Guest guest Posted June 23, 2012 Report Share Posted June 23, 2012 Good morning, I am new to making milk kefir and I don't seem to be getting the results that I have been reading about. I am on my 3rd batch of kefir and it has yet to thicken up. Nothing has separated except that the grains seem to float to the top. I let the 1st batch sit for 36 hours and wow was it sour. I couldn't drink it but my 4 dogs loved it. The 2nd batch sat for 12 hours, still no thickening, not as sour, still can't drink it. The 3rd batch was started last night, it's been at least 12 hours and still no thickening. The grains do seem to be a little more swollen than when I first used them. Any suggestions? I love the store bought kind, and enjoy plain yogurt with some honey, so I know what a little sour tastes like. What is kefir supposed to taste like when its right? Is it the sour I'm tasting and do I need to just sweeten it? Ana Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 23, 2012 Report Share Posted June 23, 2012 Hi Ana, maybe you're using too much milk? What kind of milk are you using? Cristina Sent from my iPad On 23/06/2012, at 13:22, " arp989 " <prallac65@...> wrote: > Good morning, > > I am new to making milk kefir and I don't seem to be getting the results that I have been reading about. I am on my 3rd batch of kefir and it has yet to thicken up. Nothing has separated except that the grains seem to float to the top. I let the 1st batch sit for 36 hours and wow was it sour. I couldn't drink it but my 4 dogs loved it. The 2nd batch sat for 12 hours, still no thickening, not as sour, still can't drink it. The 3rd batch was started last night, it's been at least 12 hours and still no thickening. The grains do seem to be a little more swollen than when I first used them. > > Any suggestions? I love the store bought kind, and enjoy plain yogurt with some honey, so I know what a little sour tastes like. What is kefir supposed to taste like when its right? Is it the sour I'm tasting and do I need to just sweeten it? > > Ana > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 23, 2012 Report Share Posted June 23, 2012 Hi Ana, What kind of milk are you using? How much grains and milk? The grains swelling is a good sign that they are growing. If you’re using whole milk and a reasonable ratio of grains to milk, then I would say just give it some more time. It took my grains 2 months before they finally started to set the milk. From: arp989 Sent: Saturday, June 23, 2012 4:22 AM Subject: Questions from a newbie Good morning, I am new to making milk kefir and I don't seem to be getting the results that I have been reading about. I am on my 3rd batch of kefir and it has yet to thicken up. Nothing has separated except that the grains seem to float to the top. I let the 1st batch sit for 36 hours and wow was it sour. I couldn't drink it but my 4 dogs loved it. The 2nd batch sat for 12 hours, still no thickening, not as sour, still can't drink it. The 3rd batch was started last night, it's been at least 12 hours and still no thickening. The grains do seem to be a little more swollen than when I first used them. Any suggestions? I love the store bought kind, and enjoy plain yogurt with some honey, so I know what a little sour tastes like. What is kefir supposed to taste like when its right? Is it the sour I'm tasting and do I need to just sweeten it? Ana Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 23, 2012 Report Share Posted June 23, 2012 Hi , I'm using regular 1% milk. The ratio is 3tbsp to approx. 3 cups of milk (quart mason jar). It sounds like I just need some patience. Thanks for your help. Ana > > Hi Ana, > > What kind of milk are you using? How much grains and milk? > > The grains swelling is a good sign that they are growing. If you’re using whole milk and a reasonable ratio of grains to milk, then I would say just give it some more time. It took my grains 2 months before they finally started to set the milk. > > > > From: arp989 > Sent: Saturday, June 23, 2012 4:22 AM > > Subject: Questions from a newbie > > > Good morning, > > I am new to making milk kefir and I don't seem to be getting the results that I have been reading about. I am on my 3rd batch of kefir and it has yet to thicken up. Nothing has separated except that the grains seem to float to the top. I let the 1st batch sit for 36 hours and wow was it sour. I couldn't drink it but my 4 dogs loved it. The 2nd batch sat for 12 hours, still no thickening, not as sour, still can't drink it. The 3rd batch was started last night, it's been at least 12 hours and still no thickening. The grains do seem to be a little more swollen than when I first used them. > > Any suggestions? I love the store bought kind, and enjoy plain yogurt with some honey, so I know what a little sour tastes like. What is kefir supposed to taste like when its right? Is it the sour I'm tasting and do I need to just sweeten it? > > Ana > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 24, 2012 Report Share Posted June 24, 2012 I think she is saying that whole milk would work better.....not 1%. And it has been my experience that the kefir babies like the fat in whole milk. A From: arp989 Sent: Saturday, June 23, 2012 9:53 PM Subject: Re: Questions from a newbie Hi , I'm using regular 1% milk. The ratio is 3tbsp to approx. 