This Refreshing Kefir is Very Yummy Indeed!

re: This Refreshing Kefir is Very Yummy Indeed!

ElsieM — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 14:12:27 GMT

The farm where I get my raw milk gave me a little jar of some already made kefir. They told me that all I had to do was add it to a jar of raw milk and let the mixture stand out on the countertop for a day or two, and voila, you have kefir. I've been doing this, and it's great, but I'm just wondering now, is this really kefir? There are no starter grains or anything like that, just already made kefir.

re: This Refreshing Kefir is Very Yummy Indeed!

EQ — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 20:57:19 GMT

Once one has the kefir going, can a bit of the previous batch be used as a starter for the next? That would save some money and wasteful packaging/shipping.

re: This Refreshing Kefir is Very Yummy Indeed!

vossanova — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 16:57:56 GMT

being european, i grew up with kefir in the 60s and 70s. in my adult years, my mother gave me kefir grains that looked like a little piece of cauliflower. it grew and could be divided and given away. unfortunately, for many years, i wasn't able to get kefir grains here in north america.

can anyone say where they got theirs from? i tried several healthfood stores but they only carry the powders, which i don't really care for.

re: This Refreshing Kefir is Very Yummy Indeed!

Lynn46 — Sun, 11 Nov 2007 23:29:45 GMT

About Dom's kefir-making web site:

users.chariot.net.au/.../kefirpage.html

Dom (his full name is Dominic N. Anfiteatro) is from Australia and is admired around the world for his extensive knowledge about the history of kefir and for making it. Dom's web site is large and not that well organized, and his writing style is sometimes a little odd, if not fanciful. However, if you search through his site, you find a wealth of info. about making kefir. Dom's site is one of the most complete you will ever find. Also, Dom loves to experiment with making kefir using different techniques and conditions, and posts the results of his "experiments" on his site. Very interesting reading, too!

If anyone is interested, Dom created two Yahoo groups in which members talk about the finer points of making kefir. I'm not sure why Dom created two groups, but you can join the groups and decide for yourself which one seems to be the most useful. Note--you will need to create a Yahoo user ID to join any Yahoo group (there seems to be thousands now).

"Kefir-making"--the first group that Dom started:

groups.yahoo.com/.../Kefir_making

"Real kefir making"--the second group that Dom started after he started his first ("Kefir-making"):

health.groups.yahoo.com/.../Real_Kefir_Making

This particular group cannot be searched by name from the Yahoo groups home page, so the "Real Kefir Making" group appears to be "hidden," so to speak.

Also, after signing up for these groups, you can opt out of e-mails coming from these Yahoo groups (and just read the posts online at the web sites). Just click on the "Edit Membership" link on a particular group's home page, and complete Step 2 on the "Edit Membership" page. I recommend not getting individual e-mails because these groups are very active, and you probably don't want to get 20 to 50 individual e-mails arriving in your in-box on any given day.

re: This Refreshing Kefir is Very Yummy Indeed!

Ronit — Sun, 11 Nov 2007 21:38:44 GMT

I have been on the Primal raw diet for the last 6 years. Aajonus's recipe for kefir is just to LET RAW MILK STAND IN A WARM OR ROOM TEMPERATURE PLACE UNTIL IT TURNS TO KEFIR. NO STARTER, NO NOTHING. It takes 2-3 days. If it goes too far you strain in through cheese cloth and it is a type of cottage cheese.

Ronit

re: This Refreshing Kefir is Very Yummy Indeed!

helpothers — Sun, 11 Nov 2007 16:34:13 GMT

Is there any way to make kefir without cow or goat milk? I am allergic to both but would like to find a substitute if there is one.

re: This Refreshing Kefir is Very Yummy Indeed!

Sdion — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 18:01:40 GMT

I also make kefir. However, it is not necessary to warm the milk. I just add grains from previously made kefir, put the lid on and shake. Then I let it set for abt 24 hours, shaking occasionally.

re: This Refreshing Kefir is Very Yummy Indeed!

acudoc_203 — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 16:38:45 GMT

Making kefir is really much easier than that. All you need are real kefir grains put into raw milk and left to ferment overnight. No need to heat the milk up at all, and the good thing about real kefir grains is that they keep on growing and are reusable forever.

re: This Refreshing Kefir is Very Yummy Indeed!

Patty D — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 16:08:01 GMT

I have been making kefir using grains since June. I even make my own cheese. Maybe you have to heat the milk if you are using a starter, but if you use grains, you don't have to heat the milk or sterilize anything. It's nowhere near as complicated as this article makes it seem, but it's wonderful stuff.

re: This Refreshing Kefir is Very Yummy Indeed!

einzigal — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 16:06:01 GMT

I had about 1/2 cup of raw milk in the fridge and when I opened the lid and poured it onto my granola it fizzed!! Don't know why! I decided not to eat it afterwards...fear of the unknown!

re: This Refreshing Kefir is Very Yummy Indeed!

Russ Bianchi — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 15:39:22 GMT

Kefir, its not just for breakfast anymore...

re: This Refreshing Kefir is Very Yummy Indeed!

Marilyn Kefirlady — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 15:01:52 GMT

You don't necessarily have to refrigerate kefir but it will continue to work using up every last bit of lactose in the milk. This makes it taste way too sour for most people. As long as it isn't moldy, it is drinkable. I refrigerate mine because I like to drink very mild kefir. I believe prebiotics are just as important as probiotics. So it is good to drink it mild, meaning a good amount of lactose is still in the kefir. Prebiotics feed the probiotics after they are in your system.

re: This Refreshing Kefir is Very Yummy Indeed!

User2112 — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 14:14:49 GMT

The most complete kefir site on the web is:

Dom's Kefir In-Site

users.chariot.net.au/.../kefirpage.html

Be patient as you scour the site. Dom is a kefir guru not a web guru.

re: This Refreshing Kefir is Very Yummy Indeed!

Auntie Evil — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 10:39:40 GMT

Read Dom's site about Kefir, he's the Kefir King!

Don't get a cow, get a goat (two really, as they need company) Cow's have sloppy, smelly excrement and can kill you by accidentally kicking you when swatting flies or if they are in a vile mood. Goat's need less room, are excellent company, and won't possibly cause you bodily harm with their feet. They learn tricks and are smarter than most dogs... I love my goats. Depending on the breed, the milk's fat content can be as low as 3%. The fat won't separate out and float, so no butter without a separator... Goat's milk is far superior to cow milk and will not taste bad unless you keep a Billy goat. Fiasco Farms has lots of great info on goats. If you like most animals, you will fall in love with your goats!

re: This Refreshing Kefir is Very Yummy Indeed!

katz — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 08:12:44 GMT

I make kefir from my fresh raw goat milk , my kefir grains are about 18mo. old now. All I do is after I milk and strain the warm milk ,I just fill the Qt.glass jar that has the live kefir grains in it , up with the fresh warm milk, I let it set out on the counter and it's ready to use by morning in warm weather . I do put it in the fridge if I wont be using it for a few days, I dont really know if kefir ruins as I haven't had any go bad however I have had some that I forgot about for months and the kefir was too acid and bitter for me to drink but I just fed it to my dogs and rinsed the grains with water and added fresh warm milk and set out again. I think the fermentation process takes care of the bad bacteria and I have never heard of toxic kefir . I use the kefir for most everything cooking where it calls for milk and smoothies and ice cream are my favorites. Kefir is like buttermilk/yogurt cross , I have not made kefir cheese yet but the cheese is made like the video that's shown above and you can also learn about kefir from his site "Dom's Kefir"

users.chariot.net.au/.../kefirpage.html very very GOOD !!