Down to the nitty-gritty: How to make dairy kefir

{My son enjoying a frozen kefir smoothie popsicle}

We have been making our own dairy kefir for many, many months around here.  We use it many times per week, so now are making almost a gallon at a time!  We use it as a base for most of our smoothies, in place of expensive yogurt. 

What is dairy kefir, you may ask?

---Basically, dairy kefir (as opposed to water kefir, a totally different drink), is a fermented milk.  Right now there is a huge interest in probiotics, you may be familiar with that term, and kefir is full of beneficial probiotics!  Dairy kefir grains have many beneficial strains of bacteria, which keep the bad bacteria from growing while the milk ferments,  so they basically add health promoting properties, while keeping the milk from putrefying. 

What are the benefits of adding kefir to my diet?

---It has anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties.

---Been used in treatments for cancer, atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), osteoporosis, hypertension, and more!

---Floods the gut with beneficial bacteria and yeasts (not all yeasts are bad, remember).   We have added kefir into our regular diet, and use it in place of buttermilk and yogurt in recipes.  However, if we didn't use it all the time, I would ESPECIALLY want to use it if a member of my family was on antibiotics, which targets the good and bad bacteria in the gut. 

--Great source of calcium and magnesium---both are beneficial to the overall nervous system, and so kefir in the diet has a calming effect on the nerves.  It also has all the benefits of yogurt, plus more. 

-Here is how my finished dairy kefir looks when it's ready.  We use raw milk, with the cream still in it to make ours, so that is going to differ from someone who made it with coconut milk, or milk of other types.  I'm not sure if you can see it very well, but the cream rises to the top along with the grains.  (That is the darker shaded yellow at the top.)

-It needs to be strained in a stainless steel, plastic,  or coated metal strainer.  (All of these are non-reactive.)  If you use reactive metals, it will neutralize/kill your kefir. You definitely don't want that!

 -My kefir gets very thick when it is finished fermenting.  (Keep in mind that different milks, and different temperatures of homes will bring different thicknesses of kefir.) When I pour it in the strainer, very little of it actually goes through.  I stir gently with a wooden spoon (again something non-reactive), to get the liquid to go through the holes, and to "feel" for the kefir grains.  I take them out with the spoon as I feel them, and place them in a glass jar, that has just been cleaned in the dishwasher.  You need about a tablespoon of grains to make a quart of kefir. 

 -The grains have a rubbery cauliflower feel and look to them. 

-When I have the grains in the jar, I pour a little milk on them and swirl the jar around gently.  This removes some of the cream that has coated the kefir grains, and helps the grains do their job better. Then I add the rest of the milk I want to be fermented.  I never have rinsed my dairy grains with water, and I for almost a year, the same grains have served me well. 

So here's a run-down of how we make dairy kefir in our home:

• -Place one tablespoon of grains per quart of milk into a clean (some say to sterilize to be extra safe) glass jar.  Pour the amount of milk needed onto your grains.  I use my raw milk straight from the fridge.  Some say you need to warm it a bit, but I never have needed to, and I think it is an unnecessary step.

• -Put on a lid, and tip to gently swirl (not shaking here!), the kefir grains around a bit. 
• -Loosen the lid and let it sit!~  A couple of times a day, I try to tighten the cover again, swirl it again, then loosen the cover and let it sit once more.  Because I am using raw mik with the cream in it, the grains tend to hang out at the top in the cream, and swirling it gently a couple of times will ensure the kefir grains are doing there job, not just hanging out with the cream! 
• -I can tell my kefir is done by the fermented scent it has (you'll become familiar with that scent as time goes on), and also by it's thickness.  Many of my friends say their kefir is runny even when done, and that's normal for them.  So, you may have to just rely on the smell, and it may be slightly effervescent as well.  If you left your lid on tight for a while, and when you open it, it has a sound like when you open a pop, you know it has some effervesence!
• -It usually takes 18-24 hours for my kefir to be ready.  Maybe in the coldest months of winter a bit longer.  The warmer the temperature of your kitchen, the faster the milk will ferment. 
• -Strain out your kefir grains as shown above, and start all over again!
  