3 cups of milk (quart mason jar). It sounds like I just need some patience. Thanks for your help. Ana > > Hi Ana, > > What kind of milk are you using? How much grains and milk? > > The grains swelling is a good sign that they are growing. If you’re using whole milk and a reasonable ratio of grains to milk, then I would say just give it some more time. It took my grains 2 months before they finally started to set the milk. > > > > From: arp989 > Sent: Saturday, June 23, 2012 4:22 AM > mailto:%40 > Subject: Questions from a newbie > > > Good morning, > > I am new to making milk kefir and I don't seem to be getting the results that I have been reading about. I am on my 3rd batch of kefir and it has yet to thicken up. Nothing has separated except that the grains seem to float to the top. I let the 1st batch sit for 36 hours and wow was it sour. I couldn't drink it but my 4 dogs loved it. The 2nd batch sat for 12 hours, still no thickening, not as sour, still can't drink it. The 3rd batch was started last night, it's been at least 12 hours and still no thickening. The grains do seem to be a little more swollen than when I first used them. > > Any suggestions? I love the store bought kind, and enjoy plain yogurt with some honey, so I know what a little sour tastes like. What is kefir supposed to taste like when its right? Is it the sour I'm tasting and do I need to just sweeten it? > > Ana > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 24, 2012 Report Share Posted June 24, 2012 Ana, I use whole raw milk and it makes wonderfuls kefir BUT when the milk sellers began skimming off cream, just leaving a little but even more than 1%, my kefir grains immediately stopped making the nice think kefir milk. MKG do better with good milk fat/cream so I would think using 1% milk would be a negative factor in grains making good kefir. It sure was for me. Of course, WE need the cream fat too. Alice Hi , I'm using regular 1% milk. The ratio is 3tbsp to approx. 3 cups of milk (quart mason jar). It sounds like I just need some patience. Thanks for your help. Ana Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 24, 2012 Report Share Posted June 24, 2012 Ana you may be using a little too much milk. Mine was mega thick when I started doing mine and when I added more milk to the grains then it started getting thinner so I could get it through my strainer better. Mine starts to separate at the bottom just a little to where you can see liquid in about 24 hours and I have probably 2 heaping tbl. to the quart jar and I fill my jar to the neck with milk now to make it not so thick. I don't know how much milk or grains you are using but you might want to try not putting as much milk, maybe just back off 1/2 cup or so and see if it gets thick like you're wanting. Also mine isn't even separating into whey after I let it sit on the cabinet 24 more hours after the grains have been strained out of them. It gets thicker but doesn't separate even then. Rose Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 24, 2012 Report Share Posted June 24, 2012 I started with 2% milk; that's what we've always purchased. It worked just fine. However since I changed to whole milk, my kefir tastes better. No doubt the extra fat is what makes it tastier for me. Also my kefir is thicker now. My 2 cents. June > > > > Hi Ana, > > > > What kind of milk are you using? How much grains and milk? > > > > The grains swelling is a good sign that they are growing. If you’re using whole milk and a reasonable ratio of grains to milk, then I would say just give it some more time. It took my grains 2 months before they finally started to set the milk. > > > > > > > > From: arp989 > > Sent: Saturday, June 23, 2012 4:22 AM > > mailto:%40 > > Subject: Questions from a newbie > > > > > > Good morning, > > > > I am new to making milk kefir and I don't seem to be getting the results that I have been reading about. I am on my 3rd batch of kefir and it has yet to thicken up. Nothing has separated except that the grains seem to float to the top. I let the 1st batch sit for 36 hours and wow was it sour. I couldn't drink it but my 4 dogs loved it. The 2nd batch sat for 12 hours, still no