Guest guest Posted October 3, 2008 Report Share Posted October 3, 2008 Hi , Actually something has changed. But you haven't figured it out yet. They don't just stop reproducing. The only thing I can think of is that if kefir grains are left in the milk too long (sour kefir) they will stop reproducing. This could happen over months time of constantly making too sour of kefir and they are getting more and more stressed until finally you notice they haven't reproduced in a while. Also any trip to the refrigerator, say every other week for a day, could totally halt their growth. Marilyn On Fri, Oct 3, 2008 at 7:02 PM, Gaiacita <gaiacita@...> wrote: > I have a question about my kefir grains. They had multiplied and I gave > some away but after the last division a few months ago, they have stopped > reproducing. They still make great kefir, but now they no longer > reproduce. > Nothing has changed. Still fed raw milk, still sitting on the same > counter > This happened about a month or two ago. Weather is a bit cooler, but not > by much as it hasn't changed a lot yet here in south Texas. They make kefir > every day. > > Any ideas on what would have happened? I'm assuming that because they > stopped reproducing they won't ever reproduce again? Do I need to get new > grains if I ever want grains to multiply? Or is it ok to just continue > using these same grains forever, even though they don't multiply anymore? > > > > [ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 3, 2008 Report Share Posted October 3, 2008 Well, they've never been in the fridge, though when first my husband was sick, then my dad, they did get left for a long time in the same milk for days many times over a period of about 3 months. Perhaps that is it. So--this means they won't reproduce anymore, ever? No bringing them back to life. :-) They still produce great kefir though. And fast. I wonder how long they will be able to do this? Thanks Marilyn for clearing this mystery up. I've been puzzled about it for 2 months now. Samala, -------Original Message------- Actually something has changed. But you haven't figured it out yet. They don't just stop reproducing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 3, 2008 Report Share Posted October 3, 2008 Hi , That's probably it. They may come back. What will need to happen is the bacteria responsible for making the matrix that the rest of the microorganisms live in will have to regenerate. This may take months. In the meanwhile, they will likely make great kefir forever. If you don't mind you can give us a report in a few months. Marilyn On Fri, Oct 3, 2008 at 8:38 PM, Gaiacita <gaiacita@...> wrote: > Well, they've never been in the fridge, though when first my husband was > sick, then my dad, they did get left for a long time in the same milk for > days many times over a period of about 3 months. Perhaps that is it. > > So--this means they won't reproduce anymore, ever? No bringing them back > to > life. :-) They still produce great kefir though. And fast. I wonder how > long they will be able to do this? > > Thanks Marilyn for clearing this mystery up. I've been puzzled about it > for > 2 months now. > > Samala, > > > -------Original Message------- > > Actually something has changed. But you haven't figured it out yet. They > don't just stop reproducing. > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 3, 2008 Report Share Posted October 3, 2008 Sure. I'll leave myself a note in my calendar. Samala, -------Original Message------- In the meanwhile, they will likely make great kefir forever. If you don't mind you can give us a report in a few months. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 4, 2008 Report Share Posted October 4, 2008 I have had good success at encouraging kefir grains to produce by giving them lots to eat. That is I will add say 2 cups of milk to the grains and let it sit for 12 hrs or so, then add another quart and let sit for another 12. I just keep replenishing every 12 hrs whether or not I actually take some kefir out. When I do this I do it in a gallon jar so I can add larger amounts. The idea is to keep it acidic enough but not too much so. A great opportunity to make cheese when I have so much kefir. good luck.....sharon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.