temperature and fermentation time

[Guest guest]

There has been a lot talk recently about slowing the kefir grains down,

usually by putting them in the refrigerator over night or for a few

days. In theory, I am opposed to the idea, although I have needed to do

it. One person says that it ruined her grains. Another person said

that she did it for a long time and had no problem.

My theory is that the grains would go through a daily cycle in the

ancient Caucuses of from a daytime temperature of perhaps 80 F to 60 F

or perhaps a little lower at night. But they would not go through a

cycle of 90 F to 34 F, which is what they are enduring in my house.

What to do? Yesterday, I just got so tired of the heat in my house that

I walked into my shower and turned on the water. Walking around the

house for hours in a wet t-shirt made all of the difference in the

world, and I realized that I could do the same thing with the kefir.

So, I got out a large pot and filled it with water. Water conducts heat

(or cold) 32 times better than air. The water will be colder than the

air temperature because of evaporation. Problem solved. My water

temperature right now after it sitting for many hours is 15 F less than

the air temperature.

The best way to use this technique would be to make sure that the night

temperature was less than the day temperature, just like in a northern

Caucuses village.

and Katrina Bird's Incredibly Lucky Daddy

[Guest guest]

, You made me realize an old solution from the extremes of the

farming country in S.D., MN NE etc. . Sinking a covered cream can or

similar into well water for keeping milk, butter, etc. for the family,

(my Grandma) and a bro.-in-law in MO. used to place their cream cans in

a well-house with a cement trough channeling well springwater through

it. The cream cans would stay covered in the cement trough with the

spring water running through it.

Joyce Simmerman (Wouldn't ice-chests serve the same purpose without a

lot of ice in them? Just enough to keep the kefir somewhat cooler by

regulating the few/many ice cubes kept in it at any one time. )