Re: Water Kefir Grains and Coconut Water

[Guest guest]

Hi Tina,

You need not be exact. Anywhere from 1 tsp to a couple of tablespoons should be fine. Think of those kefir grains like little animals with " mouths to feed " and a metabolism. If you have fewer in there, your ferment will take longer because there are fewer " mouths " to eat the sugars. Also, their metabolisms will be slow or fast, depending on the temperature. They never stop, but can slow way down in the fridge, or speed up with a lot of warmth.

What you wouldn't want to do is put in so many grains that there wouldn't be enough sugar for all of your grains to eat.

hth,

Marla

On Fri, Aug 1, 2008 at 6:30 AM, Tina Chapek <teenee65@...> wrote:

Would anyone know how much water kefir grains I would use to ferment aquart of coconut kefir using fresh coconuts? I am going to order the

BED starters but they won't be in for awhile.:)Thank you!Tina------------------------------------

[Guest guest]

Marla,

Thank you so much!

I forgot to ask, would you know how long for the first and second

ferments using the grains?

Tina

>

> Hi Tina,

>

> You need not be exact. Anywhere from 1 tsp to a couple of

tablespoons

> should be fine. Think of those kefir grains like little animals

with

> " mouths to feed " and a metabolism. If you have fewer in there,

your

> ferment will take longer because there are fewer " mouths " to eat the

> sugars. Also, their metabolisms will be slow or fast, depending on

the

> temperature. They never stop, but can slow way down in the fridge,

or speed

> up with a lot of warmth.

>

> What you wouldn't want to do is put in so many grains that there

wouldn't be

> enough sugar for all of your grains to eat.

>

> hth,

> Marla

>

[Guest guest]

i have never done a second ferment, so I can not speak to that. the timing of the ferment will be different for everyone, but not vastly so. so furthering the " little animal " picture, your ferment will depend on your grains:sugar ratio, even the type of sugar, and the temperature where they ferment. What I do is a taste test. When it tastes good to me, then it's done and I drink it. It tastes fermented and still slightly sweet. You know you've gone too long if it tastes like vinegar, but you can also use it like vinegar if that happens.

though I will say that coconut water kefir tastes very horrible to me. I have heard that if you use the BED powders instead of the " wildness " of the kefir grains, you control what organisms proliferate and you get a better flavor. I have not tried this for myself.

Coconut water will ferment very quickly, so I would start tasting at about 9-12 hours. My other kefir liquids usually take about 36 hours, give or take 12.

marla

On Fri, Aug 1, 2008 at 7:33 AM, Tina Chapek <teenee65@...> wrote:

Marla,Thank you so much!I forgot to ask, would you know how long for the first and second

ferments using the grains?:)Tina

>> Hi Tina,>> You need not be exact. Anywhere from 1 tsp to a couple of

tablespoons> should be fine. Think of those kefir grains like little animalswith> " mouths to feed " and a metabolism. If you have fewer in there,your> ferment will take longer because there are fewer " mouths " to eat the

> sugars. Also, their metabolisms will be slow or fast, depending onthe> temperature. They never stop, but can slow way down in the fridge,or speed> up with a lot of warmth.>> What you wouldn't want to do is put in so many grains that there

wouldn't be> enough sugar for all of your grains to eat.>> hth,> Marla>

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

[Guest guest]

Marla, Thank you!

Tina

>

> i have never done a second ferment, so I can not speak to that.

the timing

> of the ferment will be different for everyone, but not vastly so.

so

> furthering the " little animal " picture, your ferment will depend on

your

> grains:sugar ratio, even the type of sugar, and the temperature

where they

> ferment. What I do is a taste test. When it tastes good to me,

then it's

> done and I drink it. It tastes fermented and still slightly

sweet. You

> know you've gone too long if it tastes like vinegar, but you can

also use it

> like vinegar if that happens.

>

> though I will say that coconut water kefir tastes very horrible to

me. I

> have heard that if you use the BED powders instead of

the " wildness " of the

> kefir grains, you control what organisms proliferate and you get a

better

> flavor. I have not tried this for myself.

>

> Coconut water will ferment very quickly, so I would start tasting

at about

> 9-12 hours. My other kefir liquids usually take about 36 hours,

give or

> take 12.

>

> marla

[Guest guest]

Yes, Tina, my experience has been just as Marla described. There is not very much sugar in the coconut water (as compared to sugared water for making water kefir) so it will be a relatively short ferment, less than 24 hours. When I have left it that long, it was quite sour.

Just don't use all your water kefir grains, I would save some b/c in my kefir list they advice that eventually the ones in coco water will stop fermenting and/or not multiply, so do have a set of back up grains that are eating regular sugar (I use org. dark brown) and are multiplying well and growing just in case…

Let us know how it turns out.

Millie