My friend who gave me my kefir kept telling me to rinse them with water, but it didn't seem right. I finally found your video just in time before I made that mistake!
This is by far the best presentation on kefir I heard. I've been making it for fourty years, though on and off at times. I was also "off" health wise during the "off" periods.
I started my (homemade) kefir journey almost 2 months ago. I LOVE IT SO MUCH!! Thank you so much for sharing your information! My goal is to get off all my meds. 😊
Went off Levothyroxine 9 months ago and blood work has done well but I have one marker still working on. Milk kefir and which I make kefir yogurt with. Kombucha once a day. Mediterrrain eating and taking a Selino Iodine supplement. Getting weight off is still a challenge but it can be done, eat 2x a day not 3.
I love your videos……..and I am a fan now of kefir…….I drink it daily and I LOVE it…….I am a newbie…….I’m also eating l-reuteri yogurt daily as well. My husband is eating it as well and his IBS is greatly improved! God bless you for your testimonies! I love when you said “just shine even if people don’t like it…….just keep shining right in front of them!!”✨😁
Your love and concern for these little beings amazes me it is people like you that have been guarding these type of benificial microbes for a long time so that they are available now for us to use and benifit from them...thank you so much ❤
I find that if I leave my keifer more that about 15-16 hours it starts separating with whey. Love the idea of putting fruit in to make it less sour. Thank you for the terrific information.
Hi Brenda This means you are fermenting with too many grains OR your home is very warm. Kefir is ready when its ready. But we aim to adjust our ratios so that is ready about every 24 hours so we only have to make it once a day. If its fermenting faster just reduce down your grains or increase your milk
You are a fermenting Rock star .. I am so beyond thankful for you .. did I say beyond ! Loooove you dear Donna… get so excited listening to you talk about kefir lol 😂
I'm so glad I found your channel!! I was frantic because suddenly I noticed a slight pinkish color on my kefir grains. I had been doing so well for quite some time and now this!! I recently added cream in order to help the babies grow, but at the same time I began using cheese cloth as opposed to a lid (on my neighbors suggestion). I rinsed them twice with fresh milk then put them in new milk only. I am hopeful that I did not ruin them. My kefir tasts fine and this is the first time that I have noticed the pinkish color. Fingers crossed that the pinkishness will go away.
Thank you for your talk. Homemade kefir is the most nutritious drink known to mankind. I missed talk about milk. I've had success using flash pasteurized milk. There is a detailed study of kefir that included video and photo of the colonies interacting, apparently communicating with each other.
Thank you!! I’m just now (at 70, almost 71 years old this month) learning how wonderful this is!! Thank you! I get my milk unpasteurized from a local dairy farm :-).
Guess What?? Thanks to your advice I kept my kefir grains (I was away for 3 weeks) 2 different ways ~ 1 worked and one didn't. I did 'sandwich' some of the grains between ample amounts of powdered milk in a glass container and froze it .. but it never revived (after repeated tries with more milk, etc.) BUT ~ I also plopped about a tablespoon of the grains into a new 1/2 gallon of whole milk, put back in the 'fridge, and Voila ~ after about 4 days of adding new milk and culturing ~ they're Back to Normal! Woohoo!! :D
I am new to making my own milk kefir and have so much to learn, but I am loving the journey so far and listening to this today has been so helpful! Thank you for sharing.
Your love of kefir inspires me, thank you Donna. I begin to talk sweet with the little guys in my jar again :) And I cannot wait to try the tips and tricks. Thank you🥰
Thank you. I love my kefir milk and my dogs get it twice a day too in their food along with a little L. Reuteri yogurt. I have started to make soda with my L.Reuteri whey but there is little to no information anywhere as to whether the strength in it is anywhere near the strength of the yogurt. It makes a really fizzy drink anyway so I suppose it has to be working.
I love learning from you Donna. I used to regularly buy store bought kefir thinking it was helping my microbiome and then stopped when I read it was no way near as good as homemade. It honestly did not make any difference. Now I am making it at home and its so much more potent, so I am really hoping in time it will change things. Your tips are invaluable.
Store bought kefir has about 10 different strains of good bacteria and is made differently than homemade. Homemade has about 50+ and makes a huge difference when all those little microbes get going and established in the gut!
