[icxcnika]

A friend has offered to give me some of her kefir grains, and I am so excited!

I have a question though...I'm pretty sure she uses only raw (cow's) milk with them, and while I'm open to the possibility of drinking raw milk, I haven't made the leap yet (and logistically it would be sort of impractical right now). Anyhow, can I use these grains, that have been culturing in raw milk, in pasteurized milk? Is there some kind of "adjustment period" for the grains? And if I eventually switch to raw milk myself, can I ease the grains into culturing raw milk again? (BTW, I know I can't kefir ultrapasteurized milk.) Thank you mamas!

 

[FernG]

I have only used my grains in either raw or pasteurized, unhomoginized milk. There is a slight adjustment period when going back and forth. The kefir might taste yeasty or cheesy, but it's okay to drink. I use transitional kefir in smoothies to cover up the taste.

 

[icxcnika]

Thank you FernG!

 

[dogmom327]

To lessen the amount of milk wasted during the transition, just use a 1/2-1 cup of milk, let it sit for 36-48 hours then switch out for new milk. Repeat the process until the milk reliably kefirs within 36 hours or so.