What have I done to milk grains? How to restore?

[Guest guest]

I cannot seem to get the kefir right any more. I am now afraid it has made me a

little sick last night. Do you have any printed up instructions for getting the

grains back into shape if something has happeneed to them?

The milk keeps curdling and " fermenting " filling with gasses, expanding and

rising to the very top of the container, separating and floating on the whey.

I kept trying to catch it before this happens (sometimes in less than 12 hours

here (it is about 85 degrees here). I strain the grains, rinse them with the

whey a few times over, and then rinse them in fresh milk (unchilled)

(storebought " organic " ). I was hoping I could get it good quality and mild

again, and then just keep only one tablespoon grains, and eat the rest, and keep

making a quart of kefir, which is more than I can drink in a day.

I've been using a half gallon of milk to 1-2 tablespoons of grains, as I thought

I was having too many grains and not enough milk, but it still keeps happening -

the separating and sometimes " fermenting. "

I had a stomach ache for the first time from it last night, after drinking some

that tasted a little " hard " in the way that hard cider gets hard when fermented.

I hope I do not have to throw away all the grains, but I cannot afford to have

anything upset the balance of my intestines or make me any more ill than I

already am. I know that at first drinking the kefir was improving my health

greatly, so I would like to keep making it. I think the home made helps me more

than the store brand of kefir, which is more like just acidophilus/ liquid

yogurt, I think.

Do you know how I can restore them?

I need to get out the instructions and re-read, but am so overwhelmed by keeping

up with the kefir straining, it's setting me behind on everything, lol!

Thank you,

Kim