Guest guest Posted June 6, 2008 Report Share Posted June 6, 2008 Michele, While I was on holiday for 5 days, I kept my grains in the frig in fresh milk. It also took about 5 days for them to return to normal. I changed the milk every day. It surprised me they took so long, all is well now and once again they are producing faster than I can consume. Cheers Dove On Fri, Jun 6, 2008 at 1:56 AM, Michele Young <chefmichele@...> wrote: > I'm new to the group and I have a question. A friend has given me > some kefir grains (milk) and they were stored in the refrigerator for > me until I received them... maybe 1 or 2 weeks in the fridge. Anyhow, > I tried to make kefir and they didn't work within 24 hours as I had > been told. I then rinsed them and put them in new milk (a little less > milk this time). I am wondering am I proceeding correctly? How long > should it take to revive the grains? Her grains are doing well and > thriving so I know these are from a healthy batch, they are just not > fully revived yet, am I correct? > > Thanks for any advice, > Michele -- It's not easy being a locavore Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 6, 2008 Report Share Posted June 6, 2008 Thanks so much for the advice! I'm glad to know I am proceeding correctly! Michele On Fri, Jun 6, 2008 at 8:31 AM, Dovey <DoveyC@...> wrote: > Michele, > While I was on holiday for 5 days, I kept my grains in the frig in fresh > milk. > It also took about 5 days for them to return to normal. > I changed the milk every day. > It surprised me they took so long, all is well now and once again they > are producing faster than I can consume. > > Cheers > Dove > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 6, 2008 Report Share Posted June 6, 2008 Once you get to know your grains it's all very simple. Dove -- It's not easy being a locavore Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 20, 2009 Report Share Posted June 20, 2009 Hello everyone! I am new to this group and new to fermented foods. I have what is probably a very basic question, so please bear with me. When making lacto-fermented vegetables, should you cover the jar with something like cheesecloth while the vegetables are fermenting or is the jar supposed to be sealed with a lid? I thought you were supposed to let air in (using cheesecloth), but then I saw a website where the person said that you have to seal the jar, because there must be no oxygen, in order to ferment. Can someone answer this for me? Thank you, in advance! Happy Fermenting, Jeff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 20, 2009 Report Share Posted June 20, 2009 G'day Jeff, >When making lacto-fermented vegetables, should you cover the jar with >something like cheesecloth while the vegetables are fermenting or is >the jar supposed to be sealed with a lid? Take care with sealing jars during fermentation. Some people do it all the time with Mason jars, and get seriously buckled lids -- but to my mind, that's just inviting danger in the form of a Glass Grenade. Fermentation generally means also a build up of gases as the fermenting of sugars releases some CO2 and other stuff. In a sealed jar, the gases have nowhere to go -- until the seal breaks, one way or another. If it does this by breaking the glass, you don't want to be anywhere near it! I just use a tea towel or a bit of cling-wrap over the jar or bowl, and seal jars later after the fermentation has peaked and calmed down again. >I thought you were supposed to let air in (using cheesecloth), but then >I saw a website where the person said that you have to seal the jar, >because there must be no oxygen, in order to ferment. For most ferments, especially leafy vegetables, you want to exclude oxygen because moulds and some nasty bacteria require oxygen to thrive. You can achieve this by keeping all the solids under liquid during fermentation, typically by means of a weight. The weight can be a plate with a (clean!) rock on it, another jar filled with water, or special dunkers (like a group member, , makes). For fairly liquid ferments, e.g. salsas, just stirring once a day to mix the surface solids back into the rapidly acidifying mix will prevent mould. You want to cover the ferment with something, just to keep out bugs and dust. Once the fermentation has finished or at least subsided, you can seal your jar and store it somewhere cool (cellar or fridge). -- Ross McKay, Toronto, NSW Australia " Let the laddie play wi the knife - he'll learn " - The Wee Book of Calvin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 21, 2009 Report Share Posted June 21, 2009 Hi---you keep the cheesecloth, or double thickness of paper towel, or a white cotton mens handkerchief over the top to prevent contamination with mold or bacteria spores... Keeping the veggies under the level of the liquid in the jar or fermenting vessel is what keeps it anarobic. If the veggies begin to protrude from the liquid, push them back under. You can also add small amounts of water if needed. HTH! Blessings, Jill~ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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