thickening, not as sour, still can't drink it. The 3rd batch was started last night, it's been at least 12 hours and still no thickening. The grains do seem to be a little more swollen than when I first used them. > > > > Any suggestions? I love the store bought kind, and enjoy plain yogurt with some honey, so I know what a little sour tastes like. What is kefir supposed to taste like when its right? Is it the sour I'm tasting and do I need to just sweeten it? > > > > Ana > > > > > > > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 24, 2012 Report Share Posted June 24, 2012 Hi Ana, The lower fat content of the milk may be the reason for the thin consistency, but it is possible that they just need some time. I would keep changing them out every 24 hours regardless of what they produce. They will get used to the regular additions of fresh milk and should balance out. You could try a separate experiment using full fat milk in a separate jar if you want to see if that makes a difference. Leave your cultures undisturbed during the 24 hours. Temperature also affects how the grains work. I live in a warm environment and use only about a teaspoon of grains to 10 oz. milk. Milk has fat, sugar (lactose), and 2 major proteins, casein and whey. During fermentation, the micro-organisms consume the lactose. The by-products they produce are acids which cause the casein to tighten and intertwine. This forms a loose matrix which sets the milk. It breaks easily when stirred or shaken. Eventually, as acid increases, the matrix tightens until it begins to squeeze out the whey. You will see little areas of whey separating in the midst of the set kefir, usually at the bottom, and maybe some separated whey immediately around the grains. That is the ideal time to strain out the grains for good quality kefir. Leaving it longer, the casein will completely coagulate and float to the top, looking sort of like cottage cheese, leaving the whey at the bottom. Even if you have nonfat milk, there should still be some tightening up of the casein and separation. As I said earlier, my grains took 2 months before they started to work like this. After straining my kefir, I refrigerate it for an additional 24 hours. It develops a lovely thickened consistency and I think the flavor is improved. It is my understanding that the folate content is exponentially increased when you keep the finished kefir for an additional 24 hours at 40º F. It also tastes great cold. Please keep us posted on how things go. Don’t give up! From: arp989 Sent: Saturday, June 23, 2012 6:53 PM Subject: Re: Questions from a newbie Hi , I'm using regular 1% milk. The ratio is 3tbsp to approx. 3 cups of milk (quart mason jar). It sounds like I just need some patience. Thanks for your help. Ana Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 26, 2012 Report Share Posted June 26, 2012 , Thank you for the information. I'll have to say it is a bit frustrating. You mentioned whey forming at the bottom...mine seems to be forming at the top just under the curds and grain ( and straight liquid below). This batch sat for 24 hours, I did stir it occasionally. It tasted a bit effervescent and when I smelled it burned my nose a little. Yikes! the taste was a bit bubbly not to terribly sour. Is any of that normal, could happen, should not happen, etc....? Also I've read that the grains can be rinsed with non-chlorinated water. Does that mean I can use the filtered water I drink from a brita pitcher or is it something else? I would like to keep trying. I know my dogs love it! Ana > > Hi Ana, > > The lower fat content of the milk may be the reason for the thin consistency, but it is possible that they just need some time. I would keep changing them out every 24 hours regardless of what they produce. They will get used to the regular additions of fresh milk and should balance out. You could try a separate experiment using full fat milk in a separate jar if you want to see if that makes a difference. Leave your cultures undisturbed during the 24 hours. Temperature also affects how the grains work. I live in a warm environment and use only about a teaspoon of grains to 10 oz. milk. > > Milk has fat, sugar (lactose), and 2 major proteins, casein and whey. During fermentation, the micro-organisms consume the lactose. The by-products they produce are acids which cause the casein to tighten and intertwine. This forms a loose matrix which sets the milk. It breaks easily when stirred or shaken. Eventually, as acid increases, the matrix tightens until it begins to squeeze out the whey. You will see little areas of whey separating in the midst of the set kefir, usually at the bottom, and maybe some separated whey immediately around the grains. That is the ideal time to