Back in December I was pondering what to do with all the maple syrup I have somehow accumulated. Then Evan started making kefir every week and now I'm in the habit of making sure we've got some around myself. Most mornings now I have a little juice glass of kefir with a spoonful of maple syrup before heading out the door by quarter past seven. Yay calcium, and yay maple syrup!
Here are Evan's instructions on how to make kefir. Let me know if you want a grain (we have two looking for homes at the moment):
It's as simple as combine Part A (milk) and Part B (kefir grain), and wait. But for some more detail.
1. Put milk in a container (glass bowl, jar, food-safe plastic, etc. I use a 1qt. jar)
2. Put kefir grain in container with milk
3. Lightly cover container (ie. just set lid on top, or rubber band paper towel or coffee filter over top)
4. Leave at room temperature for 24-36 hours. The longer you leave it, the more it will ferment, and the more tart it will become.
5. Remove kefir grain from container, and place in a separate container with fresh milk (I use a 16oz jar and drink the milk that it was stored in after each batch)
6. You'll see it separates, kefir at the top, whey at the bottom. You can either spoon out the kefir at the top and use that (it'll be thicker, like thin yogurt), or shake the jar and reincorporate the whey back in and it'll be like a buttermilk consistency.
If you don't make a batch after 3-4 weeks, replace the milk in the storage container and it'll be fine for another 3-4 weeks.
I'd recommend getting some fruit syrup, honey or maple syrup to stir into the kefir to drink. Or just pour over granola/cereal instead of milk. Use in recipes in place of buttermilk.
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3 comments:
I bought some kefir starter at a natural health store a while back, but the directions were much more complicated - with specific temperatures and what not. This has me totally wanting to try again!!
It's great! And unbelievably easy -- definitely don't both about those complicated instructions.
Shelly, the kefir starter you get in a packet isn't the same thing. It's more akin to yogurt, and doesn't result in a reusable culture. I suspect that a) it's a standardized product made in a lab and b) it's sold by a company that could be sued, is what's responsible for the complicated instructions.
If I were you, I'd get your hands on an actual grain. Go back to your health food store and post a wanted ad on the board there, or pick one up online (craigslist, ebay, or a google search). Or, since they multiply, I bet we could send you one.
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