Guest guest Posted April 7, 2005 Report Share Posted April 7, 2005 >Do any of you have any thoughts on the shelf life of raw milk kefir? I >normally consume whatever I make within about a week but I have a batch that >has been sitting in the fridge almost three weeks now. The taste is >stronger than before but it still seems to be okay. > >I think I recall reading somewhere that the bacterial shifts over time are >not so favorable? Am I mis-remembering? Dom has kept his for weeks and weeks at room temp. It DOES change, and it will taste very different, but whether it tastes good or bad is probably personal. Like ripe cheese. No reports on it getting toxic though. Heidi Jean Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 7, 2005 Report Share Posted April 7, 2005 > Dom has kept his for weeks and weeks at room temp. It DOES change, > and it will taste very different, but whether it tastes good or bad is > probably personal. Like ripe cheese. No reports on it getting > toxic though. > I'm drinking some now based on your recommendation. If I stop posting you'll know what happened. LOL As I said this somewhere before -- I just can't believe that I like this stuff. The stronger and funkier the kefirs get the better I like them. And it was pretty true from the first batch that I made about 6 months ago. From an antibacterial life to eating them in quantity in one fell swoop.... Ron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 7, 2005 Report Share Posted April 7, 2005 > > Ron: > >>I'm drinking some now based on your recommendation. If I stop posting >>you'll know what happened. LOL I found a jar in the back of my fridge that was about 8 months old. I gave it a good shake and drank it. Quite delicious. For what its worth, I have never heard of kefir " going bad " . Terry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 9, 2005 Report Share Posted April 9, 2005 [Ron] Do any of you have any thoughts on the shelf life of raw milk kefir? I normally consume whatever I make within about a week but I have a batch that has been sitting in the fridge almost three weeks now. The taste is stronger than before but it still seems to be okay. I think I recall reading somewhere that the bacterial shifts over time are not so favorable? Am I mis-remembering? [MAP] On Dom's site he reports leaving a jar of kefir in the fridge for one year and finding it quite good, just a bit strong. On theoretical grounds, it's fair to assume that kefir never goes bad in the fridge. In my own experience, I've let kefir age for over a month on a number of occasions and always enjoyed it. I really like the variations in flavor you get from secondary fermentation with kefir. Some batches of kefir I think of as liquid cheese, the flavor is so rich. I typically let it sit for a few days in the fridge. As far as shifts in bacteria, I imagine most of the bacteria would die off after a few weeks, but that or any shifts seem pretty irrelevant because it's the lactic acid that acts as a preservative and keeps it safe, and the lactic acid probably lasts for years. If you leave kefir at room temp for a few months, it would basically just become milk vinegar of sorts and still be safe, but just too sour too drink. Mike SE Pennsylvania The best way to predict the future is to invent it. --Alan Kay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 12, 2005 Report Share Posted April 12, 2005 > [MAP] On Dom's site he reports leaving a jar of kefir in the > fridge for one > year and finding it quite good, just a bit strong. On > theoretical grounds, > it's fair to assume that kefir never goes bad in the fridge. > In my own > experience, I've let kefir age for over a month on a number > of occasions and > always enjoyed it. I really like the variations in flavor you > get from > secondary fermentation with kefir. [Ron] Yes, I'm discovering that I like the various flavors also. Just this week I used some new kefir grains that I got to ferment some goats milk. It created another very different tasting batch than what I had been getting with my original grains. Good stuff. > [MAP] As far as shifts in bacteria, I imagine most > of the bacteria > would die off after a few weeks, but that or any shifts seem pretty > irrelevant because it's the lactic acid that acts as a > preservative and > keeps it safe, and the lactic acid probably lasts for years. [Ron] Now this is interesting to me. That would mean that the kefir is no longer giving probiotic effect after a certain length of time? You are just getting the added nutritional value from the ferment but the dead bacteria are not helping with gut ecology? Ron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.