Hi folks. I have sent out lots of grains lately and am up to my eyeballs in alligators so I am afraid I may miss PMs with questions. Since there is a cadre of experts here, I thought I'd start a thread.
This is a post I sent out with the grains:
Here’s the best source of info on-line about kefir:
http://users.chariot.net.au/~dna/kefirpage.html
I put the grains in a Ziploc bag (double bagged actually) and added a bit of milk. When your receive it, just strain the grains from the milk, put the grains in a jar, pour milk over them, cover the jar loosely with a lid, and put it in a cupboard. Your first batch or two of kefir may smell a bit yeasty as the grains adjust to the new environment, but it’s still edible.
In terms of separating the grains, the biggest thing to avoid is straining with metal – the kefir will end up with a metallic taste. I actually use a plastic colander to strain because the grains get so big and the kefir so thick that a bamboo or plastic strainer just don’t work. I also have a plastic slotted spoon I use – sometimes I don’t wait for the kefir to strain through the colander, I just spoon out the chunks of grains from the mixture. The grains will reproduce – they will both get bigger and make little grains.
In terms of how long to let it sit before straining, it varies so much with temperature and the grain-to-milk ratio. Once it separates you definitely need to strain it – it will look nasty, so you’ll know that it separated. It’s OK if it separates, but will be more sour. I try to strain mine when it looks a bit curdled.
And I'll add key info here to the thread -- I've been mailing about a heaping tablespoon of grains, so probably a quart of milk is a good place to start, but if you are using a quart jar, put in a bit less than a quart.
If you are not able to make the kefir right away, the grains should keep in the fridge for a day or two. They are pretty resilient, so they could last a lot longer, it's hard to say.
This is a post I sent out with the grains:
Here’s the best source of info on-line about kefir:
http://users.chariot.net.au/~dna/kefirpage.html
I put the grains in a Ziploc bag (double bagged actually) and added a bit of milk. When your receive it, just strain the grains from the milk, put the grains in a jar, pour milk over them, cover the jar loosely with a lid, and put it in a cupboard. Your first batch or two of kefir may smell a bit yeasty as the grains adjust to the new environment, but it’s still edible.
In terms of separating the grains, the biggest thing to avoid is straining with metal – the kefir will end up with a metallic taste. I actually use a plastic colander to strain because the grains get so big and the kefir so thick that a bamboo or plastic strainer just don’t work. I also have a plastic slotted spoon I use – sometimes I don’t wait for the kefir to strain through the colander, I just spoon out the chunks of grains from the mixture. The grains will reproduce – they will both get bigger and make little grains.
In terms of how long to let it sit before straining, it varies so much with temperature and the grain-to-milk ratio. Once it separates you definitely need to strain it – it will look nasty, so you’ll know that it separated. It’s OK if it separates, but will be more sour. I try to strain mine when it looks a bit curdled.
And I'll add key info here to the thread -- I've been mailing about a heaping tablespoon of grains, so probably a quart of milk is a good place to start, but if you are using a quart jar, put in a bit less than a quart.
If you are not able to make the kefir right away, the grains should keep in the fridge for a day or two. They are pretty resilient, so they could last a lot longer, it's hard to say.
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