Kefir: Deliciously Creamy Fermented Milk

In an earlier post, I talked about our family consuming fermented foods in order to maintain good health.I'd like to introduce you to yet another fermented food that is a part of our diet, kefir.  I'm going to back up a bit... My mother-in-law was diagnosed with breast cancer back in 2001. She is doing remarkably well and currently in remission, but because of her diagnosis we started thinking of things differently. Knowing that her cancer was because of the synthetic hormones she had been taking since her hysterectomy several years earlier, I was on a quest for a Dr. who practiced using bio-identical hormones. In doing so I also found a Dr. that encouraged his patients to eat a healthy diet and encourages certain foods and kefir is one of them. I purchased kefir at the store several times and we all loved it, but because of the expense I started researching how I could make it. What I discovered is that the commercial stuff that you buy at the store, while it is good for you, is an inferior product compared to that that is made with actual kefir grains. I found a source on the internet, Marilyn the kefir lady, and sent off for some grains. That was in September of 08 and I've been drinking kefir ever since. The grains are continually growing, so in no time I had surplus grains. I started sharing them with friends... lots of friends, we ate a few, and have even sold them back to Marilyn at times. If you'd like to listen to Marilyn speaking about kefir, click here She shares some great tips on exactly how to brew kefir, and tells you what not to do. If you have questions, listening to Marilyn will more than likely answer your questions. You can also read about her here.

Kefir is said to have originated in the Caucasian mountains, where the Abkhasia people are known for incredible longevity. There have been claims that some of have lived up to 150 years old. I've no intentions of living that long, actually I'm hoping the Lord comes back before then, but I'd like to be healthy and free of aches and pains. Consuming raw milk kefir ensures that I'm ingesting 30-50 different strains of probiotics, along with the different strains of beneficial yeasts and bacterias, creating a happy gut.   It is said that 80% of illness and diseases come from an unhealthy gut, so I'm doing my level best to make sure mines stays nice and happy.

Kefir grains:


Add fresh milk and allow to sit on your counter for 24 hours

After 24 hours you'll have thick kefir.

Stir your kefir and then strain through a wire mesh strainer.



You might have to tap against the bowl to get all the kefir to go through, but eventually it will all go through.



In the end you should just have your grains.