I am SO grossed out -- milk kefir drama

[Toolip]

I just went to freshen my milk kefir... it was WAY overfermented which often happens to me... no biggie, I was going to give it to the ducks

I had one covered with a regular mason jar ring and lid, it was fine

I had another covered with one of the white plastic mason jar lids....

OMG I took it off and there were some kind of maggot/larvae/worm things

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BARFFFFFFF!

I don't know what they were and I didn't get a picture, I was WAY too disgusted. At first I thought it had molded under the lid and then I saw they were squirming!!!!! OMG OMG

So I am keeping those grains separate to make sure they are clean but I am SO grossed out!!!!!!!!!

Any idea what they could be?

[Toolip]

So I googled a picture and I think they are fruit fly larvae which strangely makes me feel a little bit better

[gardenmommy]

LOL!!  LOL!!  LOL!!

I'm sorry, I know that it isn't funny for you, but I just had to laugh, because that has happened to me (not with kefir, but other stuff), and it is SOOO totally gross!  If you saved anything from that jar, you are a better woman than I am.  I would probably have just tossed the whole thing.  Seeing something squirming in my food makes me want to toss my cookies (wait, that's not very TF, so maybe not cookies, maybe my sauerkraut).

[Toolip]

oh I'm laughing! and my ducks gobbled up the kefir! I did save the grains but I'm not going to eat the milk from them for a few more cycles. I need some distance. The larvae weren't IN the kefir but it was still, SO gross.. OMG, I need to stop thinking about it. But I'm also glad to have killed them before they turned into fruit flies!

[gardenmommy]

Like I said, you are a better woman than me!  I probably wouldn't have even saved the grains, because it would have grossed me out so much.  I'm sure that there's nothing wrong with it, but I have strange issues like that, lol.  I'm sure your ducks thought they'd died and gone to heaven with that lot chucked at them!

[Elizabeth2008]

OHMYGOD!!!  I am so grossed out right now.  Mostly because i have been swatting at the fruit flies that are trying desperately to get into MY kefir!!  I cover it with a paper towel and a rubber band around the rim.  Now i'm worried...  what if one of those damn flies got in and laid eggs!  aughghg!!!  

I might need to put the kefir grains in the fridge for a few days.... that would kill the larvae wouldn't it. 

[babywearer_anon]

oh dear!  well at least you know what it is now.   The fruit flies are really attracted to my sourdough starter right now. But I haven't seen any moving squirmy things! (.... yet!)  I'm going to try to keep my starter better covered from now on....

Thanks for sharing!