Guest guest Posted June 24, 2004 Report Share Posted June 24, 2004 > Re: Seeking kefir grains > > >Suze: >I'm perfectly willing to send you some of mine, but they came from >GEM in that same plastic container.... >Marie Hi Marie, Thanks for your offer :-) How long have you had them and did you notice this smell when you received them? Did they come in milk, or plain? Ths batch of mine came plain, whereas in the past they shipped them in milk. Betty told me that were getting complaints about the milk it was shipped in - that it was too yeasty, even though that really has nothing to do with the grains! So they started shipping them sans milk. I suspect that the milk buffered the acidity of the grains somewhat and would render them less reactive to the plastic. Suze Fisher Lapdog Design, Inc. Web Design & Development http://members.bellatlantic.net/~vze3shjg Weston A. Price Foundation Chapter Leader, Mid Coast Maine http://www.westonaprice.org ---------------------------- " The diet-heart idea (the idea that saturated fats and cholesterol cause heart disease) is the greatest scientific deception of our times. " -- Mann, MD, former Professor of Medicine and Biochemistry at Vanderbilt University, Tennessee; heart disease researcher. The International Network of Cholesterol Skeptics <http://www.thincs.org> ---------------------------- > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 24, 2004 Report Share Posted June 24, 2004 Suze: I'm perfectly willing to send you some of mine, but they came from GEM in that same plastic container.... Marie Seeking kefir grains Does anyone have any non-yeasty (meaning not tasting *strongly* like yeast) grains that you'd be willing to send me in a *glass* jar? I'm willing to pay. I just receieved some from GEM Cultures in a plastic container and when I opened the container a very strong smell - something like glue or plastic - emitted from it. It was such a strong and chemical-like smell that I decided not to use the grains. I assume maybe the acidity of the grains interacted with the plastic container. GEM immediately offered to refund my money, which was very nice. But now I still need grains. Thanks for any help! Suze Fisher Lapdog Design, Inc. Web Design & Development http://members.bellatlantic.net/~vze3shjg Weston A. Price Foundation Chapter Leader, Mid Coast Maine http://www.westonaprice.org ---------------------------- " The diet-heart idea (the idea that saturated fats and cholesterol cause heart disease) is the greatest scientific deception of our times. " -- Mann, MD, former Professor of Medicine and Biochemistry at Vanderbilt University, Tennessee; heart disease researcher. The International Network of Cholesterol Skeptics <http://www.thincs.org> ---------------------------- > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 24, 2004 Report Share Posted June 24, 2004 > Re: Seeking kefir grains > > >Suze: >I know you already got your grains but I wantedt o reply anyway. >I got them in April... >They were in milk (or at least some whitish liquid... >they do taste yeasty to me...but I thought that was just the way >kefir was supposed to taste.... >Marie > My previous ones from GEM cultures were never yeasting tasting UNTIL I began to neglect them. They were initially not yeasty-tasting at all, but very wonderfully mildly sour and effervescent. It took several months and some neglect before they got yeasty. Suze Fisher Lapdog Design, Inc. Web Design & Development http://members.bellatlantic.net/~vze3shjg Weston A. Price Foundation Chapter Leader, Mid Coast Maine http://www.westonaprice.org ---------------------------- " The diet-heart idea (the idea that saturated fats and cholesterol cause heart disease) is the greatest scientific deception of our times. " -- Mann, MD, former Professor of Medicine and Biochemistry at Vanderbilt University, Tennessee; heart disease researcher. The International Network of Cholesterol Skeptics <http://www.thincs.org> ---------------------------- > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 24, 2004 Report Share Posted June 24, 2004 is that bad? should they be replaced at some point? -katja At 03:23 PM 6/24/2004, you wrote: >My previous ones from GEM cultures were never yeasting tasting UNTIL I began >to neglect them. They were initially not yeasty-tasting at all, but very >wonderfully mildly sour and effervescent. It took several months and some >neglect before they got yeasty. > >Suze Fisher >Lapdog Design, Inc. >Web Design & Development >http://members.bellatlantic.net/~vze3shjg >Weston A. Price Foundation Chapter Leader, Mid Coast Maine >http://www.westonaprice.org Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 24, 