I have to travel in a couple of weeks and was considering packing my water kefir grains in m y suitcase and growing them in juice while I'm at the hotel. Anyone ever try this? I do have probiotics in pill form to take with me, but I love drinking my water kefir
Totally possible to do it although if you're flying I'd be a bit worried checking them or trying to get them through security since they'd be in liquid.
I was just wondering about this! Going to be traveling (flying) in a couple weeks and want to take some kefir grains (which I've been using to kefir coconut milk) to share with my mom. I have packed all sorts of food before, checked, carry-on etc. Don't expect to take anything in your carry-on unless it is dry/solid and I wouldn't take anything that looks 'suspicious' or has any type of cultures involved. The word 'bacteria' would send the airports into a tizzy I imagine. I had to chuckle a while back because the media was just ripping apart someone whose honey (in his checked luggage) held up a flight because it aroused suspicion. I've DEFINITELY traveled with honey before (checked)--hey--I'm not going to leave a half-finished jar of organic raw honey behind after buying it on vacation! Ah...the things TF makes us do ;-)
Anyway, maybe just take SOME of your grains, checked, in some liquid that will support them but not SO nutritive that they'll grow like crazy and create gas that will pop open their container. I'd put it in something with a screw top, preferably leak-proof (like a bpa-free nalgene plastic container), and put THAT inside a zip-top plastic bag (at the LEAST) but perhaps wrap a towel around it first (in case it does pop open, so the liquid doesn't saturate your suitcase, etc.) and maybe even put it inside another container with a good seal. THEN I'd make sure to label all the containers and outside containers, etc. WELL with exactly what you have going there. Hey, maybe even carry a copy of your order info from when you bought them (and is Nourishing Traditions too heavy to carry on? Ha Ha) or something so if they arouse suspicion, you'll have some back-up documentation.
Well then must be okay. Oh the things I'm sure they never thought to include
You might try packing them in a half sugar solution (1/8 cup sugar to one quart water). You'd want to feed them as soon as you get to your destination but as Rasa pointed out, less gas is good!
Depending on how long you are on vacation, you could bring dehydrated grains and get them going again at the destination if you are concerned about bringing anything liquid on the plane. It might not make sense if you aren't going to be away for that long.
I do hear you about wanting the kefir. We were recently on vacation for 1 1/2 weeks and I didn't bring any kefir and I really missed it - so did my dh.
I'm going to attempt to check water kefir grains in about two weeks. I start having major issues (as does my toddler) without water kefir for a few days and since we'll only be away for 6 days, I don't want to take dehydrated grains.
I also have to ship some food down overnight with dry ice before we go, and I thought about putting water kefir grains in with that... but I was thinking that because the dry ice is SO cold, that it would kill them. Anybody know? That would obviously be less complicated than dealing with checking/carrying them on a plane.
So I checked my water kefir grains when I flew to Florida and back. The first time, I had them in a small gladware container half full with sucanat water and double bagged in a ziplock. They sort of exploded... sort of, because somehow the container was sealed but there was sucanat water and water kefir grains loose in the ziplock.
On the way back, I did pretty much the same thing, except the container was more full and the water kefir grains were in spring water. There was roughly double the amount of grains... I guess water kefir likes Orlando? I also added a cold pack next to the water kefir grains container for that part of the trip. Anyhow, that flight they didn't leak.
The bag was checked both times... there was no evidence that they caused any problems going through security. It didn't look like the bags had been searched or anything. Water kefir grains handle flights better than I do.
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