Re: Interested in the thoughts of those with experience

May 31, 2011

I, too wasn't too fond of the sour taste in my milk kefir, so I now do only a 12

hour ferment, which it works just right, After 12 hours I strain the grains and

drink it, I know I don't get the vitamins benefit, but I do get the probiotic

benefit. Besides w hen you put in the fridge, it keeps fermenting without the

grains.

>

> Hey Ya'll!

> I have been lurking on the list for a long time now and finally received my

own set of grains last week. A very excited " Me " jumped in with both MK and WK!

>

> My WKG are doing beautifully and everyone loves the taste of the WK. I even

tried taking some of the WK and adding some fresh raspberries to it and doing a

second ferment (I think thats what I did anyway) and the Raspberry WK is

delicious! Cant wait for them to multiply enough to try some other ideas with

them. At this point, I am more than delighted (and a bit suprised) at how much

we love them.

>

> My MK on the other hand...

> *sigh*

> I LOVE store-bought Kefir (even plain) and thought for sure I would easily

jump into MK with no trouble. We eat plain yogurt frequently and didnt expect

the MK to have such a strong sour-milk taste. So far, no one likes it at all!

I have wasted do much milk in the last week that I was tempted to just dry them

and try again in a while after reading more but figured I would ask ya'll first.

> My first thought is to simply ferment it a shorter time and I am wondering if

that would be a good place to start. I have 1/4c of grains and am using 3c Raw

Jersey Cow milk and letting it set ~24 hours as of now. When I just start to

see the whey pockets forming, I strain and start over. I am under the

impression that they whey is where the strong taste is coming from but I cant

seem to guage straining before it appears as I didnt want to do it *too* soon.

> If I start a new batch in the AM, would it be " ok " to strain and start again

in the late PM -giving it about 12 hours instead of 24? Would there still be a

kefir benefit to it? Then I could always up the time (letting it get stronger)

as we get used to the taste?

>

> Sorry for the rambling questions but I am at a loss and just dont know where

to start that makes sense. We are a family of 6 (7 this fall!) and both my

husband and I *need* the benefits of kefir -as well as our children of course.

>

> Any thoughts of suggestions for getting used to the MK would be greatly

appreciated!

>

> TIA!

>

June 1, 2011

Hi Tia,

This is a dilemma for every person new to making kefir.

I think you may be using a little too many grains per milk. I use only a

tablespoon of grains per 2 cups of raw organic cow milk. I found that when they

grow my kefir gets stronger in taste so I reduce the amount back to 1

tablespoon. There are so many variables in play (milk content, temp, duration

of brewing, etc . . .), but I would first try reducing the amount of grains per

amount of milk or add more milk.

There are many methods of brewing kefir that are easy to do and work well. I

choose to do a two stage brewing that I found instructions for on Dom's website.

I place the grains in a one quart canning jar topped with a coffee filter (to

allow it to breath) secured with the ring of the canning lid (no lid) to keep

out uninvited guests and brew it for 24 hours on my kitchen counter.

For the second part of the brewing process I strain the grains and put the half

brewed milk kefir (w/o grains) into an old fashioned one quart milk bottle once

again covered with a coffee filter secured with a rubber band. I watch for that

" perfect window " just as the separation process begins (tiny whey pockets

accompanied by a very, very small amount of whey on the bottom) and then replace

the coffee filter with a BPA free plastic cap, shake the bottle to mix what very

little amount of whey that has separated and then chill the kefir overnight in

the fridge.

I would only rinse the grains if they become contaminated and if you do so I

would use milk to rinse them. I have read that there is a filmy matrix that

forms on the grains that keeps the grains healthy and helps to thicken the kefir

so if you rinse it you will wash this away. I am not sure about that, but it

makes sense. As of yet, I have not found rinsing to be necessary. I always use

clean jars, bottles and utensils (only used for making kefir) for each step of

the brewing process which helps to prevent contamination.

In time you will get a feel for how long this will take as the temperature

changes so until then I would time it so the second brew is being done when you

are around to watch it. Again, there are many ways of brewing kefir, but this

is what works for me to get creamy and tasty kefir just about every time. I

hope this helps you some.

Carol Onefreespirit