2004 Report Share Posted June 24, 2004 Suze: I know you already got your grains but I wantedt o reply anyway. I got them in April... They were in milk (or at least some whitish liquid... they do taste yeasty to me...but I thought that was just the way kefir was supposed to taste.... Marie Re: Seeking kefir grains > > >Suze: >I'm perfectly willing to send you some of mine, but they came from >GEM in that same plastic container.... >Marie Hi Marie, Thanks for your offer :-) How long have you had them and did you notice this smell when you received them? Did they come in milk, or plain? Ths batch of mine came plain, whereas in the past they shipped them in milk. Betty told me that were getting complaints about the milk it was shipped in - that it was too yeasty, even though that really has nothing to do with the grains! So they started shipping them sans milk. I suspect that the milk buffered the acidity of the grains somewhat and would render them less reactive to the plastic. Suze Fisher Lapdog Design, Inc. Web Design & Development http://members.bellatlantic.net/~vze3shjg Weston A. Price Foundation Chapter Leader, Mid Coast Maine http://www.westonaprice.org ---------------------------- " The diet-heart idea (the idea that saturated fats and cholesterol cause heart disease) is the greatest scientific deception of our times. " -- Mann, MD, former Professor of Medicine and Biochemistry at Vanderbilt University, Tennessee; heart disease researcher. The International Network of Cholesterol Skeptics <http://www.thincs.org> ---------------------------- > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 25, 2004 Report Share Posted June 25, 2004 > I just receieved some from GEM Cultures in a plastic container and when I > opened the container a very strong smell - something like glue or plastic - > emitted from it. It was such a strong and chemical-like smell that I decided > not to use the grains. Did it smell like finger nail polish remover Suze? If so it is likely an organic compound formed from natural processes. I don't recall the name of the cmpound but It probably didn't come from the plastic. I have had melons that were kept for too long get this odor. The grains are probably ok. I think all kefir grains can make a yeasty tasting culture depending on the conditions and state of the grains during culturing. After being shipped with little food for days the yeasts seem to start to predominate the culture. This is normal. After a few days and a few changes of milk the grains should soon find a better balance between the bacteria and yeasts. I have taken to normally culturing my kefir in the fridge because this makes a milder, less yeasty culture in my experience. regards, Bruce Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 25, 2004 Report Share Posted June 25, 2004 > RE: Seeking kefir grains > > >At 03:23 PM 6/24/2004, you wrote: > >>My previous ones from GEM cultures were never yeasting tasting >UNTIL I began >>to neglect them. They were initially not yeasty-tasting at all, but very >>wonderfully mildly sour and effervescent. It took several months and some >>neglect before they got yeasty. > >is that bad? should they be replaced at some point? > >-katja I don't know if it's bad per se, but they sure don't taste nearly as good as the non-yeasty ones, IMO. Really night and day. Suze Fisher Lapdog Design, Inc. Web Design & Development http://members.bellatlantic.net/~vze3shjg Weston A. Price Foundation Chapter Leader, Mid Coast Maine http://www.westonaprice.org ---------------------------- " The diet-heart idea (the idea that saturated fats and cholesterol cause heart disease) is the greatest scientific deception of our times. " -- Mann, MD, former Professor of Medicine and Biochemistry at Vanderbilt University, Tennessee; heart disease researcher. The International Network of Cholesterol Skeptics <http://www.thincs.org> ---------------------------- > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 26, 2004 Report Share Posted June 26, 2004 >I think all kefir grains can make a yeasty tasting culture depending on the >conditions and state of the grains during culturing. I second Bruce's comment. Mine get more yeasty sometimes, esp. if I leave the culture out longer or the weather gets hot. Get weird smells sometimes too. Fermentations are like that! They do produce a lot of aldehydes and other chemicals. Putting the kefir container in a water bath on hot days helps in this regard. -- Heidi Jean Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 26, 2004 Report Share Posted June 26, 2004 Put them in the fridge and change the milk until you like the smell. They can't do anything BUT smell yeasty after