Kefir - The Experiment, Part 1

In addition to canned peaches and a homemade lavender facial scrub (yes I am indeed blessed with the most thoughtful and generous of friends!), I also came home with my very own kefir grains!!! (And no, I did not confess to the border guards about the kefir grains. I thought they would be flummoxed enough by the 125 lbs of trail mix chocolate clay in my trunk, but they didn't bat an eye.)

So far I have attempted to read many websites and follow my friend's note card of instructions on care and use of kefir, but already I am at a bit of a loss, so I think I will document my learning experience with the grains.

(1) kefir grains: when growing, they look like tiny little cauliflowers, kind of squishy. Photo to come...
(2) kefir: my understanding is that this is the liquid/whey/curd portion that forms when you pour milk in with the grains and allow it to ferment. It is a slightly sour (think yogurt), fizzy beverage, that supposedly can also be allowed to ferment further and thicken? Though this is the part I'm less certain of. I have yet to see any curds form...

So far, I've poured in 2 cups of milk (1%, straight from the fridge) with the grains into a glass jar and left it on the counter to ferment for 24 hours. The lid is put on loosely, and I give it a little shake once in a while. Then I will strain out the grains (again controversial - some websites say absolutely no metal can touch the grains, while others say a stainless steel strainer is okay), put them into a fresh jar and add new milk. The strained out liquid will go in the fridge where I am trying to stockpile a quart of it to make kefir cheese, which is also called "the champagne of cheeses". How fabulous does that sound??