Guest guest Posted October 27, 2011 Report Share Posted October 27, 2011 Hi Everone, My name is . My wife and I are new into the world of Kefir. We had read an article in the Urban Farm Magazine and it caught our interest. We had tried some of the store bought stuff that wasn't bad, but I was pretty sure there were enough other things in the bottle to push the issue on natural. In the article there were several websites listed with Marilyn's there as well. I had placed an order with her but in the meantime I also purchased some from another source. The when I got the first order in, I was a little disappointed with what I received for what I paid. They are doing what they are supposed to though. When Marilyn's came in last Friday there were about 5x more grains than the other order. Also was an extensive write-up. Thanks Marilyn. In the two weeks I have been growing Kefir, I am definitely going through some trial and error. First was leaving the grains in too long before straining and producing something so sour that I couldn't drink it. When I received Marilyn's grains, I followed her instructions to the letter. There was no lag with her grains. In 24 hours, I had a large mason jar that was pushing being too sour. After straining, I split the amount of grains I was using roughly 3x. The last three batches have been wonderful, not too tart, and not too bland. I may let it go a little more than 24 hours and/or add some more grains to get the batch right. Now when I strained this morning, I did notice the grains had increased in size and in numbers. At this rate, I think they may double by the first of the week. I have to travel the later part of next week, so I will probably place my culture in the fridge till I get back. Anyone see an issue with that? Or should I just leave on the counter? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 28, 2012 Report Share Posted February 28, 2012 I culture my grains in organic raw Jersey milk and they absolutely LOVE the cream. It doesn't turn it into butter, but is more like cream cheese. Just dump the whole thing into your strainer and strain together. P.S. There is an adjustment time, but your grains would love it better if you used raw milk rather than pasturized milk. Al New to kefir I received my milk grains Thursday and adapted them to my milk for two changing's like the shipper said to do. I use fresh pasteurized milk from the Jersey Dairy near me. It has the cream on top of the milk. My concern is: the kefir grains seem to be turning the cream to butter but not turning the milk into kefir. It made 1 quart but now seems to be struggling to make the second quart. Is the fat in the milk killing my grains by suffocation?? Should I skim the cream off and not use the whole milk? The person I got the grains from said they were grown in 2% milk. Would whole milk with the cream be to rich? Told you I was new to kefir, now I'm telling you I need all the help i can get. Thanks, Lou in Florida Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 1, 2012 Report Share Posted March 1, 2012 Thanks Al, I just got 1 gallon of raw milk today. I found out that if I ask for " pet " milk I can get raw milk, IF I bring my own jug which I have from long ago when I lived in Wyoming and drank lots of fresh raw milk. My milk is from grass fed Jersey cows also and looks more yellow than white. I have made a couple quarts of kefir and man is it good. I like it just as it is when I strain it, but hubby likes it when I mix in a tablespoon of sugar free strawberry jam and a couple drops of liquid stevia. Lou in Florida > > I culture my grains in organic raw Jersey milk and they absolutely LOVE the cream. It doesn't turn it into butter, but is more like cream cheese. Just dump the whole thing into your strainer and strain together. P.S. There is an adjustment time, but your grains would love it better if you used raw milk rather than pasturized milk. > > Al > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 1, 2012 Report Share Posted March 1, 2012 Awesome! Glad you can get some for your kitty LOL! Al Re: New to kefir Thanks Al, I just got 1 gallon of raw milk today. I found out that if I ask for " pet " milk I can get raw milk, IF I bring my own jug which I have from long ago when I lived in Wyoming and drank lots of fresh raw milk. My milk is from grass fed Jersey cows also and looks more yellow than white. I have made a couple quarts of kefir and man is it good. I like it just as it is when I strain it, but hubby likes it when I mix in a tablespoon of sugar free strawberry jam and a couple drops of liquid stevia. Lou in Florida > > I culture my grains in organic raw Jersey milk and they absolutely LOVE the cream. It doesn't turn it into butter, but is more like cream cheese. Just dump the whole thing into your strainer and strain together. P.S. There is an adjustment time, but your grains would love it better if you used raw milk rather than pasturized milk. > > Al > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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