strain out the grains for good quality kefir. Leaving it longer, the casein will completely coagulate and float to the top, looking sort of like cottage cheese, leaving the whey at the bottom. Even if you have nonfat milk, there should still be some tightening up of the casein and separation. As I said earlier, my grains took 2 months before they started to work like this. > > After straining my kefir, I refrigerate it for an additional 24 hours. It develops a lovely thickened consistency and I think the flavor is improved. It is my understanding that the folate content is exponentially increased when you keep the finished kefir for an additional 24 hours at 40º F. It also tastes great cold. > > > Please keep us posted on how things go. Don’t give up! > > > > From: arp989 > Sent: Saturday, June 23, 2012 6:53 PM > > Subject: Re: Questions from a newbie > > > Hi , > > I'm using regular 1% milk. The ratio is 3tbsp to approx. 3 cups of milk (quart mason jar). It sounds like I just need some patience. Thanks for your help. > Ana > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 26, 2012 Report Share Posted June 26, 2012 The milk fats in raw organic grass fed cows and goats milk are very healthy for you. People do not need to fear fat. Our brains are made of 60% fat and if you are eating a low or no fat diet, you are starving your brain and preventing the body from healing itself with the fat. High quality fat diets help the cells heal themselves. The myth of the 'low-fat' diet, and why consuming healthy fats is vital to your health http://www.naturalnews.com/035069_low_fat_diet_myths_weight_loss.html#ixzz1yvdXC\ lzf Al Questions from a newbie > > > > > > Good morning, > > > > I am new to making milk kefir and I don't seem to be getting the results that I have been reading about. I am on my 3rd batch of kefir and it has yet to thicken up. Nothing has separated except that the grains seem to float to the top. I let the 1st batch sit for 36 hours and wow was it sour. I couldn't drink it but my 4 dogs loved it. The 2nd batch sat for 12 hours, still no thickening, not as sour, still can't drink it. The 3rd batch was started last night, it's been at least 12 hours and still no thickening. The grains do seem to be a little more swollen than when I first used them. > > > > Any suggestions? I love the store bought kind, and enjoy plain yogurt with some honey, so I know what a little sour tastes like. What is kefir supposed to taste like when its right? Is it the sour I'm tasting and do I need to just sweeten it? > > > > Ana > > > > > > > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 26, 2012 Report Share Posted June 26, 2012 Brita is a poor quality filter, it only makes it smell less like chlorine and takes some the sediment out but does not remove the toxins or fluoride. You might want to get a better filter. There is always the reverse osmosis and there is also the Seychelle or others. Berkey is also better than Brita. Al Re: Questions from a newbie > > > Hi , > > I'm using regular 1% milk. The ratio is 3tbsp to approx. 3 cups of milk (quart mason jar). It sounds like I just need some patience. Thanks for your help. > Ana > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 26, 2012 Report Share Posted June 26, 2012 Hi Ana, Yes, that is exactly the sort of thing I saw when mine were new, and I think it is normal for transitioning grains. The effervescence indicates that the yeast fraction is doing it’s thing. The burning aroma is the slight alcohol and/or acetic acid produced by the yeast activity. The lactic acid producing bacteria that make it thick just need to catch up. They will balance out given time. Keep changing the milk every 24 hours; don’t stir, just let it sit. The grains can be rinsed but I would only do that if there is indication of contamination (weed organisms). You would see off color such as pinkish or a darker sort of yellow color at the top. You don’t need to rinse at this time. My dogs love their kefir too! From: arp989 Sent: Tuesday, June 26, 2012 9:27 AM Subject: Re: Questions from a newbie , Thank you for the information. I'll have to say it is a bit frustrating. You mentioned whey forming at the bottom...mine seems to be forming at the top just under the curds and grain ( and straight liquid below). This batch sat for 24 hours, I did stir it occasionally. It tasted a bit effervescent and when I smelled it burned my nose a little. Yikes! the taste was a bit bubbly not to terribly sour. Is any of that normal, could happen, should not happen, etc....? Also I've read that the grains can be rinsed with non-chlorinated water. Does that mean I can use the filtered water I drink from a brita pitcher or is it something else? I would like to keep trying. I know my dogs