Next week in the Fundamentals eCourse, we turn to making dairy kefir. This is one of my favorite real foods, hands down. You probably know that because I talk about it all the time. 
I have a plethora of grains; I’ve been raising them up to share with eCourse members. However, I couldn’t raise enough because the eCourse is quite full.
But back to those dairy kefir grains. I asked Julie at Cultures for Health how to dehydrate them, because I figured they’d ship much more easily if they weren’t wet. She gave me very simple instructions, and that’s the point of my post today.
Why Dehydrate Kefir Grains?
You might wonder why’d you want to dehydrate water kefir grains. For one, if you want to ship them. 
But two, and much more personally practical, you should dehydrate grains as backup cultures for the future. Perhaps your raw milk source dries up and you need to save grains for when milk is in season again.
I’ve read that grains don’t all revive (one source said 40% viability), so it is a good idea to put back several kefir grains. Dehydrating is not the only way to put back grains, though. You can keep grains in the refrigerator in a small amount of milk that you change weekly, or you can freeze grains as-is (wet). Finally, and the topic of this post, you can dehydrate them.
How To Dehydrate Kefir Grains
Rinse the grains thoroughly with good water: well water or mineral-rich spring water. Don’t use chlorinated city water. Water from a filter is okay, even though it strips out minerals; as minerals are not so much of a concern for making the grains dormant. Lay out to drip off on a clean towel or paper towel.
Lay the grains on a piece of unbleached parchment paper, cover with a loose paper towel (to keep dust off), and dry at room temperature until they are hard and yellowish. Or use an Excalibur dehydrator at the lowest temperature. The ParaFlexx sheets will work, too. I chose to use parchment paper because I knew it was sterile. Turn the dial to where it barely turns on. According to Julie, this is the perfect temperature.
Drying time will be 3 to 5 days for the largest grains; smaller grains will be done sooner. Store in cool storage, the refrigerator, or freezer when dry.
They look much smaller now, don’t they? Yellowish — no, quite yellow! — and all shriveled up. Tomorrow, many of them will be off to eCourse members.
Wondering if kefir is for you? Have you seen my 7 Yummy Ways to Eat Kefir? I can almost guarantee you’d like some or at least one of those uses!
How do you save your cultures for the future, whether dairy kefir, water kefir, Kombucha, sourdough, whey, or other?
I’m sharing this post in Real Food Wednesday, hosted by Kelly the Kitchen Kop.
About Wardee Harmon
New: 
Two hard 'g's and stress the middle syllable. 
Wardee, how do you rehydrate them? Can they just go straight into milk? I expect that first batch would take longer to kefir.
Betsy – You put the grains in small amounts of milk, which you change daily until the grains are plump again and producing kefir. It can take several days up to several weeks. Then you use the grains in a full batch of kefir.
I dehydrate water kefir grains much the same way to keep for back-up and to share with friends. Rinsing is a vital step so they don’t dry sticky. They hydrate nicely, but the first couple of batches tend to be rather thick and syrupy in texture (the actual water, I mean). Not sugary syrup, just like I thickened the water for a thin gravy. Not real appetizing. I’ve found if I keep making the water kefir they do just fine after (tossing) a couple of batches, but am wondering if you or Julie (if she joins us here…hint, hint!) will be able to shed some light on that one.
I’ve also dehydrated milk kefir grains and was pleasantly surprised at the beautiful sunny color of my grass-fed milk/cream! I haven’t hydrated them yet…but I will soon just so I can see how they do. I’m fascinated by the whole process!
Nancy – Wow! I never though of sunny kefir! Are you using Jersey milk? Our goat milk kefir is white as snow.
I’m glad to hear this works on water kefir grains too. I killed my grains during my whole morning sickness/let’s move across the country season last fall. When I get around to ordering new ones, I will definitely try to expand and save a back-up batch. Both my husband and I miss having kefir juice around.
Also, the RFW link you put up is not functioning properly. I thought you might want to know.
Just wanted to share my experience…I have had my grains for about 3 years now, and have on two or three occasions left them in milk in the refrigerator for ::ahem:: 4-6 months at a time. They have come back from dormancy all three times and produce beautiful, thick, sweet kefir still! So, if dehydrating seems a bit much, I’ve had great luck good ol’ fashioned neglect. =)
My friends grains died after only 4 weeks in the fridge in milk…..
You have to change the milk out! Yes the grains ate the lactose slower but when it runs out, they will starve. In fact, my grains make beautifully thick, sweet and creamy kefir in the fridge while the grains on the counter make grainy, sour and separated gunk.
Oh i thought you meant without changing the milk. I know you have to change the milk.
Hey, I keep mine in the fridge all the time when I have too many and they are eating me out of house and home. How often do you change the milk? Right now I am changing it out every week, but I find the kefir they are making is very very liquidy and yeasty…maybe im not leaving them in the same milk long enough? Thanks!
Megan – So funny and good point. I would agree, many of these cultures we use in traditional cooking are quite hardy!
Thanks, MacKenzie – I fixed it.
I guess I said that wrong…the kefir is white, but the dried grains were yellow (like your picture).
