Kefir grains

[Guest guest]

Is kefir better for one than yogurt? I picked up some store bought

kefir but had a hard time getting it down but can eat unflavored

yogurt okay. I have found a source for raw milk cheese? Did I hear

that is okay or good?

Thanks

> Someone gave me some kefir grains yesterday. About 2-3 tablespoons.

I read about kefir in the recipe section but how much milk would I

pour over 3 Tablespoons? What is the ratio?

> Thanks

> Jeanne

>

[Guest guest]

I just dealt with this issue this past spring. Id been waiting for my

goats to start producing milk again and mine sat for about 4 months. I

strained & rinsed them with new goats milk and started a fresh batch on

day 1 of having our own milk again. The first week back into milking is

always irregular in terms of amounts so mine sat in that new milk for

about a week (in the fridge) and they are absolutely lovely and fine

now....though they didnt change much over the 4 month wait either. It

seems they were in small " chunks " but those chunks are growing nicely

now.

Happy in OK

Dona

[Guest guest]

>Does anyone know how long neglected kefir grains will last?

>

>I have 2 jars of grains that I found in the back of my frig. They were

>pushed to the back and left for atleast 4 months. I have not added any milk

>or opened them yet. I wasn't sure if they just need to be tossed or not.

>They were used to make kefir with raw cow's milk for about 6 months prior to

>this. They originally were put in with about 1 cup of milk but I don't want

>to start something with them if I should just get rid of them. I have read

>up on how to revive grains that were frozen or dehydrated but I wasn't sure

>if that would work with these.

>

>Blessings,

>

Put them in some fresh (boiled) milk and see what happens. It's best

to use sterile milk when the grains are weak so they don't have

to fight off competition. Use a few changes of milk ... they may well

revive after a few days or a week. I'd guess they are ok. Mine

seem to keep forever in the fridge, though the " viili " part of kefiili

doesn't last that long and the kefir is thin and sour (as normal kefir is).

Heidi Jean

[Guest guest]

[ ] kefir grains

I have kefir grains.Should I be using them when on

candida diet?

Rita

Hi Rita, Kefir is one of those things that some may tolerate and others do

not. You may add it to your daily diet by starting slowly, maybe a 1/4 cup a

day, and see how you do. I have been doing it with goat's milk and I am up to

1/2 cup a day, and so far it seems okay with me.

God Bless,

Joe

[Guest guest]

Rita,

You would use kefir grains to make kefir. Some candida sufferers do

not do well on yogurt or kefir, even homemade. But you could make some

kefir and start having a small amount each day to see how you do. It

is a very good probiotic.

Rita, maybe read my article through carefully. Okay?

Bee

[Guest guest]

> I am also afraid I would like it so much I

> would drink too much! I know, there is probably no

> such thing.

>

Lol, funny thing is Lark, many people comment on the " addictive " quality

of kefir. I can attest that it has a compelling quality of it's own.

Bruce

[Guest guest]

Hi Jerry,

I looked among my customers and lives in Birmingham. I just got

off the phone with her. She has extra but is not sure if they are good

enough to pass along She had been trading them on and off in coconut

water. I teach people to use dedicated kefir grains for this purpose.

In other words take a portion of milk grains out to be used in a water

medium from then on, and leave the rest in milk. She hasn't done that

but claims they still grow in milk. This program works for her. She is

switching them back to milk today. So I told her to keep her kefir

grains in milk for at least a week (with daily changes of fresh milk of

course) to make sure they are growing. If they are, they are good

enough to pass along.

So if you don't mind waiting a week...

MarilynOn 9/20/06, jerry paden <jpaden1605@...> wrote:

Hi everyoneI'm ready to start making kefir and need some grains. Is there anyone in the Birmingham,Al area with grains to spare?ThanksJerry

[Guest guest]

It would be ideal if we had more people who are willing to ship their

good kefir grains fill out the contact database for people like Jerry

looking for kefir grains. (How's that for a run-on sentence? LOL)

Right now we only have two records. I KNOW you all have kefir grains.

Who has extra kefir grains every week who would be willing to add

their contact information to the database? I am hoping to make this

group the best on the web for people to locate good kefir

grains. Help me make it happen.

And Jerry, when your kefir grains start eating you out of house and

home I hope you add your contact information to the database.

Thanks,

Marilyn

>

> Hi everyone

> I'm ready to start making kefir and need some grains. Is there

anyone in the

> Birmingham,Al area with grains to spare?

>

> Thanks

> Jerry

[Guest guest]

I used it a couple times but then got the real kefir grains. There is no

comparison. I joined the group Kefir_making and they can help you

get real grains. There used to be a lady called Marilyn the kefir lady and

she charges a small fee for them, but that is how I got mine. You can also

try Dominique's website, he is the king of Kefir, and he has a place on the

site, depending on where you are with names of people who will send you

some. The website is http://users.chariot.net.au/~dna/Makekefir.html. I

did try the website names first but no one responded to my emails. You can

also order it from Gem Cultures or the Happy Herbalist.