love it! Ana > > Hi Ana, > > The lower fat content of the milk may be the reason for the thin consistency, but it is possible that they just need some time. I would keep changing them out every 24 hours regardless of what they produce. They will get used to the regular additions of fresh milk and should balance out. You could try a separate experiment using full fat milk in a separate jar if you want to see if that makes a difference. Leave your cultures undisturbed during the 24 hours. Temperature also affects how the grains work. I live in a warm environment and use only about a teaspoon of grains to 10 oz. milk. > > Milk has fat, sugar (lactose), and 2 major proteins, casein and whey. During fermentation, the micro-organisms consume the lactose. The by-products they produce are acids which cause the casein to tighten and intertwine. This forms a loose matrix which sets the milk. It breaks easily when stirred or shaken. Eventually, as acid increases, the matrix tightens until it begins to squeeze out the whey. You will see little areas of whey separating in the midst of the set kefir, usually at the bottom, and maybe some separated whey immediately around the grains. That is the ideal time to strain out the grains for good quality kefir. Leaving it longer, the casein will completely coagulate and float to the top, looking sort of like cottage cheese, leaving the whey at the bottom. Even if you have nonfat milk, there should still be some tightening up of the casein and separation. As I said earlier, my grains took 2 months before they started to work like this. > > After straining my kefir, I refrigerate it for an additional 24 hours. It develops a lovely thickened consistency and I think the flavor is improved. It is my understanding that the folate content is exponentially increased when you keep the finished kefir for an additional 24 hours at 40º F. It also tastes great cold. > > > Please keep us posted on how things go. Don’t give up! > > > > From: arp989 > Sent: Saturday, June 23, 2012 6:53 PM > mailto:%40 > Subject: Re: Questions from a newbie > > > Hi , > > I'm using regular 1% milk. The ratio is 3tbsp to approx. 3 cups of milk (quart mason jar). It sounds like I just need some patience. Thanks for your help. > Ana > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 28, 2012 Report Share Posted June 28, 2012 Hi , I believe my kefir grains are happy. I switched to 2% milk and it has thickened to a runny yogurt consistency. Patience is a virtue. My next question is how do I make the kefir every other day...what do I do with the grains if I don't want to make it everyday? How much kefir can be, or should be, consumed in one day? Thanks for the guidance. Ana On Tue, Jun 26, 2012 at 5:42 PM, <jdpro@...> wrote: > ** > > > Hi Ana, > > Yes, that is exactly the sort of thing I saw when mine were new, and I > think it is normal for transitioning grains. The effervescence indicates > that the yeast fraction is doing it’s thing. The burning aroma is the > slight alcohol and/or acetic acid produced by the yeast activity. The > lactic acid producing bacteria that make it thick just need to catch up. > They will balance out given time. > > Keep changing the milk every 24 hours; don’t stir, just let it sit. The > grains can be rinsed but I would only do that if there is indication of > contamination (weed organisms). You would see off color such as pinkish or > a darker sort of yellow color at the top. You don’t need to rinse at this > time. > > My dogs love their kefir too! > > > From: arp989 > Sent: Tuesday, June 26, 2012 9:27 AM > > > Subject: Re: Questions from a newbie > > , > > Thank you for the information. I'll have to say it is a bit frustrating. > You mentioned whey forming at the bottom...mine seems to be forming at the > top just under the curds and grain ( and straight liquid below). This batch > sat for 24 hours, I did stir it occasionally. It tasted a bit effervescent > and when I smelled it burned my nose a little. Yikes! the taste was a bit > bubbly not to terribly sour. Is any of that normal, could happen, should > not happen, etc....? > > Also I've read that the grains can be rinsed with non-chlorinated water. > Does that mean I can use the filtered water I drink from a brita pitcher or > is it something else? > > I would like to keep trying. I know my dogs love it! > > Ana > > > > > Hi Ana, > > > > The lower fat content of the milk may be the reason for the thin > consistency, but it is possible that they just need some time. I would keep > changing them out every 24 hours regardless of what they produce. They will > get used to the regular additions of fresh milk and should balance out. You > could try a separate experiment using full fat milk in a separate jar if > you want to see if that makes a difference. Leave your cultures undisturbed > during the 24 hours. Temperature also affects how the grains work. I live > in a warm environment and use only about a teaspoon of grains to 10 oz. > milk. > > > > Milk has fat, sugar (lactose), and 2 major proteins, casein and whey. > During fermentation, the micro-organisms consume the lactose. The > by-products they produce are acids which cause the casein to tighten and > intertwine. This forms a loose matrix which sets the milk. It breaks easily > when stirred or shaken. Eventually, as acid increases, the matrix tightens > until it begins to squeeze out the whey. You will see little areas of whey > separating in the midst of the set kefir, usually at the bottom, and maybe > some separated whey immediately around the grains. That is the ideal time > to strain out the grains for good quality kefir. Leaving it longer, the > casein will completely coagulate and float to the top, looking sort of like > cottage cheese, leaving the whey at the bottom. Even if you have nonfat > milk, there should still be some tightening up of the casein and > separation. As I said earlier, my grains took 2 months before they started > to work like this. > > > > After straining my kefir, I refrigerate it for an additional 24 hours. > It develops a lovely thickened consistency and I think the flavor is > improved. It is my understanding that the folate content is exponentially > increased when you keep the finished kefir for an additional 24 hours at > 40º F. It also tastes great cold. > > > > > > Please keep us posted on how things go. Don’t give up! > > > > > > > > From: arp989 > > Sent: Saturday, June 23, 2012 6:53 PM > > mailto:%40 > > Subject: Re: Questions from a newbie > > > > > > Hi , > > > > I'm using regular 1% milk. The ratio is 3tbsp to approx. 3 cups of milk > (quart mason jar). It sounds like I just need some patience. Thanks for > your help. > > Ana > > > > > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 29, 2012 Report Share Posted June 29, 2012 I use 1 heaping Tbs of grains for 1/2 gallon of milk (I love my mason jars) and if the house is cooler, it will take about 48 hours to culture. If the kitchen, is much warmer, then it will culture faster. If your current kitchen temp will culture in 24 hours, then put in the fridge with cheese cloth for the first 24 hours and then take it out about 24 hours before you want it to be finished. If it takes 18 hours, then tske out of the fridge 18 hours before you want to strain. Al Re: Questions from a newbie >> > >> > >> > Hi , >> > >> > I'm using regular 1% milk. The ratio is 3tbsp to approx. 3 cups of milk >> (quart mason jar). It sounds like I just need some patience. Thanks for >> your help. >> > Ana >> > >> > >> > >> > >> > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 29, 2012 Report Share Posted June 29, 2012 Hi Ana, Glad to hear things are getting on track. If you don't want to make kefir every day, you can put the grains in a smaller container with milk where they will have food until you want to make it again. Some people get in a rhythm where they make a large batch of kefir and store the grains in a smaller amount of milk until they are ready to make the next batch. This method didn't work well for me but for some people it does. I think they do adjust to your rhythm. You could do a two-day ferment if you want, if that works for you. What I do, is prepare only the amount that I want to drink each day. In my case it is 10 oz. of milk and 1 tsp of grains. That 10 oz. is shared so hubby gets his 1/4 cup shot, the dogs get a teaspoon for the little one and two teaspoons for the bigger one, and I get the rest. My son can't have dairy and my daughter only wants the kefir cheese which I make once in a while. Here's a video showing my method. As far as the amount to drink, if you just want the probiotics you can drink a small amount like my hubby does, but if you love the stuff, you can take however much you like or can tolerate. I would drink a lot more than I do, but I use full fat milk and don't want to put on lots of weight. So it's really up to you. Re: Questions from a newbie > > > > > > Hi , > > > > I'm using regular 1% milk. The ratio is 3tbsp to approx. 