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.

Kombucha: The Living Elixir

Kombucha is an incredibly refreshing fermented tea that is full of probiotics, vitamins, and beneficial yeasts and bacterias. When I first started studying about kombucha, I was a little frightened and completely unsure if I would ever be able to ingest such a concoction. All I could imagine was old tea that had gone bad. YUCK! It was exactly a year ago that I began my research and I was determined to be open with the idea of fermented foods. It took me until the end of November to actually try the stuff. I'll have to admit the first time I tried it I did NOT like it, but knew that I could drink it on occasion for the health benefits. After getting back into my own neck of the woods I decided to try it once again. The second bottle was a bit more interesting and I was able to consume the entire bottle without completely grossing out. A couple of weeks later I tried my 3rd bottle and after that I was hooked. If I had only tried the 3rd flavor first I'm sure I would have been hooked from the beginning. :~)

Here is a picture of a Kombucha Scoby(Symbiotic Colony of Bacteria and Yeast):

And then the scoby added to the top of sweetened tea:

Bottling the Kombucha for a second time to impart additional flavors and to create fizz:

After adding either juice or fruit, or a combination of the two:

This is how I make komucha, but like everything in life, this is not the only way.
**You need to make sure your hand have been washed and that all jewelry has been removed from your hand before handling a scoby. 

1 gallon:

1 1/2 TBL loose green tea
1 1/2 TBL loose black tea
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 scoby
1 cup of starter tea* or distilled white vinegar(not apple cider vinegar)

Brew your tea, sweeten with sugar, and allow to cool to room temperature. Add to your brewing vessel and fill with enough water to brew a gallon of tea. You need to leave enough head room for your scoby and 1 cup of starter tea. Your tea should be room temperature and then add your scoby on top, and then pour your starter tea over the top of your scoby. It is ok if your scoby doesn't float, it will eventually. Cover with a towel and secure with a rubber band. Allow to brew for 7-10 days.

When brewing is complete, you remove your scoby (make sure to remove all jewelery and wash hands thoroughly) and set aside. We will notice that you have grown a "baby" scoby on top of your original scoby. You can simply keep using the old and new scoby, or you can pull them apart(if they are attached) and share with a friend. You can either consume your tea as is, or you can ferment it for a second time with additional flavors. I choose to do the latter as the second ferment imparts more fizz into the beverage! We also like to filter out the yeast strands before the second ferment. This can easily be done by filtering through cheese cloth, or using a fine wire mesh strainer. Save at least one cup of finished tea per gallon of tea you want to brew. This is your *starter tea.

We like to add the following in our second ferment:
1/4 - 1/3 cup 100% juice (grape, cran-grape, and berry are ones that really enjoy)
1-2 strawberries, sliced
1 strawberry and 1/4 kiwi
3-4 crushed raspberries
3-4 crushed blueberries
Juice of one lemon with 2 tsp sugar
1 Cherry divided and pitted (we add this along with some juice)
Fresh Ginger slices (this is a great addition to any of the flavors and seems to add additional fizz)
*** Please note that we use 16oz bottles for our second ferment. 

You can be as creative as you'd like to be when making additions during this time. I've heard of those who like cinnamon sticks, mint sprigs, oranges, and herbs. I really want to try lavender, but I have yet to get around to that. I've also read that vanilla beans are incredible, but....they're way out of my budget!


I must tell you that it is very possible to create so much fizz that a glass bottle will explode during the second ferment. I actually had this happen one time and the bottle shot off like a rocket, thankfully no one was injured. I would recommend placing your bottles in a cooler or cardboard box for this process until you get to know your brew :) You can burp your bottles every day or so to check their progress. When your second ferment is done, which is usually anywhere between 3-5 days, refrigerate your elixir and enjoy cold.



The finished product:

If anyone is interested I do have extra scobies and will be more than happy to share on with you for a small fee plus postage.