan,

The only way to know for sure if they are good and can be revived is to

try them. You may need to baby them for a while (ie: think in terms of

what is good for the grains, and sacrifice the water if you must)

Use non-chlorinated water fortified with minerals (if you happen to have

hard water - good!) and whole sugar (sucanat) and see what happens.

Let us know.

Ev

On 10/23/2010 2:03 PM, awmitch2007 wrote:

> I have had some water kefir crystals for a couple of years. They were sealed

twice in tilia foodsaver bags and have been in the fridge the whole time.

>

> Will they still be good? I make regular kefir all the time from raw goats

milk, but have never taken the time to make water kefir.

>

> I am now ready to widen my kefir experience.

>

> I thank all of you for your info!

>

> Alan

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Thanks,

that is kinda what I thought. and yes my water is good, I use a berkey water

filter with the fluoride/arsenic filters on the bottom, so the water has all the

good minerals in it, but none of the " poisons " .

I also planed to use rapadura.

Thanks again.

> > I have had some water kefir crystals for a couple of years. They were sealed

twice in tilia foodsaver bags and have been in the fridge the whole time.

> >

> > Will they still be good? I make regular kefir all the time from raw goats

milk, but have never taken the time to make water kefir.

> >

> > I am now ready to widen my kefir experience.

> >

> > I thank all of you for your info!

> >

> > Alan

> >

> >

> >

>

[Guest guest]

Hello, I have since a month water kefir and I have been experimenting

quite a lot, and I still do.

I use only organic not refined sugarcane, and mineral water. Nothing

else. I used for a while fresh lemon, but didn't made difference. I

have two batches .35 liter bottles each a teaspoon of kefir grains and

two big teaspoons of the mentioned sugar. I keep the grains 48 hours

in production, the second day I add two more big teaspoons of sugar.

First 24 hours bottle is filled 60%. The second day I add a little bit

more water with the spoons sugar in solution. Than I strain, don't

wash the grains and start with new batch and so on, so I have every

day a other bottle to consume. Once I run out of sugar and couldn't

find organic sugar. I left the grains in the solution and put it in

the fridge for a 5 days. It worked all well and kept growing and

producing.

Taste is always the same, in the beginning I used different sugar an so did

change the taste.

The water kefir is not growing that fast as milk kefir as I read in

the newsgroup.

Last few days it is quite hot here ( I live southern hemisphere) 38

Celsius: I have the idea that its producing lot of small new grains

(that is why I stopped washing) . Success to all the readers and

writers to this newsgroup. Thank you very much.

Eddy K

On Tue, Jan 25, 2011 at 1:38 AM, L <bbgmnn@...> wrote:

>

>

> I have had my water kefir for about a week. It doesn't seem to do much. How

> do I tell if it is working and when it is done. color? smell, taste?

> thanks john

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

,

There are many variables to water kefir and I am no expert at all, but this is

my experience. You need to use water that has minerals in it and if yours does

not, you can add liquid minerals. I've read many times that if you put dried

fruit in it that you can tell it's done when it floats. I've sometimes wondered

about this because I have craisins floating within a couple of hours of starting

a brew, however, a fig takes much longer. You can also tell it's doing

something because it will be constantly sending up air bubbles and kefir grains.

It's quite fun to watch. My water kefir is slightly sweet, very carbonated, and

with a very mild flavor. I use organic sugar when fermenting with the grains

and then add some juice to the end product for a second ferment.

I've struggled with water kefir for quite some time. I've been making milk

kefir for several years now and also kombucha, so felt like another fermented

beverage wouldn't be that difficult. Well, I'm not sure if it was me or the

grains, but I endured the trials and now am producing GREAT kefir. So, be

patient and find out what your grains want and need to produce kefir the way you

like it.

On Jan 24, 2011, at 10:38 PM, L wrote:

> I have had my water kefir for about a week. It doesn't seem to do much. How do

I tell if it is working and when it is done. color? smell, taste?

> thanks john

>

>

[Guest guest]

Thanks

Iput a few rasins and in about an hour, it started bubbling a little.

I live in SW Florida and on well water but the water quality is so bad we use

reverse osmisis for cooking and distilled water for drinking.. neither contain

minerals. People say commercial spring water usually cones from the municipal

systems.

I started using Nestle Pure life water with calcium chloride, sodium bicarbonate

and magnesium sulfate. Does this sound like good water?

john

>

> > I have had my water kefir for about a week. It doesn't seem to do much. How

do I tell if it is working and when it is done. color? smell, taste?

> > thanks john

> >

> >

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

> I'm new to water kefir, as well, and had similar questions at the beginning.

What I found was that if it's active, you see lots of bubbles fly up when you

pick up the jar. And if it's not active, you experiment with what they might

need and nurse them to health. If they aren't working, the water will taste like

sugar water, with no zip.

>

> My first grains were not thriving, who knows why. I found a warmer spot(near

80 degrees) for the jars to sit while brewing. I fed them every two days

(i.e.,drained and gave new sugar-water), and I added minerals to my filtered

water by adding a half eggshell as well as by brewing herbal tea and using that

as my water.

>

> In a few days they started bubbling somewhat. I changed to turbinado sugar

instead of white. It has more minerals. After several days, I finally saw my

grains were growing, and the new ones were bigger, and I was seeing bubbles fly

up when I moved the jar. Whereas the old ones had been like little grains of

sand --- mush --- the new grains were closer to pea sized more or less, and had

a plastic-like texture, springy. As the grains became more active I carefully

spooned out those which had become mush. With my nice springy, good growing

grains the kefir is tangy within 2 days.

[Guest guest]

By the way, Dom on his website tells why not to add fruit during the first

fermentation. It damages the grains eventually killing them, but you'll have to

google " Dom " and " kefir " to look up his explanation. The raisins or other fruit

is to be added during a second fermentation, not with the grains.

[Guest guest]

Fruit never damaged or killed my water grains. As a matter of fact, they

love the cherries I give them.

Marilyn

On Thu, Jan 27, 2011 at 8:50 AM, sthumming <humming@...> wrote:

> By the way, Dom on his website tells why not to add fruit during the first

> fermentation. It damages the grains eventually killing them, but you'll have

> to google " Dom " and " kefir " to look up his explanation. The raisins or other

> fruit is to be added during a second fermentation, not with the grains.

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

I'm not a huge fan of any bottled water -- I'd prefer to use RO water and add

minerals. BUT, if that's the water you want to use I'd watch my grains

carefully to make sure they're thriving.

Not sure about the comment about not using fruit. There are so many opinions on

the subject and I'd say do what you're comfortable with.

Good Luck and hope you're on your way to bubbly yummy kefir!

> I started using Nestle Pure life water with calcium chloride, sodium

bicarbonate and magnesium sulfate. Does this sound like good water?

> john

[Guest guest]

Hi

What do you mean by adding minerals because RO is the best choice in my house

but is void of minerals.

thanks

Re: Water Kefir

I'm not a huge fan of any bottled water -- I'd prefer to use RO water and add

minerals. BUT, if that's the water you want to use I'd watch my grains carefully

to make sure they're thriving.

Not sure about the comment about not using fruit. There are so many opinions on

the subject and I'd say do what you're comfortable with.

Good Luck and hope you're on your way to bubbly yummy kefir!

> I started using Nestle Pure life water with calcium chloride, sodium

bicarbonate and magnesium sulfate. Does this sound like good water?

> john

=