Hi Donna, how long does it take before they get established and you feel an improvement? I have gut dysbiosis and nothing has worked in trying to get things back in balance
Nice to hear a solid answer about the lid situation. Most people recommend the cheesecloth rubber band combo but I have had poor success with my kefir and also noticed some yeast domination. My kefir appears to be either over-fermenting or watery with no in-between AND overly carbonated. Still working on getting it right… Thank you!
Hi Donna. Love listening to your videos! I have just started making kefir and everything is going very well. My question is this. I saw a video where the woman said she never washes the vessel she ferments the kefir in. Is that necessary? I understand the importance of not rinsing the grains, but what about the vessel?
Lots of GREAT tips to up my Kefir results. I was wondering why grain growth was almost non existent after 10+ ferments rinsing them under water: and I was using napkin + rubber band (:
I started making my own kefir just last week, and made my big mistake right off the bat, rinsing in (filtered) water. Just once! Glad I didn't kill my grains! They're still getting adjusted, and I put a plastic screw-on lid on the canning jars, so at least I got that right. I keep the cultures in 3 jars in the fridge, first ferment, 2nd ferment, and #3 'use now'. I notice that new grains develop in the 2nd and 3rd jars, and those get filtered, and go with all the rest of the grains into the #1 jar. I'm glad to know that the newly fermented 'mild' kefir is as good as the older stuff! I guess I'm going to filter and transfer the cultures daily. The cultures right now are only ~2 ounces each, until the population of grains increases. Thank you, Donna, for posting this informative narrative!
Doesn't keeping the culture in the fridge slow down their growth? Keeping the end product in the fridge makes sense but if you want the grains to be active???
I'm so glad I've found your channel so soon into my Kefir journey. Only been making it a week even though for many a year I have fermented vegetables (kimchi style), make kombucha, brew my own wines and make sourdough bread. I was finding conflicting advice and I like the down to earth matter of fact way you have presented your podcast. I will NOT be washing my grains 😀 I've never washed my Skoby so I guess this is no different. ♥
Hello there, your passion, enthusiasm and knowledge about Kefir is inspiring. Thank you ! You saud that your grains grow and double in size weekly, mine don't. They ferment & transform the milk quickly, the beverage is delicious but I don't feel the mass is growing that fast. I started with a small amount, perhaps I am too impatient ? Should I use smaller quantities of milk perhaps ?
What a great video! I am wondering if I should be putting my Kefir in the refrigerator immediately after it finishes culturing, or should it be stored at room temperature instead?
I used to do this all the time washing the grains in water. With this video I learnt it should not be do that way. That is why I find my Kefir wrong. Thank you Donna. Please Donna, By the way I am looking for one of your videos of a interview with someone on Making Fiber/ green juices / Cold press videos and talk about juicing and some rules. I can't find it and can you give me a link to that please??? And thank you for the lovely pod casts..
Hi Donna, I have this fear of kefir exploding with a lid on due to the build up of carbonation. Won't it? Do we screw the lid on tight or let it be loose? Hopw to hear your kind reply as most will do with cloth on top. So this is first time I'm hearing it should be lid on, period.
I know this podcast is 2 yrs old, but I have a question I hope you see & can answer. I just started making my own kefir. You mentioned putting fruit in the kefir on a 2nd ferment. My question is can I put frozen fruit that has thawed or does it have to be fresh fruit or peels? Thank you!!
@@khush1894 the lady said she just puts a plastic lid on hers to stop pollutants from the air effecting the taste and she has been doing this for 20 yrs, maybe just have a quick listen to the lady again as I am not an expert, as this is all new to me. All the best, hope you get your question answered when you listen to her again 🙋🏼♀️
Great info ! I'm trying to understand if the first fermentation stage is aerobic or anaerobic ? I do use a BPA free lid but loose on jar. I heard you mention using a lid and not a cloth. Does that mean you tighten your lid ?
I washed my yesterday but I won't do it again. I thought I needed to because I'm using that bottle that has a plastic container to hold the grains, and it was getting very thick in there, I felt like the grains might be suffocating. What's your opinion on these jars that have the built in grain container?
I am devastated! I made a new ferment (I use oat milk and coconut w/ tsp of date paste) and I walked out to the kitchen this morning and I had accidentally strained the kefir grains and hadn’t added them into the new batch of oat milk! I guess I got side tracked w/ 2 kids still at home. Is there any hope? I put them into the fresh ferment that was already jarred and sitting beside them. Will they survive? Ironically, I had just told my mom yesterday that I was finally feeling more energy and strength coming back and that it was from 6 weeks of daily kefir. I’m praying they’re ok! These are my only grains I’ve grown from a 1T portion. What do you think?