Allyn

_____

From:

[mailto: ] On Behalf Of kerriketchum

Sent: Wednesday, April 11, 2007 4:45 PM

Subject: Kefir grains

Hello! Has anybody used the Body Ecology Kefir Starter or does

anybody know of another way to get good, healthy kefir grains?

Thanks!

Kerri

[Guest guest]

--- Kerri wrote:

> Hello! Has anybody used the Body Ecology Kefir Starter or does

> anybody know of another way to get good, healthy kefir grains?

>

--- ALLYN FERRIS <aferris7272@...> wrote:

> You can also try Dominique's website, he is the king of Kefir,

> http://users.chariot.net.au/~dna/Makekefir.html.

Kerri,

If there is WAPF chapter in your area, contact them to find someone

with kefir grains:

http://www.westonaprice.org/localchapters/index.html

That's how I got mine. I used Dom's site to learn how to culture them.

<the kefir made me do it>

[Guest guest]

I have emailed my local chapter before but never heard anything back. I guess I

could try a different chapter that's somewhat close or try the Ft Worth one

again...

Thanks,

kk

---------------------------------

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[Guest guest]

, healthline.cc sells kefir grains and, separately, a book(let) solely on

kefir. They're located in Texas and I have great respect for this company's very

pure product line.

all3pink <a.sum@...> wrote: I'd like to purchase some kefir

grains. I live in CT and would like

to save on shipping. Any recommended resources?

---------------------------------

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[Guest guest]

I suggest you try the kefir group kefir_making..you might be able to

get it free from some good folks (postage +)

>

> I'd like to purchase some kefir grains. I live in CT and would like

> to save on shipping. Any recommended resources?

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

How long did you ferment them and how warm was the room. I have found that when

my coconut oil I use for cooking is totally liquid like, my grains need to

ferment in the fridge part time because my house is warm and or I will be making

a lot of kefir.

April

kefir grains

Can someone tell me what is going on with my grains? The Kefir really

separated and the white part is curddled. I rinsed them with milk and

started them again, but the same thing is happening. Can these grains

be saved?

Scarlett

[Guest guest]

An alternative to culturing in the refrigerator is to put the culturing jar

in a water bath and add an ice cube from time to time. You want the water

between 60 and 70 deg. This isn't so shocking as a 40 deg refrigerator.

Marilyn

On 6/24/07, wings <wingsout@...> wrote:

>

> How long did you ferment them and how warm was the room. I have found that

> when my coconut oil I use for cooking is totally liquid like, my grains need

> to ferment in the fridge part time because my house is warm and or I will be

> making a lot of kefir.

>

> April

>

[Guest guest]

>

> How long did you ferment them and how warm was the room. I have

found that when my coconut oil I use for cooking is totally liquid

like, my grains need to ferment in the fridge part time because my

house is warm and or I will be making a lot of kefir.

>

> April

> kefir grains

>

>

> Can someone tell me what is going on with my grains? The Kefir

really

> separated and the white part is curddled. I rinsed them with milk

and

> started them again, but the same thing is happening. Can these

grains

> be saved?

> Scarlett

>

> 24 hours, @ 74 degrees.

Scarlett

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

I don't know that, but since I couldn't find any, I put some

commercial kefir in milk to see what would happen. I started some

great kombucha from commercial KT, so might as well try that from kefir.

Left it out 24 hrs; it thickened up like kefir, smells and tastes like

kefir. Anybody know about this? There are plenty of little globs, but

they're not firm like kefir grains.

Joy

--- In , <slethnobotanist@...>

wrote:

>

> Anyone know a good stateside source of kefir grains?

>

> --

> " How do they become one flesh? " As if she were gold receiving purest

gold,

> the woman receives the man's seed with rich pleasure, and within her

it is

> nourished, cherished, and refined. It is mingled with her own

substance and

> she then returns it as a child! "

>

> St. Chrysostom

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

[Joy] Left it out 24 hrs; it thickened up like kefir, smells and tastes like

> kefir. Anybody know about this? There are plenty of little globs, but

> they're not firm like kefir grains.

Hi Joy, the little globs are curds. You can make kefir that way for a

few rounds, but the mix of bacteria and yeasts will steadily and

quickly change until you no longer get kefir. Some species will die

off. You'll still get something perfectly healthy and good, but it

won't have the special flavor and probiotic power of kefir. To

maintain the particular mix of bacteria and yeast that makes kefir,

the kefir grains are necessary. They function as a protective shelter

for the microbes.

Whereas commercial kefir isn't made with kefir grains and hence would

never contain even a few small bits of them, commercial kombucha is

made the same way as homemade traditional kombucha and there is often

an actual mother culture (though sometimes very small) in commercial

kombucha, and if it grows and works then it's as good as getting it

from any other source.

Mike

[Guest guest]

You can freeze the kefir, no problem. I wouldn't freeze the grains

myself. It might work, might not. I tend to just buy more milk

to keep the grains happy, and feed the excess to various animals

(or make cheese).