 

{ Special notes:  }

Many people who are lactose intolerant, find that they do just fine with kefir made from raw milk, and that is kept raw after fermenting.  Also, studies have been shown that kefir can reduce lactose intolerance in some people.

Where to find kefir grains?

-My first recommendation is to ask around.  Do you have friends or family that are into healthy eating?  Also, the web has many sources, such as Cultures for Health, that sell the cultures.

We have found that the cost is significantly lower, about 1/4 of the cost, to make kefir at home, versus buying it in the store.  It is  a little over $1/quart for us, using raw organic whole milk. 

If you have any questions, I'd be glad to try to help you out.  Just leave a comment or e-mail me, please. 

Happy fermenting,

Joy

 

{This post is a part of Works for me Wednesday, at We are that family, as well as Penny-wise Platter at The Nourishing Gourmet, Fight Back Fridays at Food Renegade, and Frugal Friday as Life as Mom...come join us!}

Comments

[Liberty]

Big Kefir fans HERE! lots of summer breakfast are raw milk kefir smoothies!!
Blessings!
LIB
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[Joy Y.]

Glad you are fans of that tummy-yummy kefir! So good for our growing kiddos, and us parents as well. Thanks for commenting, and hope to hear from you again soon!

Joy

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It is my great pleasure to hear from you and witness your great masterpiece. Your blog article content is extremely rich, let me learn a lot. Looking forward to seeing your new articles. hehe.

[Anita]

I make kefir and I have been using the same grains for about 1.5 years now. My grains have never multiplied. Do you have any ideas why they haven't?

[Joy Y.]

Anita,
I have been musing on your question overnight....
-- Some grains never seem to multiply, yet still work fine. I know dairy kefir grains produce at a rate much, much slower than water kefir grains. You may want to try with a new batch of grains. Also, they can be very picky. Are you using the same milk every time? Is there a healthy version of milk that is a different variety you could try? Some grains are picky that way.
--If you are rinsing them with water, as some do, try not doing that as well. Also, make sure the cream is not "sticking" to your grains so they aren't touching the milk as much and you enlarge there working surface area, so to speak. Also, you could "very gently" tear some of the grains apart with very clean hands,if it is in a clump, that helps with that "surface area" I mentioned and may help them grow. If they are not in a dairy medium all the time, they will slowly die, and not multiply.
Maybe some of these tips will help you. It is nice to know that we can have a never ending supply of kefir from a small amount of grains, isn't it? Good luck!

[Jennifer]

Great info!! How do you make the frozen kefir smoothie popsicle?

[Joy Y.]

Hi Jennifer,
How do I make the frozen kefir smoothie popsicle? Very easy. Just take basically any smoothie you make, (there are a few yummy smoothie recipes on my blog in the food and drink or raw and nourishing foods section), pour them into popsicle molds and freeze!
Easy peasy, and a fun, nourishing treat to have on hand! Sometimes kiddos who don't like to drink their smoothies, will gladly eat them like a popsicle!
Thanks for stopping by, and for the question!

Joy

[Aspiringearthmama.blogspot.com]

I am really excited to try the popsicles! Such a great idea! Thank you!

[Joy Y.]

You are welcome aspiring earth mama! Isn't it fun to be able to glean from each other...I know I have learned so much from other mama's, and it is encouraging and fun!

Kindly,

Joy

[Sparklee]

Thanks for the info and step-by-step instructions. We've been drinking store-bought kefir for years and I'm finally going to try making it at home! I don't have a source for raw milk so I'm planning to use whole unhomogonized milk from my health food store.

Once we've gotten the hang of it, I'm sure my kids will want to get creative and make smoothies and popsicles! Wish us luck! :-)

[Joy Y.]

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Sparklee,

You are quite welcome....I really think you will find it a wonderful addition to your kitchen! And, good luck ;)

Joy~