I found a video on how to dry your kefir grains, which I needed to gift it to out of town fiends. It’s rinsed in Clorox free water allowing it to dry for 3 days. I haven’t try to revive it yet (I keep some). Have you heard of this?
Thank you for sharing your knowledge. I’ve learned a lot from you. I have a quick question, hoping you can help. I recently started making water kefir. My grains have multiplied a lot. I now have them in a half gallon jar and keep fermenting for 2 days. My water kefir sodas aren’t as yummy any more. They taste a bit like wine or a bit vinegary is how I can best describe it. Do you have any suggestions?
Hi Maggie If your water kefir is tasting vinegary it just means its fermented too long or you are using too many water kefir crystals for the amount of water and sugar. Also make sure you are using a cloth and rubber band for water kefir and not lid. Because of the high amount of sugar you need to use cloths and rubberband for both water kefir and kombucha to prevent the alcohol content from going too high. All other cultures use a lid
If you have been running your grains with a cloth over the jar what can you do to re-balance the grains if they have picked up yeast and other bacteria from the air?
Hello thank you for your insight. I would like to make some coconut keifer. I very nervous about buying the right keifer gains. Can you teach me how to buy the right grains. Thank you
Hi Donna...I do not know if you will see this comment to answer it but here goes: If I use milk kefir grains in coconut milk...I understand that there is no real food in that milk to feed them. Can I put honey or some othet suger type in the milk, and therefore keep my grains in good condition? Also I must ask this...There was a video tjat I watched yesterday on how many years ago kefir grains were made; they put some milk in a jar and let it sit for 24 hrs or so. After this, the milk separated...I would guess into curds and whey. Are the curds these grains?...She made kefir from this.
Thank you for teaching me how to make kefir and for all the health info! I had a question posted here about parking my grains (taking a break), but I found the answer on your website FAQ page. Thank you! (I'm bummed you have to discard the milk cuz goat's milk $$$. I might trying "parking" them with regular milk next time.)
Hi donna I need your help plz If I make reuteri yogurt with coconut milk instead of milk do I need to do anything different than if I was doing it with milk ? Not sure if iam doing it right x
Hi yes you need to add in some guar gum or something to help it thicken. Check out the recipe here: www.culturedfoodlife.com/recipe/l-reuteri-superfood-coconut-yogurt/
@@CulturedFoodLife thank you I've been very ill for a few years now and this reuteri yogurt even tho mine is quite runny lol its genuinely I think fixing me . Very happy I came across your vidoes xx
Love your podcasts. They are so informative! Why would anyone think kefir grains need to be washed?? Doesn’t make sense to me. I started using a plastic lid after listening to you. Thank you, Donna.
I'm beginning my kefir journey next week, the place I'll be buying them from has instructions on their website to wash the kefir grains in (non-chlorinated) water before using them lol
The prebio plus? You dont need to. They have plenty of food from the milk alone. If the kefir separates during fermentation you can remove the grains and add in some prebio and then refrigerate to help thicken it back up agian.
After I strain the grains do I put the liquid kefir in the refrigerator or leave the kefir on the counter? Do I need to feed the liquid kefir if I am not drinking it until the next day? Thank you so so much!
What about old kefir grains!? They've been sitting in a jar with some milk in the fridge for probably like an year or more. Shouldn't I rinse those a bit? I've heard about such a situation to rinse them, give them some milk, throw that first milk away then start the first initial batch. Well... First batch after a long time at least. I've done this rinsing and refeeding before! 🙏🏻🙂🙏🏻
What does good kefir smell like, I love the store bought kifer milk, but I'm not sure if I should compare mine to those in the store or what to look for in my kefir.😓
Kefir is awesome. I had kefir grains in the fridge for a couple months, i been trying to reactivate them. They used to float but now they arent, and theyre yellow. The milk today smelled like that kefir smell I am familiar with so I guess im back at it.
If I'm working on reviving milk kefir grains, will adding a little of the probio plus help, or will it encourage other bacteria and yeast to take over before the grains gain their strength back?
I started my kefir journey with using store bought kefir. I did use it as a starter, and it did ferment, so it was alive. I bought kefir grains 3 months ago, my only problem is the amount of grains that grow. It seems to over take the amount of drinkable kefir I get. Also, my husband wants yogurt to spoon eat instead of drink, so I have to strain it, and it wastes so much whey, of 2.5 cups of kefir, I get .5 of the spoonable yogurt. It seems such a waste.