3 cups of milk > (quart mason jar). It sounds like I just need some patience. Thanks for > your help. > > Ana > > > > > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 29, 2012 Report Share Posted June 29, 2012 I don't understand why a lot of people want to stress their grains out by not providing enough food for them. Since kefir consumes the sugar and lactose in milk as food and usually takes 12-48 hours to ferment, why do you want to put grains in a jar with a tiny bit of milk for 10x's longer than it usually takes with a whole lot more milk? What is the point to not providing adequate food and not refrigerating the grains? Al > > Hi Ana, > > Glad to hear things are getting on track. If you don't want to make kefir > every day, you can put the grains in a smaller container with milk where > they will have food until you want to make it again. Some people get in a > rhythm where they make a large batch of kefir and store the grains in a > smaller amount of milk until they are ready to make the next batch. This > method didn't work well for me but for some people it does. I think they do > adjust to your rhythm. > > You could do a two-day ferment if you want, if that works for you. > > What I do, is prepare only the amount that I want to drink each day. In my > case it is 10 oz. of milk and 1 tsp of grains. That 10 oz. is shared so > hubby gets his 1/4 cup shot, the dogs get a teaspoon for the little one and > two teaspoons for the bigger one, and I get the rest. My son can't have > dairy and my daughter only wants the kefir cheese which I make once in a > while. Here's a video showing my method. > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 30, 2012 Report Share Posted June 30, 2012 When keeping kefir in milk to keep for a longer period of time, the milk is still changed out as needed. This works for some people and it is a long-standing practice in the Russian tradition of kefir making. It might not make sense to you but it works for some. From: Liberty Chick Sent: Friday, June 29, 2012 10:11 PM Subject: Re: Questions from a newbie I don't understand why a lot of people want to stress their grains out by not providing enough food for them. Since kefir consumes the sugar and lactose in milk as food and usually takes 12-48 hours to ferment, why do you want to put grains in a jar with a tiny bit of milk for 10x's longer than it usually takes with a whole lot more milk? What is the point to not providing adequate food and not refrigerating the grains? Al > > Hi Ana, > > Glad to hear things are getting on track. If you don't want to make kefir > every day, you can put the grains in a smaller container with milk where > they will have food until you want to make it again. Some people get in a > rhythm where they make a large batch of kefir and store the grains in a > smaller amount of milk until they are ready to make the next batch. This > method didn't work well for me but for some people it does. I think they do > adjust to your rhythm. > > You could do a two-day ferment if you want, if that works for you. > > What I do, is prepare only the amount that I want to drink each day. In my > case it is 10 oz. of milk and 1 tsp of grains. That 10 oz. is shared so > hubby gets his 1/4 cup shot, the dogs get a teaspoon for the little one and > two teaspoons for the bigger one, and I get the rest. My son can't have > dairy and my daughter only wants the kefir cheese which I make once in a > while. Here's a video showing my method. > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 30, 2012 Report Share Posted June 30, 2012 It would still stress the grains out by starving them. I choose not to starve my little critters and I have healthy grains. Al Re: Questions from a newbie I don't understand why a lot of people want to stress their grains out by not providing enough food for them. Since kefir consumes the sugar and lactose in milk as food and usually takes 12-48 hours to ferment, why do you want to put grains in a jar with a tiny bit of milk for 10x's longer than it usually takes with a whole lot more milk? What is the point to not providing adequate food and not refrigerating the grains? Al > > Hi Ana, > > Glad to hear things are getting on track. If you don't want to make kefir > every day, you can put the grains in a smaller container with milk where > they will have food until you want to make it again. Some people get in a > rhythm where they make a large batch of kefir and store the grains in a > smaller amount of milk until they are ready to make the next batch. This > method didn't work well for me but for some people it does. I think they do > adjust to your rhythm. > > You could do a two-day ferment if you want, if that works for you. > > What I do, is prepare only the amount that I want to drink each day. In my > case it is 10 oz. of milk and 1 tsp of grains. That 10 oz. is shared so > hubby gets his 1/4 cup shot, the dogs get a teaspoon for the little one and > two teaspoons for the bigger one, and I get the rest. My son can't have > dairy and my daughter only wants the kefir cheese which I make once in a > while. Here's a video showing my method. > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 30, 2012 Report Share Posted June 30, 2012 I’m with