being shipped. They are in the same milk for longer than you'd ferment them, plus in LESS milk than you'd use plus the temperature change during their journey. Being in the fridge is a usual means to reduce yeast activity. The yeasty smell is normal, not un-healthy or anything, but of course, it's a matter of taste Plastic smell is a whole different thing, of course. But I think, throwing out the finished kefir and putting them into new milk (maybe more than once, depending on whether you feel comfortable with) will help. You seem to be already getting new grains. So, if they smell yeasty, don't throw them out immeadiately, give them a chance! CU Anja > Does anyone have any non-yeasty (meaning not tasting *strongly* like yeast) > grains that you'd be willing to send me in a *glass* jar? I'm willing to > pay. > > I just receieved some from GEM Cultures in a plastic container and when I > opened the container a very strong smell - something like glue or plastic - > emitted from it. It was such a strong and chemical-like smell that I decided > not to use the grains. I assume maybe the acidity of the grains interacted > with the plastic container. GEM immediately offered to refund my money, > which was very nice. But now I still need grains. > > Thanks for any help! > Suze Fisher Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 27, 2004 Report Share Posted June 27, 2004 > >>My previous ones from GEM cultures were never yeasting tasting > >UNTIL I began > >>to neglect them. They were initially not yeasty-tasting at all, but very > >>wonderfully mildly sour and effervescent. It took several months and some > >>neglect before they got yeasty. > > > >is that bad? should they be replaced at some point? > > > >-katja > > I don't know if it's bad per se, but they sure don't taste nearly as good as > the non-yeasty ones, IMO. Really night and day. > > Suze Fisher Dom, the owner of the Kefir making group, posted these instruction recently for someone with grains that had become too yeasty. By fasting the grains in water as he describes you can get the grains to " reset " themselves and start making proper kefir again. regards, Bruce <snip> > I suggest you fast your grains in > fresh water for 24 hours at room temperature [use an app ratio of 1 part > grains to 3 parts water]. Then strain and rinse the grains with cold fresh > water. > > While the grains are in the strainer, with clean fingers, gently rub the > grains between the fingers, while running fresh water through the grains. > Or, lace the grain in a bowl half filled with clean fresh water, and massage > the grains while they are submerge under the water. Do this until you can > feel slime exude from the grains. > > This will expose large areas of " virgin matrix " , so as you culture kefir > with fresh milk, this procedure will force the grains to readily adopt a new > microflora to reform over the surface of the grains. > > As the grains are cultured in fresh milk, with daily milk changes, it should > take a few batches for the kefir to become stabilized. > > Be-well, > Dom > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 29, 2004 Report Share Posted June 29, 2004 > Re: Seeking kefir grains > > >> I just receieved some from GEM Cultures in a plastic container and when I >> opened the container a very strong smell - something like glue >or plastic - >> emitted from it. It was such a strong and chemical-like smell >that I decided >> not to use the grains. > >Did it smell like finger nail polish remover Suze? I think that could describe it pretty well. >If so it is likely an organic compound formed from natural processes. >I don't recall the name of the cmpound but It probably didn't come from the >plastic. >I have had melons that were kept for too long get this odor. Hmmm..I don't recall ever having any food smell like this, and certainly not any kefir grains. > >The grains are probably ok. I dunno, I've been culturing them, but they still smell incredibly yeasty. Nothing like the previous grains I got from this same source. > >I think all kefir grains can make a yeasty tasting culture depending on the >conditions and state of the grains during culturing. > >After being shipped with little food for days the yeasts seem to start to >predominate the culture. There was NO food in this batch. They were sent nekked in the plastic container. >This is normal. After a few days and a few changes of milk the >grains should >soon find a better balance between the bacteria and yeasts. > >I have taken to normally culturing my kefir in the fridge because >this makes a >milder, less yeasty culture in my experience. Thanks for your input :-) I am trying to culture them (guess I should try putting them in the 'fridge', but will be getting non-yeasty grains next week, so will probably toss these. Suze Fisher Lapdog Design, Inc. Web Design & Development http://members.bellatlantic.net/~vze3shjg Weston A. Price Foundation Chapter Leader, Mid Coast Maine http://www.westonaprice.org ---------------------------- “The diet-heart idea (the idea that saturated fats and cholesterol cause heart disease) is the greatest scientific deception of our times.” -- Mann, MD, former Professor of Medicine and Biochemistry at Vanderbilt University, Tennessee; heart disease researcher. The International Network of Cholesterol Skeptics <http://www.thincs.org> ---------------------------- > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 29, 2004 Report Share Posted June 29, 2004 > Re: Seeking kefir grains > > >Put them in the fridge and change the milk until you like the smell. >They can't do anything BUT smell yeasty after being shipped. They are >in the same milk for longer than you'd ferment them, plus in LESS milk >than you'd use plus the temperature change during their journey. >Being in the fridge is a usual means to reduce yeast activity. >The yeasty smell is normal, not un-healthy or anything, but of course, >it's a matter of taste >Plastic smell is a whole different thing, of course. But I think, >throwing out the finished kefir and putting them into new milk (maybe >more than once, depending on whether you feel comfortable with) will help. >You seem to be already getting new grains. So, if they smell yeasty, >don't throw them out immeadiately, give them a chance! >CU Anja Hi Anja, They smelled like a chemical factory - not just yeasty! And were shipped nekked - no milk. Anyway, I've never received grains that smelled like this before, but I will try your suggestion to put in the 'fridge. I will not throw away 's grains if they smell yeasty :-) Suze Fisher Lapdog Design, Inc. Web Design & Development http://members.bellatlantic.net/~vze3shjg Weston A. Price Foundation Chapter Leader, Mid Coast Maine http://www.westonaprice.org ---------------------------- “The diet-heart idea (the idea that saturated fats and cholesterol cause heart disease) is the greatest scientific deception of our times.” -- Mann, MD, former Professor of Medicine and Biochemistry at Vanderbilt University, Tennessee; heart disease researcher. The International Network of Cholesterol Skeptics <http://www.thincs.org> ---------------------------- > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 30, 2004 Report Share Posted June 30, 2004 Sending grains without milk is WEIRD! You should write them, that this is not advisable! They know Dom and should get in touch with him on this subject! But obviously, shipped grains do smell rather strongly (or rather the kefir they made during their journey, does). Anyways, if you didn't have a new source, I'd still say, putting the grains in milk and making a few batches would solve the problem. It's pretty hard to kill kefir! Hope your new kefir will be better! CU Anja > Hi Anja, > They smelled like a chemical factory - not just yeasty! And were shipped > nekked - no milk. > I will not throw away 's grains if they smell yeasty :-) > Suze Fisher Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 30, 2004 Report Share Posted June 30, 2004 > > I will not throw away 's grains if they smell yeasty :-) > Suze, I should hope not! Remember that they are MY BABIES!!!!!!!!!! ps--LOL--I am pretty protective of my little keifies...it reminds me of a friend who used to sing to her compost bin worms...hee hee. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 2, 2004 Report Share Posted July 2, 2004 > Re: Re: Seeking kefir grains > > > >> >> I will not throw away 's grains if they smell yeasty :-) >> > >Suze, > >I should hope not! Remember that they are MY BABIES!!!!!!!!!! > > Not to worry, I will treat them like they were my own :-) (So far the GEM ones are still yeasty after several transfers into fresh milk) Suze Fisher Lapdog Design, Inc. Web Design & Development http://members.bellatlantic.net/~vze3shjg Weston A. Price Foundation Chapter Leader, Mid Coast Maine http://www.westonaprice.org ---------------------------- “The diet-heart idea (the idea that saturated fats and cholesterol cause heart disease) is the greatest scientific deception of our times.” -- Mann, MD, former Professor of Medicine and Biochemistry at Vanderbilt University, Tennessee; heart disease researcher. The International Network of Cholesterol Skeptics <http://www.thincs.org> ---------------------------- > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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