Hi Mary Using kefir from the store wont have the same benefits as using kefir grains I or a kefir culture like easy kefir. so you'll get much much more benefits from homemade with either of these. You need to reduce the amount of grains as they grow so your kefir doesn't over fermented. They will continue to grow and grow all the grains I sell are from my original kefir grains that I got almost 20 years ago so they grow like crazy when happy. You only need about 1 tablespoon of kefir grains for 2-6 cups of milk. i have a full blog on ways you can use up the rest of them. Kefir is a pourable type drink and not yogurt. You can eat it more like yogurt if you make kefir cheese and whey but you wont get as many benefits if you dont consume it whole. I do have several wonderful yogurt cultures on my website as well. L. Reuteri yogurt is wonderful for benefits and makes a yummy thick yogurt.
Prior to making my own, I bought Goat Kefir from Whole Foods. Redwood Hill Farm Goat Kefir . Made from Grade A Pasteurized Milk. Can you give it a grade? Local Raw Goat milk is $27 for 2 Liters!- OUCH!
Goat milk kefir is tasty and some storebought brands are good. But homemade is much more beneficial. You don't have to use raw goats milk to make it at home. It will do better with regular pasteurized milk and it will be less expensive. Check out this article: www.culturedfoodlife.com/what-kind-of-milk-do-i-use-to-make-kefir/
There are so many conflicting information on kefir If you can please answer this question: Can you lose weight eating kefir ? I listen and watch your shows and truly appreciate it very much thank you
Yes you can but weightloss and healing is different for everyone. Cultured foods can help greatly with weight loss as they help balance the gut and also decrease cravings and add essential vitamins and minerals. But of course the diet and lifestyle factors (stress, sleep, medication, overall diet, exercise etc) all also greatly affect weight loss or weight gain.
@@CulturedFoodLife thank you so very much for responding. Question : I make my own puppy formula it requires yogurt and I put kefir instead ? Have a great day your a beautiful person for doing this for the public !!!
I started making kefir recently and got me some grains from an online shop and made my first batches. However, the yeasty taste of the kefir was disappointing. It did not improve with time. So I put the grains in the fridge and studied how others got along. I learned that rinsing the grain with sterilised water improves the taste. I did this yesterday evening. Then I made a new batch with the washed grains thereby carefully observing hygiene rules. Was this a mistake?
Im trying the ferment 24 hours on counter, then put in the refrigerator 24 hours,mthen will bring out and feed, reason why is, i dont want to make everyday, i want to use up what i have first, hope this is ok?
I haven't heard anyone say that you need to use non ultra-pasteurized milk. It seems everywhere I look it's ultra-pasteurized! I've got some grains from someone online that when they sent them to me, they sent an instruction sheet with them that said make sure the milk is not ultra-pasteurized! They said that it won't yield the best results but use caution if you do want to use ultra-pasteurized. What are your thoughts on this? Also, can you freeze the grains? Do you have to dry them out first and then freeze them or can you freeze them while they're wet or how do you do this?
We don't go by PH for kefir. The PH changes greatly once you consume it. We only go by timing, taste and how it looks. The milk should be slightly thicker and tart/sour. The good news is that if the kefir grains aren't active they wont ferment the milk at all so you will know. You want to avoid separation if possible as this will make the kefir overly sour and kefir grains start to struggle.
IActually Many do not know the correct way of using Kefir .. and storing methods .. temperature comtainers etc.. Only if you could prepare a video about the Do's And Don'ts In detail ... that makes it easier to underst and ... for all those who are new to this concept of keeping healthy...... ThankYou...
How can I fix kefir grains that I've winced with water every time I've used it and now my milk stays watery and it doesn't get thick and it smells bad sour, and I've left my kefir in milk for almost a year in the fridge after having alot thats happens in that time. I think thier not working anymore. 😭
I literally just had this exact problem but I took a few tablespoons of my mush, put it in a full quart of fresh whole milk and fermented it for a few extra hrs and it separated into whey and big old grains. So almost over fermented. But now I have juicy grains to make another batch. Keep going!
@@devanhadlock8888 thank you this is what I am doing now,it doesn’t get thick but it tastes sour,so I guess it still works.If I go longer than 12 hours it overferments and seperates into curds and whey.Hopefully I will get bigger grains soon
My friend who gave me my kefir kept telling me to rinse them with water, but it didn't seem right. I finally found your video just in time before I made that mistake!
