Re: [!! SPAM] More Questions -

[Guest guest]

Hi Laurie,

You wrote:

>>When I strain the grains, I shake the strainer side to side to get the kefir

through it. I think this gets the extra " goo " off the grains and they're staying

smaller (there is growth). Does this sound right? This would be one way to keep

from increasing the quantity to quickly? update - I lightly strained the grains

yesterday and used more milk for the next batch. This morning I had another

batch ready. A little whey on the bottom and very thick curd on top. I have to

stir or it's too thick to strain. So I think by not thoroughly straining the

grains, it does produce more kefir. <<

It can be a little difficult to separate the grains from the curd when you have

more separation. Full separation begins when you see a complete layer of whey at

the bottom as opposed to just a few little pockets of separation that begin to

form some time after the milk sets. The deeper the whey layer, the more

separated your kefir is, and the closer you are to making cheese as opposed to

kefir. If the curds cling to the grains after you pour it out into the strainer,

you can take a spoon and scoop beneath the grains repeatedly in the strainer.

This will force the kefir curd through the strainer without smashing the grains

too much, while still getting most of the kefir off the grains. Eventually all

the kefir will get through and your grains will remain in the strainer.

>>Generally there has been a little whey on the bottom of the jar which I read

on here was the perfect time to strain. This morning I had about an inch of whey

and on top 2 inches of solid kefir. I mixed it up and strained. Is this ok?<<

Yes, that is perfectly okay.

>>Will it still thicken in the refrigerator? If this happens in the future what

should I do? update- I kept the kefir and it really didn't thicken with the

large amount of whey. Should I discard some of the whey when there's a lot? Does

it have nutritional value?<<

I have found that to be the case as well. When the whey starts separating, the

resulting kefir doesn't have the consistency I prefer. Try adjusting the amount

of grains so that after 24 hours the milk is set with maybe a little (pea sized)

pocket or two of whey instead of a whole layer. What I do if it separates, is

make cheese and use the whey for other purposes or give it to the dogs.

If you haven't already, have a look at my little video on making a single

serving of kefir.

You can see in the

demo that the kefir isn’t separated, but it is set. Straining before there is

much more separation than just a pocket or two results in a really nice

consistency of kefir.

>>How long does kefir keep in the refrigerator? I'm using paturized organinc

whole milk - NOT ultra-pasturized. <<

Kefir preserves the milk for a long time. It will continue to culture even when

separated and refrigerated, so it doesn’t go bad. It could last for months. Go

by how it smells and tastes.

>>Is there a ratio of kefir to milk to preserve for close to a week in the

refrigerator? <<

Not specifically. It would be fine if you just cover with milk, but you might

try using half your regular amount and see how you like the kefir it makes when

you take them out again. It’s not that critical, really, though some say that

keeping kefir grains long term in the fridge can unbalance them. It really

depends on your individual culture. There was a woman I spoke with who said her

daughter makes all her kefir in the refrigerator, straining every 4 days and it

makes wonderful creamy kefir. But she was never able to duplicate her

daughter’s success with the refrigerator method, so she had to use the regular

room temp method that most of the rest of us use. Either way, I wouldn’t worry

about it too much.

Warm regards,