pasteurized dairy--butter & yogurt--kefir whining

[Guest guest]

> le,

>

> Geesh--it sounds like you have a great source!!! BTW--many of us

freeze

> butter (and milk) because we can't get dairy more than once a

month.

(((grin))) Yes, I think we are very blessed to have a farm within

driving distance. Duh, you can freeze milk?

>

> If you send your mailing address to me privately at jc137@n...,

I'll mail

> you some primo keifer grains (much better than the starter). It's

the

> easiest stuff in the world to make, and better than yogurt, IMO.

Okay, is this yet another LIVING THING that I have to take care of?

Nurture? Tend? Coddle?

More details are necessary--especially after listening to your

chatter about " shower caps " etc. Exactly what size jar do you

culture in? Does shape matter? Lids? How much do you make in a

week? Do you drink it with meals, between meals? LOL--very, VERY

cold feet here!

Danelle in Kansas

[Guest guest]

le,

>> Duh, you can freeze milk?

Yup, I do all the time. Some folks don't because it probably kills some of

the enzymes, but I think it's far better to freeze excellent raw milk than

to consume pasteurized. Plus, I keifer most of it and that restores life to

the stuff if the enzymes are indeed dead after freezing.

>

> Okay, is this yet another LIVING THING that I have to take care of?

> Nurture? Tend? Coddle?

>

> More details are necessary--especially after listening to your

> chatter about " shower caps " etc. Exactly what size jar do you

> culture in? Does shape matter? Lids? How much do you make in a

> week? Do you drink it with meals, between meals? LOL--very, VERY

> cold feet here!

Not sure about the shower cap reference...I don't think that was me LOL!

Yes, keifer grains are living but incredibly LOW MAINTENANCE. Keifer is

MUCH easier to make than yogurt that requires a specific temperature to

culture.

Basically, you throw a few grains (they look like giant tapioca globs with

rough edges) in with some milk and extra cream (optional) into any kind of

glass container, cover loosely or tightly (if you want it bubbly) and leave

it on your counter for 24 hours +. You can stir it a bit with a wooden

spoon (metal is not good for keifer) a couple times and when it's the

consistency and sourness that you like, put it in the fridge to slow down

the culturing process. The longer you leave the mix out or the hotter the

weather, the more sour the keifer. Or you can culture the keifer very

slowly in the fridge. You store any grains you are not using in the fridge

in a glass jar with some milk to feed them.

I drink keifer with meals and use it in smoothies. My husband doesn't like

it (he hates cheese and sour cream too) so I probably go through a quart or

two a week.

I promise that it is super easy!