This is by far the best presentation on kefir I heard. I've been making it for fourty years, though on and off at times. I was also "off" health wise during the "off" periods.
I started my (homemade) kefir journey almost 2 months ago. I LOVE IT SO MUCH!! Thank you so much for sharing your information! My goal is to get off all my meds. 😊
Went off Levothyroxine 9 months ago and blood work has done well but I have one marker still working on. Milk kefir and which I make kefir yogurt with. Kombucha once a day. Mediterrrain eating and taking a Selino Iodine supplement. Getting weight off is still a challenge but it can be done, eat 2x a day not 3.
I love your passion!!! Do not rinse em or throw em out, people!!!!!!😅
I love your videos……..and I am a fan now of kefir…….I drink it daily and I LOVE it…….I am a newbie…….I’m also eating l-reuteri yogurt daily as well. My husband is eating it as well and his IBS is greatly improved! God bless you for your testimonies! I love when you said “just shine even if people don’t like it…….just keep shining right in front of them!!”✨😁
Your love and concern for these little beings amazes me it is people like you that have been guarding these type of benificial microbes for a long time so that they are available now for us to use and benifit from them...thank you so much ❤
I love your vibe! And your commitment to your "mission"!
God Bless You, Donna! Continue teaching and encouraging all of us! 💕
I find that if I leave my keifer more that about 15-16 hours it starts separating with whey. Love the idea of putting fruit in to make it less sour. Thank you for the terrific information.
Hi Brenda
This means you are fermenting with too many grains OR your home is very warm. Kefir is ready when its ready. But we aim to adjust our ratios so that is ready about every 24 hours so we only have to make it once a day. If its fermenting faster just reduce down your grains or increase your milk
You are a fermenting Rock star .. I am so beyond thankful for you .. did I say beyond ! Loooove you dear Donna… get so excited listening to you talk about kefir lol 😂
Thank you so much Melissa. I'm so happy you are excited about these cultures as much as I am!
@@CulturedFoodLife I am … I am .. and it’s because of you truly! 😘
I'm so glad I found your channel!! I was frantic because suddenly I noticed a slight pinkish color on my kefir grains. I had been doing so well for quite some time and now this!! I recently added cream in order to help the babies grow, but at the same time I began using cheese cloth as opposed to a lid (on my neighbors suggestion). I rinsed them twice with fresh milk then put them in new milk only. I am hopeful that I did not ruin them. My kefir tasts fine and this is the first time that I have noticed the pinkish color. Fingers crossed that the pinkishness will go away.
Thank you for your talk. Homemade kefir is the most nutritious drink known to mankind. I missed talk about milk. I've had success using flash pasteurized milk. There is a detailed study of kefir that included video and photo of the colonies interacting, apparently communicating with each other.
Thank you for listening!
Thank you!! I’m just now (at 70, almost 71 years old this month) learning how wonderful this is!! Thank you!
I get my milk unpasteurized from a local dairy farm :-).
I’m so glad I came across you!! I’ve got jars of kefir in one of my refrigerators
Allen Morton Do you happen to have a link to the specific kefir study you mentioned? Thank you.
@@gracecotton9819 to get pdf file of Richard's most excellent experimental study of milk kefir, search for Hal archives Brigitte Richards phD
Guess What?? Thanks to your advice I kept my kefir grains (I was away for 3 weeks) 2 different ways ~ 1 worked and one didn't. I did 'sandwich' some of the grains between ample amounts of powdered milk in a glass container and froze it .. but it never revived (after repeated tries with more milk, etc.) BUT ~ I also plopped about a tablespoon of the grains into a new 1/2 gallon of whole milk, put back in the 'fridge, and Voila ~ after about 4 days of adding new milk and culturing ~ they're Back to Normal! Woohoo!! :D
Yours is the only podcast i can listen to. Thank you for your wise words.
I am new to making my own milk kefir and have so much to learn, but I am loving the journey so far and listening to this today has been so helpful! Thank you for sharing.
Your love of kefir inspires me, thank you Donna. I begin to talk sweet with the little guys in my jar again :) And I cannot wait to try the tips and tricks. Thank you🥰
Thank you. I love my kefir milk and my dogs get it twice a day too in their food along with a little L. Reuteri yogurt. I have started to make soda with my L.Reuteri whey but there is little to no information anywhere as to whether the strength in it is anywhere near the strength of the yogurt. It makes a really fizzy drink anyway so I suppose it has to be working.
