Re: milk kefir changed drastically

[Guest guest]

I'm sorry I can't be of help here, since I am new to this as well. But I can say

mine does get that slimy texture almost sluggish with big gooey glops that no

one will touch, but not the bubbles when I have too much cream in it. We use our

Jersey's milk.

I didn't know you could tell if you have kefarin (sp?) How do you tell that?

Moni

>

> I don't know what's going on. I noticed that my kefir grains were not

producing kefiran anymore, though they were still producing kefir. I followed

someone's advice previously given to me that when kefir grains were out of whack

use full fat yogurt instead of milk for a few days. I did that. Then I decided

that maybe my ratio of grains to milk was off, so I split my grains between

three jars instead of one and started giving them whole milk again. That was

two days ago. I changed the milk last night and noticed that one of the jars'

grains seemed like maybe they were producing kefiran again, and the kefir seemed

thick and had some bubbles in it. It has been less than 24 hours since that

milk change, and the kefir in that jar has turned into something completely

different than I have ever seen.

>

> The kefir doesn't really look like kefir. It is this really thick texture,

full of bubbles that don't come to the surface and pop because the kefir is so

thick. It doesn't smell like kefir but maybe like warm milk? I tasted it, and

it is really fizzy on the tongue and has a tart but almost sweet-tart taste.

When I poured it out of the jar, it almost oozed out in glops and because of all

the bubbles, it seemed like it was expanding in the bowl as it sat. There are

no curds separating from whey. I almost want to say it is slimy, but it's not.

>

> I'm not sure what to do with these grains, but I don't want to throw them out

if I don't have to...though it's not like I don't have other grains. I just

rinsed them off and put them in a jar with more milk. I put the jar out on the

porch instead of on the fridge with my other jars of fermenting kefir because I

wasn't sure if the other kefir would get contaminated.

>

> Does anyone have any idea what this is? Has it turned into something else

somehow? Is it safe to eat this kefir?

>

> Thanks,

> Lori

>

[Guest guest]

What is Kefiran?

I had really thick kefir that was foamy before (different grains from a year and

half ago). I had accidentally left my grains exposed to the open air uncovered

and without milk for 3 hrs. When I returned I sW that I left them open and put

milk in them and made another batch if kefir or two. I did not think to rinse

them as I knew very little about kefir back then. I had mixed up a batch of

kefir with strawberries and put it in the frige.

Over the next couple days, it got more tart and very thick and foamy. It

smelled the same. Lord knows what I was culturing on those strawberries but

after drinking it for two days, my digestion went into hyperdrive and stayed

there for about 6 weeks. Maybe there were more probiotics than usual and I was

doing a major cleanse because of it I don't know.

I did not keep the grains or rince them, I just threw them out because I didnot

know better.

Al

milk kefir changed drastically

I don't know what's going on. I noticed that my kefir grains were not

producing kefiran anymore, though they were still producing kefir. I followed

someone's advice previously given to me that when kefir grains were out of whack

use full fat yogurt instead of milk for a few days. I did that. Then I decided

that maybe my ratio of grains to milk was off, so I split my grains between

three jars instead of one and started giving them whole milk again. That was

two days ago. I changed the milk last night and noticed that one of the jars'

grains seemed like maybe they were producing kefiran again, and the kefir seemed

thick and had some bubbles in it. It has been less than 24 hours since that

milk change, and the kefir in that jar has turned into something completely

different than I have ever seen.

The kefir doesn't really look like kefir. It is this really thick texture, full

of bubbles that don't come to the surface and pop because the kefir is so thick.

It doesn't smell like kefir but maybe like warm milk? I tasted it, and it is

really fizzy on the tongue and has a tart but almost sweet-tart taste. When I

poured it out of the jar, it almost oozed out in glops and because of all the

bubbles, it seemed like it was expanding in the bowl as it sat. There are no

curds separating from whey. I almost want to say it is slimy, but it's not.

I'm not sure what to do with these grains, but I don't want to throw them out if

I don't have to...though it's not like I don't have other grains. I just rinsed

them off and put them in a jar with more milk. I put the jar out on the porch

instead of on the fridge with my other jars of fermenting kefir because I wasn't

sure if the other kefir would get contaminated.

Does anyone have any idea what this is? Has it turned into something else

somehow? Is it safe to eat this kefir?

Thanks,

Lori

[Guest guest]

Al, it is my understanding per Dom's site about kefir that kefiran is the slimy

stringy things that you see coming from your grains as you strain them out. My

grains were producing it but have stopped. Most of my grains are still

producing nice kefir, though, so I don't know if I should be concerned or not.

It is just one batch of grains that have gotten really weird, and I will

probably throw them out if I can't get them right.

Lori

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> What is Kefiran?

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> I did not keep the grains or rince them, I just threw them out because I

didnot know better.

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> Al

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> milk kefir changed drastically

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> I don't know what's going on. I noticed that my kefir grains were not

producing kefiran anymore, though they were still producing kefir. I followed

someone's advice previously given to me that when kefir grains were out of whack

use full fat yogurt instead of milk for a few days. I did that. Then I decided

that maybe my ratio of grains to milk was off, so I split my grains between

three jars instead of one and started giving them whole milk again. That was

two days ago. I changed the milk last night and noticed that one of the jars'

grains seemed like maybe they were producing kefiran again, and the kefir seemed

thick and had some bubbles in it. It has been less than 24 hours since that

milk change, and the kefir in that jar has turned into something completely

different than I have ever seen.