2 weeks shouldn't kill kefir grains. Non-organic milk might. I have

backup grains that are in the fridge for far longer, and I take them

out now and them to revive them with fresh milk. I'd take them out,

give them fresh milk, and see how they do. Stay away from non-organic

milk (it has antibiotics, whose goal in life is to kill bacteria!) and from

raw milk (which has competing bacteria: it can be ok with a

robust kefir colony, but if you use it, keep a backup).

On Wed, Jul 30, 2008 at 1:11 PM, Eva family <bobsallyeva@...> wrote:

> I left my kefir grains in water in the fridge when I went on holiday for

> two weeks. I'm using them again and they seem to be working though not

> so well. They are quite yellow and tight whereas they used to be white

> and blobby. I read (on another list) that yellow kefir grains are dead.

> Have mine died?

>

> Plus a question being asked for a friend whose child, like mine, has

> autism. She is making kefir and giving it to him a little at a time

> whilst he gets used to it. How should she store the surplus while she

> uses it up? I suggested that she put it in the fridge. I said that it

> was safe to freeze the grains and the liquid. She said that she had been

> told that freezing killed the bacteria which is the very reason she

> wants to give it to her son. Is this right?

>

> I looked on Dom's site but I couldn't find the answer (I'm sure it is there)

>

> Thanks

>

> Sally

>

> ------------------------------------

>

>

[Guest guest]

You can use raw milk for kefir. In fact, raw if the preferable type of milk

to use. I used raw goat's milk for many, many months and have recently

switched to raw cow's milk in the past few months. I have not had a problem

with my kefir because I use raw milk.

--

April

The Lotus rises from the mud and dirt

Sweet Lotus Creations

www.sweetlotuscreations.com

On Wed, Jul 30, 2008 at 8:25 PM,

[Guest guest]

You can freeze grains indefinitely. Put them in some milk and then freeze

them. The freezing does not kill off the grains. It makes them dormant.

When you are ready to make kefir again, defrost them and proceed as you

normally would. They will be stressed and might take a batch or two to get

back to normal.

As for leaving them in the frig, next time put them in milk instead of

water. I've left mine in the frig for up to 3-4 weeks at a time before.

Once you are ready to make kefir again, take them out of the milk, put them

in a container with distilled water and gently squeeze them. Change the

water and do this again until the water is clear. Then proceed to make

kefir. Again, the grains will be stressed and may take a batch or two to

get back to full swing.

--

April

The Lotus rises from the mud and dirt

Sweet Lotus Creations

www.sweetlotuscreations.com

[Guest guest]

thanks . I am using raw milk so that might be a problem. they

were very robust but they have suffered some sort of problem obviously.

But the yellowness in itself is not a sign of death? Just unhappiness

Sally

[Guest guest]

I was in a hurry and used tap water which would have had chlorine in it

(hindsight is a wonderful thing) but I think they will come round as

long as the yellowness doesn't mean they are dead

Sally

April McCart wrote:

> You can freeze grains indefinitely. Put them in some milk and then freeze

> them. The freezing does not kill off the grains. It makes them dormant.

> When you are ready to make kefir again, defrost them and proceed as you

> normally would. They will be stressed and might take a batch or two to get

> back to normal.

>

> As for leaving them in the frig, next time put them in milk instead of

> water. I've left mine in the frig for up to 3-4 weeks at a time before.

> Once you are ready to make kefir again, take them out of the milk, put them

> in a container with distilled water and gently squeeze them. Change the

> water and do this again until the water is clear. Then proceed to make

> kefir. Again, the grains will be stressed and may take a batch or two to

> get back to full swing.

>

>

[Guest guest]

Yellow can mean a lot of things. Actually mine turn purple if

they are in grape juice. They are unhappy though, if they

shrink and get hard on the outside. The outside should be

slimy.

Mine get unhappy if they are in something that is too

acidic, or of the milk has antibiotics. Raw milk DOES

often have antibiotics, because the farmers typically

wash the udders with something antibiotic (like iodine

or bromine) and it can get into the milk. They also

wash the milking equipment. If you are milking

your own goat, you can control all that, plus your

kefir grains will " get used to " that goat and her

bacteria.

Raw milk can also have competing bacteria. This

isn't necessarily bad ... the people who originated

kefir used nothing but raw milk ... but it can change

the texture and color of the kefir. Dom used only raw

milk on his kefir, but it was his own goat too at

least during some period.

Regular store milk I'm pretty sure does have

antibiotics, because the cows get them. Anyway,

regular store milk makes my kefir grains shrink

and get hard. Organic ultrapasturized milk makes

them happy. Juices also make them shrink and

get unhappy, but they will live for a good 6 months

if I keep fresh juice in the bottle.

On Wed, Jul 30, 2008 at 9:51 PM, Eva family <bobsallyeva@...> wrote:

> thanks . I am using raw milk so that might be a problem. they

> were very robust but they have suffered some sort of problem obviously.

> But the yellowness in itself is not a sign of death? Just unhappiness

> Sally

>

>

[Guest guest]

thanks . I think they are unhappy because shrunk and hard is

exactly how they were. They are getting slimy again though so I'm hoping

they will perk up. They get raw goat milk from the same set of goats all

the time.

Sally