Comments on: Glorious Kefir Grains

By: Wardeh

Wardeh — Sat, 07 Apr 2012 03:19:51 +0000

Danielle — They’re not always all the originals, because kefir grains grow. Sometimes a chunk will fall off. With my kefir, though, my grains tend to all float at the top and I find it easy to find them to scoop them up with a spoon. Others’ grains don’t float or they have lots of them and a strainer works well. You really just need to find what works best for you.

When I speak of room temperature, I mean right around 72 degrees F. Anything over 80 is a bit too hot for most ferments (though Kombucha likes it).

By: Danielle

Danielle — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 21:39:01 +0000

Hi ! I had the same question about it. I’ve been making Kefir since a month ago and I wonder if those kefir grains that you take out with the spoon, are ALL the original kefir grains you once inserted? After you retrieve those, are there still kefir grains in the rest of the jar?
Normally I do what Jayne, use a strainer to separate as much as a I can my kefir grains from my kefir milk that is in some parts now solid, to be sure i don’t leave any kefir grains in the kefir milk.

I also had a question about “room temperature” terms, as I live in a city where room temeprature is really hot, I would like to know the normal room temperature you manage at your kitchen or where you let ferment kefir and milk kefir.
Thank you! =)

By: Wardeh

Wardeh — Sat, 17 Mar 2012 22:59:54 +0000

Jayne — I just reach in with a spoon and retrieve them. They’re always floating at the top (for me) and the surface looks bubbly so I can tell just where they are.

By: Jayne

Jayne — Sat, 17 Mar 2012 22:46:43 +0000

Hi, I am new here…first visit is today. I have been doing kefir for about a year….and LOVE IT! my question is this: you mention pulling out the grains…..what do you use to do this and how? I have only ever strained mine in a sieve over a bowl. If there is another way I’d love to know my options. Still browsing your site to see all the treasures it holds….looks wonderful!

By: Walter

Walter — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 01:20:39 +0000

Being somewhat new to the Kefir world I first tried fishing out my little Kefir grains by hand. Sure not very efficient and a little messy. Then I tried different strainers… I think you all know that strainers have their pros and cons. After meditating (LOL) over my little critters I doubled up some cheese cloth, made a bag about three times larger then the amount of grains I use, and tied the bag with a nylon string. When it’s time I lift my grains on the string out of the milk and a moment later they sit in the next batch of milk. No straining, no cleaning, no time wasted, and my Kefir is ready to drink or goes for second fermentation.

Once a week I hang my bag for about 30 minutes over my next batch of milk and let gravity do the job to drain the curd. As the curd is already fermented milk this batch is finished in about 70% of the normal time! Every few weeks I lovingly wash my “babies” and put them in a new bag. My grains get never disturbed or manhandled and they grow like crazy.

One thing you should avoid! Cut the end of the cheese cloth close to the knot of the bag. If the end of the cloth hangs out over the edge of the container the wick effect makes the ends dripping wet (and my loving wife was not to loving anymore).

Have fun and good health!

By: Fight Back Friday March 4th | Food Renegade

Fight Back Friday March 4th | Food Renegade — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 22:47:23 +0000

[...] Healthy Kids Food blogs cited together!31. Breastfeeding Moms Unite! (Nachos and Guacamole)32. Wardeh @ GNOWFGLINS (Glorious Kefir Grains – Kefir in the Winter)33. Sara @ Plays Well With Butter (Reclaiming food power thru knowledge)34. Please Be Edible’s [...]

By: Yolanda

Yolanda — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 21:03:22 +0000

Dani, I guess I don’t know what you mean by “curds on the grains.” To me, the grains ARE like curds. If you don’t wait another 24 hours (depending on the weather, of course) before you drink your kefir, it will not be AS good for you.

The sourdough kefir bread is not very sour. Just mildly. I do not know what would happen if you let it sit longer, as I’ve never done that.

By: Dani

Dani — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 20:33:11 +0000

Yolanda, I can’t WAIT to try your “kefir sourdough bread” from your 5th Kefir post. However, I LIKE my sourdough bread sour; can I let it rise longer or another rise to make it more sour? I can see adapting this recipe for biscuits, too! I think I’m going to check my kefir after 24 hours–usually, it’s still a pretty milk-like consistency, but with heavy curds on the grains. Of course, if I had any patience at all, I’d wait until we get to that part of the ecourse…

BTW, I meant to respond to LaniQ from a few posts back: Kefir has like 30-35 different probiotics in it (bacterium AND yeast, hence the grains; just like a Kombucha scoby); while yogurt, depending upon the strain, will usually have between 3-5, and bacteria-only biotics (no grains or scobys, so no yeast). The bacteria feed on the lactose in milk, whereas in kefir the bacteria and yeast are in symbios with each other (which is why it gets more and more cultured & sour the longer you ferment it). Kefir also has more folic acid in it, which is why I originally started making it; we were (and are again, after my recent return to health) trying to get pregnant and didn’t want a synthetic version.

By: Yolanda

Yolanda — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 16:29:48 +0000

Dani, please go over to my blog and read my “chapters” on kefir. http://www.simplyhomemaking60.blogspot.com

I think that will clear up some things.

I use a plastic strainer and sort of shake it up and down to drain the kefir. And the liquid kefir sits on the counter another 24 hours before we drink it. I think maybe you’re making this more difficult for yourself than is needed. Good luck.

By: Dani

Dani — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 16:08:03 +0000

Alright, everyone; I’m trying my hand at kefir again, after having tried twice before. When culturing, my grains have tons of curd on them, and to get the curd off of them, I have to get pretty rough. The kefir is so thick and “curdy” that I have to really work to get it thru the strainer. Could I be damaging my grains? The bigger pieces seem to have broken up a bit, but I don’t think that’s a problem (I think of grains kinda like worms: if it breaks, it’s not like the heart is over here and the lungs are over there and now it’s been decapitated; no, it’ll still work, right?). Also, the kefir ends up being pretty runny after all that rough handling. I work long days, so typically get to stir or shake only morning and night, and it’s about 70 in our house, so it’s not like I have to let it sit out forever to finish culturing… It just doesn’t seem like it should be so hard to do this, and my grains aren’t nearly as beautiful as yours. (did I not mention in my earlier post that I am a little bit jealous of yours?)
Maybe I’m just supposed to leave more of the curd on the grains? it seems like there’s a LOT of curd, to the point that the grains can’t do their job because they’re not in good contact with the milk. *sigh* maybe I should just wait til this part in the ecourse!