>

>

>

> The kefir doesn't really look like kefir. It is this really thick texture,

full of bubbles that don't come to the surface and pop because the kefir is so

thick. It doesn't smell like kefir but maybe like warm milk? I tasted it, and

it is really fizzy on the tongue and has a tart but almost sweet-tart taste.

When I poured it out of the jar, it almost oozed out in glops and because of all

the bubbles, it seemed like it was expanding in the bowl as it sat. There are

no curds separating from whey. I almost want to say it is slimy, but it's not.

>

>

>

> I'm not sure what to do with these grains, but I don't want to throw them out

if I don't have to...though it's not like I don't have other grains. I just

rinsed them off and put them in a jar with more milk. I put the jar out on the

porch instead of on the fridge with my other jars of fermenting kefir because I

wasn't sure if the other kefir would get contaminated.

>

>

>

> Does anyone have any idea what this is? Has it turned into something else

somehow? Is it safe to eat this kefir?

>

>

>

> Thanks,

>

> Lori

>

[Guest guest]

Thats just good, thick kefir; my kefir ALWAYS does that when I add cream to the

2% milk I am using; I stir it up with a plastic spatula and its nice and creamy

and an ALMOST yogurt-like consistency...still thin enough for me to strain

through my large plastic slotted spoon. My grains are very large and plump, and

usually don't slip through the slots in the spoon...

I then put the grains back into the jar and put the strained kefir in the fridge

in a seperate jar...it almost always seperates a bit on the bottome while is

colling down, but all I have to do is mix it up...and its great....*S*...fizzy

and cool going down...yeah!

When we made cheese from the goats milk, we noticed that as our goats got deeper

into their lactation period, the 'body' of the milk would change....the feed

would be the same, and so would their grazing pastrue; however, protein chans

would change because of more sunshine, different moisture conten in the grass

and how much they would drink, their own bodies changing as their bodies

adjusted to giving milk...the probiotics in their own gut/food would changem

too...

We would also adjust our cultures to those factors as well as we

could...sometimes, we would get REALLY thick curd and sometimes, some really

THIN curd...so you may want to consider the fact that the Jeseys milk you are

using may be changing a bit as well; she may be giving more proteins in her

cream, or less, same in the body of the milk...as I said, jus stir the whey up

into it and drink it that way...its all good!; the whey at the bottom will mix

up into the 'body' of the kefir and makes it nice and fizzy; can't beat good

thick cream based kefir!-- Kim in Texas

[Guest guest]

Mine have changed too. I have noticed less kefiran, and the grains are firmer

and more compact, more rough, 'cauliflowery' in texture, breaking apart fairly

easily when I gently press a piece between my fingers whereas at their best,

they were slimy, smooth, springy and more resilient. I would have to pull them

apart to get them to separate.

When I squeeze them gently I can see there is still a small amount of kefiran

being produced but it's not like it was before (no I do not usually squeeze my

grains). They still work and make great kefir, but I'm going to watch. I wonder

if this is because of the change of seasons. As long as they keep making good

kefir I'll keep using them, but I am happy to know I have a backup in the

freezer.

[Guest guest]

Isn't the kefiran that mucus like coating on the grains? If you strain the kefir

the kefiran is what is still sticking to the grains from what I have read. It's

stringy/slimy opaque and you can touch it and lift your finger and it sticks as

you lift.

Happy cultures!

Karin

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> How do you know there is kefiran in there? Does it float to the top and the

whey sinks to the bottom or what? Can you see it?

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> Al

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[Guest guest]

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> How do you know there is kefiran in there? Does it float to the top and the

whey sinks to the bottom or what? Can you see it?

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> Al

You can identify the kefiran by the way it feels. It is slick/slippery when you

touch the grains. When grains are producing plenty of kefiran you can see it

easily. This page gives a detailed explanation of kefiran and shows a little

animation of what the kefiran looks like when grains are out of the milk.

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

[Guest guest]

Mine are in a FoodSaver bag in the freezer. What I did was gently pat dry a

tablespoon or so of kefir grains using a paper towel. Then I put the grains in a

foodsaver bag and used the vacuum sealer to remove all the air and seal it. I

read that someone was able to recover viable grains after storing it this way

for more than 7 years.

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> hi Tania,

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> How do you freeze your grains?

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> Thank you

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> ________________________________

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[Guest guest]

No Al, Slimy is just a description, not a judgement, slimy kefiran is the good

stuff, not the bad stuff.

Peace and cultures,

Karin

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[Guest guest]

Well, it's been a little over a week since I posted the message below. This

morning's batch had a large pocket of whey, which was my cue to divide the

grains. Last week I had squeezed them and broken them up a little, and those

little pieces are now bigger pieces, so they're growing which is good, but as

of yet still no significant increase in kefiran production.

The kefir quality is still great, and I still suspect that the difference in the

grains is due to the change of season.

>

> Mine have changed too. I have noticed less kefiran, and the grains are firmer

and more compact, more rough, 'cauliflowery' in texture, breaking apart fairly

easily when I gently press a piece between my fingers whereas at their best,

they were slimy, smooth, springy and more resilient. I would have to pull them

apart to get them to separate.

>

> When I squeeze them gently I can see there is still a small amount of kefiran

being produced but it's not like it was before (no I do not usually squeeze my

grains). They still work and make great kefir, but I'm going to watch. I wonder

if this is because of the change of seasons. As long as they keep making good

kefir I'll keep using them, but I am happy to know I have a backup in the

freezer.

>

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