Re: Help--Ginger Beer questions

[Guest guest]

>Is it worth saving? Is there supposed to be film on it? What about

>the little white floaters?

>

>Thanks in advance,

>Tracey

This is one reason I use kefir grains (kefiili in my case) to start the " bug " .

The yeast etc. you have in your kitchen is UNIQUE to your kitchen. Might

be good, might be mold-resistant. Might not. Kefir is really, really stable,

and mine (at least) is very resistant to mold. When I've tried to start a " bug "

from scratch, it tends to mold, or get weird bacteria in it.

Another trick that works is to add a little acidic stuff, like lemon juice.

Mold and weird bacteria tend to grow in less acidic and non-salty

environments. Many of the " traditional " recipes recommend adding a

tablespoon of vinegar (which would have been non-pastuerized, back

then) to the mix. Modern wine recipes recommend something similar ...

wine doesn't mold if it is acidic, but some fruits aren't acidic enough.

-- Heidi Jean

[Guest guest]

> This is one reason I use kefir grains (kefiili in my case) to start

the " bug " .

Ok, how do I do that? Do I proceed as per the recipe but just had

some kefir grains? The NT recipe is 1.5 c. water, with 2t. each of

sugar and ground ginger added daily for 7 days. How much quantity of

kefir grains would you add? Seems like it wouldn't take much.

Thanks in advance!

Tracey, who still might be able to squeek some ginger beer in before

vacation

[Guest guest]

>> This is one reason I use kefir grains (kefiili in my case) to start

>the " bug " .

>

>Ok, how do I do that? Do I proceed as per the recipe but just had

>some kefir grains? The NT recipe is 1.5 c. water, with 2t. each of

>sugar and ground ginger added daily for 7 days. How much quantity of

>kefir grains would you add? Seems like it wouldn't take much.

Right, just add a kefir grain. I also save some of the last batch

for a " starter " for the next. I don't use ground ginger though ...

fresh is much better. You can reuse the kefir grain for around

6 months, but it's best not to put it back in milk again (it changes

when used for kefir beer). I always have lots of extra grains

so I don't worry about it much.

-- Heidi Jean