you, Al. I don’t understand it either. If I have too much kefir and need to take a break I put the regular amount of grains in my regular size jar and fill with milk just like normal but I put it in the refrigerator for a day or two and take it out when I’m ready to make more. The grains have plenty to eat and are ready to ferment when I take the jar out of the refrigerator. I have read here that some put grains in a tiny jar with a tiny amount of milk and somehow expect them to grow. They need milk to grow. They need more milk than they will get in a baby food jar. A From: Liberty Chick Sent: Saturday, June 30, 2012 1:11 AM Subject: Re: Questions from a newbie I don't understand why a lot of people want to stress their grains out by not providing enough food for them. Since kefir consumes the sugar and lactose in milk as food and usually takes 12-48 hours to ferment, why do you want to put grains in a jar with a tiny bit of milk for 10x's longer than it usually takes with a whole lot more milk? What is the point to not providing adequate food and not refrigerating the grains? Al > > Hi Ana, > > Glad to hear things are getting on track. If you don't want to make kefir > every day, you can put the grains in a smaller container with milk where > they will have food until you want to make it again. Some people get in a > rhythm where they make a large batch of kefir and store the grains in a > smaller amount of milk until they are ready to make the next batch. This > method didn't work well for me but for some people it does. I think they do > adjust to your rhythm. > > You could do a two-day ferment if you want, if that works for you. > > What I do, is prepare only the amount that I want to drink each day. In my > case it is 10 oz. of milk and 1 tsp of grains. That 10 oz. is shared so > hubby gets his 1/4 cup shot, the dogs get a teaspoon for the little one and > two teaspoons for the bigger one, and I get the rest. My son can't have > dairy and my daughter only wants the kefir cheese which I make once in a > while. Here's a video showing my method. > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 1, 2012 Report Share Posted July 1, 2012 Shrinking grains is a sign that something you are doing or quality of milk is not right. Healthy grains do not shrink. Al Re: Re: Questions from a newbie >>There is a difference between the amount of milk the grains need to produce kefir with the taste and consistency we want, and the amount of milk needed by the grains for life and growth. The acidic environment produced by the grains in milk is not harmful to them. It is good for them and stimulates growth and kefiran production.<< I am starting to wonder about this myself. So my qt jar of kefir has shrunk to a 2 cup size and I pour the milk to the top and put the lid on tight. My grains in this jar are multiplying kurds, and I scoop some out and put it into the strained kefir, which IS a turnaround of sorts. But the grains in this jar are not growing biggrt yet, but I have only done it for a day and then I put it into the fridge because I had to go away. So this is my next experiment. Lyn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 2, 2012 Report Share Posted July 2, 2012 LaDonna, how did you freeze them? Glad it had a happy ending. gretchen In a message dated 7/2/2012 10:05:22 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time, jandlharris@... writes: Leo, A couple of days after I bragged on my teaspoon sized grains, my husband accidentally dumped them on the floor.� He cleaned up his mess, and threw out my grains.� While I was thankful for the clean floor, I missed those huge grains.� I had frozen extras on three separate occasions, so I thawed the oldest, from December.� They are thriving; they started growing right away, making kefir from the first day, even after being frozen for 6 months. LaDonna [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 3, 2012 Report Share Posted July 3, 2012 LaDonna, Thanks, that's great to know! Any freezing tips would be great. Sorry the Hubby threw the grains out, good save though! Leo On Sun, Jul 1, 2012 at 7:46 PM, LaDonna <jandlharris@...> wrote: > ** > > > Leo, > > A couple of days after I bragged on my teaspoon sized grains, my husband > accidentally dumped them on the floor.� He cleaned up his mess, and > threw out my > grains.� While I was thankful for the clean floor, I missed those huge > grains.� > I had frozen extras on three separate occasions, so I thawed the oldest, > from > December.� They are thriving; they started growing right away, making > kefir from > the first day, even after being frozen for 6 months. > > LaDonna > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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