Home Made Kefir

Kefir is a great daily product that is quick and simple to make as I just found out!
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Kefir has become quite the rage in the natural health community, but there is a fair bit of research to suggest positive benefits for gut health too.⁠
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Kefir is a fermented drink, traditionally made using cow's or goat's milk with added Kefir grains (not cereal grains, but grain-like colonies of yeast and lactic acid bacteria that resemble a cauliflower in appearance!)⁠
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Kefir is a powerful source of probiotics. Probiotics are microorganisms that can influence health in ways like aiding digestion, helping weight management and even mental health!⁠
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Probiotics like those in kefir can help restore the balance of friendly bacteria in your gut, which can often help people with IBS.⁠
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Full-fat kefir is not only a great source of calcium, B vitamins but also vitamin K2 — which plays a central role in calcium metabolism and may aid bone health.⁠
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All in all - a pretty powerful little addition to add to your diet!⁠

What you will need:

Making kefir doesn’t require specialised equipment, but just a few common kitchen supplies. These include:

• Large glass or ceramic jug

• Non-metal slotted spoon

• Fine non-metal colander

• Jar for storing the kefir

• Fine women cloth, paper towels, or coffee filters

• Wide non-metal bowl

• Unless you have a friend who makes kefir, it’s easiest to get your grains online such as from Amazon

   

Method:

1. Clean: Make sure everything cleans everything well - jugs, spoons, hands, surfaces - with regular soap

2. Assemble: Add 1 Tbsp (ish) of the kefir grains and 1litre of whole milk to a large glass jug. Cover the jug with either a few layers of paper towel or coffee filters, secured with a rubber band to prevent any contamination from bugs or dust.

3. Fermentation: Set in a dark, warm spot (18 to 24°C) for about 24 hours.

   You’ll know your kefir is done by the fermented smell and the slight thickening when it has thickened slightly and smells fermented. Don’t worry if there is some separation - you can ferment for less time or use more milk if this keeps happening.

4. Strain: Set up the wide non-metal bowl under a non-metal colander. Pour the fermented kefir into the colander, stirring gently with a spoon to force kefir through, but leaving the grains.

5. Save the grains for next time: Rinse out the large jar that you fermented the grains in, then add the grains back in with another 1l of milk to go again!

6. Store fresh kefir: Pour the kefir you have collected into a tightly sealed jar and pop in the fridge for use over the next 2 weeks!