I love this! Our dogs get kefir as well. I haven't made soda with L. reuteri whey yet. That's great to hear its working I will experiment!
Wonderful to listen to your information and very inspiring
OmG no more cloth and rubber band 😢 I just started so I'm glad I got to see this episode 😭
In the UK they add Flouride to the tap water.
Maybe that's why washing the grains in tap water is not a good idea?
I love learning from you Donna. I used to regularly buy store bought kefir thinking it was helping my microbiome and then stopped when I read it was no way near as good as homemade. It honestly did not make any difference. Now I am making it at home and its so much more potent, so I am really hoping in time it will change things. Your tips are invaluable.
Store bought kefir has about 10 different strains of good bacteria and is made differently than homemade. Homemade has about 50+ and makes a huge difference when all those little microbes get going and established in the gut!
Hi Donna, how long does it take before they get established and you feel an improvement? I have gut dysbiosis and nothing has worked in trying to get things back in balance
@@everseeking60 have you noticed a difference yet? I’m just starting this week and was wondering if you’ve noticed a difference.
Nice to hear a solid answer about the lid situation. Most people recommend the cheesecloth rubber band combo but I have had poor success with my kefir and also noticed some yeast domination. My kefir appears to be either over-fermenting or watery with no in-between AND overly carbonated. Still working on getting it right… Thank you!
Hi Donna. Love listening to your videos! I have just started making kefir and everything is going very well. My question is this. I saw a video where the woman said she never washes the vessel she ferments the kefir in. Is that necessary? I understand the importance of not rinsing the grains, but what about the vessel?
Lots of GREAT tips to up my Kefir results. I was wondering why grain growth was almost non existent after 10+ ferments rinsing them under water: and I was using napkin + rubber band (:
Here in the U.K. we pronounce it KU-FEER. Great vid!
As it has been for thousands of years!
Hey Donna, I obsessed with Milk Kefir it’s my first week of making this magic product 😊
I started making my own kefir just last week, and made my big mistake right off the bat, rinsing in (filtered) water. Just once! Glad I didn't kill my grains! They're still getting adjusted, and I put a plastic screw-on lid on the canning jars, so at least I got that right. I keep the cultures in 3 jars in the fridge, first ferment, 2nd ferment, and #3 'use now'.
I notice that new grains develop in the 2nd and 3rd jars, and those get filtered, and go with all the rest of the grains into the #1 jar.
I'm glad to know that the newly fermented 'mild' kefir is as good as the older stuff!
I guess I'm going to filter and transfer the cultures daily. The cultures right now are only ~2 ounces each, until the population of grains increases.
Thank you, Donna, for posting this informative narrative!
Doesn't keeping the culture in the fridge slow down their growth?
Keeping the end product in the fridge makes sense but if you want the grains to be active???
I'm so glad I've found your channel so soon into my Kefir journey. Only been making it a week even though for many a year I have fermented vegetables (kimchi style), make kombucha, brew my own wines and make sourdough bread. I was finding conflicting advice and I like the down to earth matter of fact way you have presented your podcast. I will NOT be washing my grains 😀 I've never washed my Skoby so I guess this is no different. ♥
Hello there, your passion, enthusiasm and knowledge about Kefir is inspiring. Thank you ! You saud that your grains grow and double in size weekly, mine don't. They ferment & transform the milk quickly, the beverage is delicious but I don't feel the mass is growing that fast. I started with a small amount, perhaps I am too impatient ? Should I use smaller quantities of milk perhaps ?
A lot of great information, thank you
Thank you for listening!
What a great video! I am wondering if I should be putting my Kefir in the refrigerator immediately after it finishes culturing, or should it be stored at room temperature instead?
I used to do this all the time washing the grains in water. With this video I learnt it should not be do that way. That is why I find my Kefir wrong. Thank you Donna.
Please Donna,
By the way I am looking for one of your videos of a interview with someone on Making Fiber/ green juices / Cold press videos and talk about juicing and some rules. I can't find it and can you give me a link to that please??? And thank you for the lovely pod casts..
Hi Donna, I have this fear of kefir exploding with a lid on due to the build up of carbonation. Won't it? Do we screw the lid on tight or let it be loose? Hopw to hear your kind reply as most will do with cloth on top. So this is first time I'm hearing it should be lid on, period.
