Can dried Water Kefir grains be too old?

[nutritionistmom]

They've been in the cupboard for several yrs since the last time they were used. Are they too old to ferment properly?
The recipe said to remove the raisins when they floated to the top and let ferment for another 6-12 hrs. All the raisins puffed up, but only about half of them floated. I don't like raisins, so I didn't try one to see if it tasted fermented.
It definitely smells different than it did even this morning, so I guess I'll take that as a positive sign.
Comments anyone?

[Thystle]

No clue but I have some that are about 4 or 5 months old that I still need to "wake up".

Keep us updated!!!

[nutritionistmom]

I used the kefir in my GF sourdough starter and it's working!

[gabbyraja]

Please expand on "I used the kefir in my GF sourdough starter"? PLEASE? I have been wondering if I could do GF SD, and I'm wondering what you mean by using kefir... Holding my breath by my computer...

[gabbyraja]

And now I see your response to my post asking about a GF SD, so it must have worked?! But, still, tell me more about the incorporation of kefir?

[nutritionistmom]

Jessica,
The kefir replaces the yeast to start the fermentation in the sourdough starter. So the only ingredients in the starter are kefir, water, and rice flour. The recipes are in the link I posted on the SD thread. I'm very interested to see how this bread turns out. The last SD I made was GF but not YF and it tasted very yeasty.

[gabbyraja]

OIC! Thank you!