Help-can I break apart my kefir grains?

[lauriem33]

I have two huge grains in my kefir because either they aren't breaking off into babies or the babies are too small and go through my strainer. So can I break my big grains up into smaller ones or should I just leave them big and let them keep growing? Is there a point when a single one can be too big? They're maybe golf ball size and I should probably be only using one of them in proportion to my milk but I'd hate to have just one grain to rely on.

[angelamclamb]

I have broken mine apart without any problems, just lightly pull them but don't squish them. I did this and shared them with family to keep from having to keep feeding them when I didn't need so many. You could always sell some Ebay when you get too much. A heaping tablespoon is all you really need to make good kefir milk/yogurt etc. The more kefir I had in the jar the faster it would ferment and it just got to the point I couldn't keep up. Good Luck!