Yes, my milk is Jersey…all that cream makes me a happy woman!
And while the kefir itself is also white, it’s not as snowy as goat’s milk kefir, for sure. Aesthetically I really prefer goat’s milk kefir over cow’s milk. I just meant that when the grains dried to a sunny yellow I was pleasantly surprised! I assumed they dried yellow because of the hue of the cream in the milk that it is from grassfed cows. Does that make sense?
NancyO – I understand now.
But it must not be the Jersey cream that makes them yellow, because mine are yellow, too. And quite yellow in fact, even though the goat cream is snow white. It is amazing – like a science experiment. I’m jealous of your Jersey milk. We are thinking about getting a cow, but waiting for the Lord to make it happen when it is right/if it is right. I get local Jersey cream, but Daisy (that’s the cow’s name) is dried up now, so we’ll have to do without for many months. I can’t figure out why she’s being dried up now, during the season for grass-fed cream!
I didn’t know goat’s milk cream is so white…I guess that confounds my theory! Yes, the science is interesting. I am very blessed to be part of a cow sharing program, and get several gallons of milk a week, but can’t get just the cream…unless I skim it off my own milk. My farmer friends also have goats, but only enough to help out a few families who have specific needs for goat’s milk. Our own cow would be nice…but my sweet husband isn’t inclined that way. He’s inclined to buy from farmers who ARE inclined that way though, so I’m thankful for that! ;D So sorry about your cream source…that’s a hard one. You do need your own cow!
Nancy – Just to show you how white it is, take a look at this post. It has a picture of the butter I made from goat cream:
http://gnowfglins.com/2009/06/22/homemade-cultured-butter-from-cultured-goat-milk/
See? White as snow! It was amazing butter, too.
You and your husband have a great arrangement – if we can’t do it ourselves, it is wonderful to support others who do.
How long do grains last in the refrigerator? Someone gave me kefir grains in a styrofoam cup and plastic bag almost 2 months ago; I placed it in my refrigerator and forgot about them. I have never used kefir so I don’t know what to look for. They aren’t yellow, but white.
I’m also wondering how you skim off goat milk cream. We are milking our goats again, but it seems next to impossible to take the cream! We also have a Jersey cow we are milking, so I am dealing with about 4 gallons of milk per day, with the addition of the goat milk!
Wardee,
Thanks for this information. I should do this for my back up grains that I don’t have to
worry about. (Yes, I worry about my kefir grains. I call them “my kefir babies” because you do have to worry about them just like babies. LOL
However, I think the grains just might ship easier in a wet, more pliable state. Just put the wet grains with a small amount of milk in a small Zip-Lok bag, being sure to press out all the air you can. Seal it well and place it in a small bubble envelop. My grains were shipped this way and they were good to go the minute I received them. They did just fine.
Wardee…my farmer friend says the yellow is from the beta carotene in the cream of both milks. She said goats use the beta carotene more efficiently than cows do, so their milk and cream is whiter, but evidently it’s still there in amounts that show up when the kefir grains are dried. That’s a start on the science….
I’d just like to say how nice it is to be among people discussing my beloved grains. Just their mere mention around my parts, let alone how to protect the flock for the long haul, has gotten me nothing but “weird” looks and my ever favorite…”There goes Jed again talking about weird foods.”
I thought once probiotics had broken into the mainstream (haven’t they?) everybody would turn a new leaf towards me and I might actually be viewed as a valid resource. Well…not yet in these parts of suburbia.
So, sorry for going off track a little but I did want all of you to know how happy it makes me feel to read your post concerning kefir and the like. I’ll keep raising my grains, etc and be ready for when the masses come calling.
Jed,
Just wanted you to know that you are not weird—all those other people who don’t understand our precious little kefir babies are the weird ones!
Anyway, I simply adore my kefir babies. I tend to them just like babies, making sure they’re well-fed and have the right temperature, etc. They give me such yummy kefir milk and I appreciate it so much with each swallow. And I have been rewarded with excellent health this past winter. I owe them so much. Now don’t go thinking I’m weird. Remember, it’s those other people who are weird. LOL
I have been searching High and low for someone with water and or dairy kefir grains with no luck. Do you have any left/available?
Hi, Teri! I emailed you.
am dehydrating some milk kefir grains now.. in my excaliber @ 85 degrees. they are already very very yellow after only a few hours.
When I dried out my milk kefir grains, I covered them in dried milk powder in a jam jar. I also thought I would be reviving them within a few months. Then I lost them in the cupboard. Two years later I find them. Within eight days they are thickening up milk nicely. Tough little critters!
hi…
does any body knows how to dehydrate kombucha culture?
thanks in advance
Hi! I have too many grains. Does anyone know any good grain recipes?
Do any of you have experience sending dehydrated kefir grains abroad? I have friends in Mexico who tell me it’s virtually impossible to find grains anymore and they are begging for some. We tried sending some through friends who came and went back, but the agriculture department found them in the luggage and called the space-suit crew to seize them
Or are there any sources in Mexico to buy from?
Love my kefir babies too so I’m on the receiving end of weird looks as well when I talk about them or the foods I make, lol… Oh well…