Mason bottle, the lid is strong enough.
Thank you so much Donna, you are so thorough and detailed. I have learned so much that I didn’t know before
Donna when will you get more water and milk grains to buy on your website. Any idea? An answer would be so appreiciated
I know this podcast is 2 yrs old, but I have a question I hope you see & can answer. I just started making my own kefir. You mentioned putting fruit in the kefir on a 2nd ferment. My question is can I put frozen fruit that has thawed or does it have to be fresh fruit or peels? Thank you!!
Hi Donna! I've seen you put lids when making kefir. Doesn't the kefir need air? I'm using a cloth with a rubber band. Does it matter?
still confused between lid and cloth. most other people advise to.use cloth. i even used lid once, it just blew open overnight. a blast.
She said not to use a cloth as it changes the taste of the keifer, she uses a plastic lid or you could buy a jar with a glass lid
@@donnacopeland5845 and keep it lose or tight? arent we supposed to let it breathe?
@@khush1894 the lady said she just puts a plastic lid on hers to stop pollutants from the air effecting the taste and she has been doing this for 20 yrs, maybe just have a quick listen to the lady again as I am not an expert, as this is all new to me. All the best, hope you get your question answered when you listen to her again 🙋🏼♀️
Great info ! I'm trying to understand if the first fermentation stage is aerobic or anaerobic ? I do use a BPA free lid but loose on jar. I heard you mention using a lid and not a cloth. Does that mean you tighten your lid ?
I washed my yesterday but I won't do it again. I thought I needed to because I'm using that bottle that has a plastic container to hold the grains, and it was getting very thick in there, I felt like the grains might be suffocating. What's your opinion on these jars that have the built in grain container?
I am devastated! I made a new ferment (I use oat milk and coconut w/ tsp of date paste) and I walked out to the kitchen this morning and I had accidentally strained the kefir grains and hadn’t added them into the new batch of oat milk! I guess I got side tracked w/ 2 kids still at home.
Is there any hope? I put them into the fresh ferment that was already jarred and sitting beside them. Will they survive?
Ironically, I had just told my mom yesterday that I was finally feeling more energy and strength coming back and that it was from 6 weeks of daily kefir. I’m praying they’re ok! These are my only grains I’ve grown from a 1T portion. What do you think?
What kind of prebiotic do you get? Where do you buy it?
I found a video on how to dry your kefir grains, which I needed to gift it to out of town fiends. It’s rinsed in Clorox free water allowing it to dry for 3 days. I haven’t try to revive it yet (I keep some). Have you heard of this?
Thank you for sharing your knowledge. I’ve learned a lot from you. I have a quick question, hoping you can help. I recently started making water kefir. My grains have multiplied a lot. I now have them in a half gallon jar and keep fermenting for 2 days. My water kefir sodas aren’t as yummy any more. They taste a bit like wine or a bit vinegary is how I can best describe it. Do you have any suggestions?
Hi Maggie
If your water kefir is tasting vinegary it just means its fermented too long or you are using too many water kefir crystals for the amount of water and sugar. Also make sure you are using a cloth and rubber band for water kefir and not lid. Because of the high amount of sugar you need to use cloths and rubberband for both water kefir and kombucha to prevent the alcohol content from going too high. All other cultures use a lid
If you have been running your grains with a cloth over the jar what can you do to re-balance the grains if they have picked up yeast and other bacteria from the air?
Hello thank you for your insight. I would like to make some coconut keifer. I very nervous about buying the right keifer gains. Can you teach me how to buy the right grains. Thank you
I love you too Donna 💛 my friends make fun of me listening to you day in & day out 😊I’m obsessed 💙 here in NZ 🫠
Donna, i just found you. Which of your books do u recommend for making kefir 🙏 please.
Hi Donna...I do not know if you will see this comment to answer it but here goes: If I use milk kefir grains in coconut milk...I understand that there is no real food in that milk to feed them. Can I put honey or some othet suger type in the milk, and therefore keep my grains in good condition? Also I must ask this...There was a video tjat I watched yesterday on how many years ago kefir grains were made; they put some milk in a jar and let it sit for 24 hrs or so. After this, the milk separated...I would guess into curds and whey. Are the curds these grains?...She made kefir from this.
Thank you for teaching me how to make kefir and for all the health info!
I had a question posted here about parking my grains (taking a break), but I found the answer on your website FAQ page. Thank you! (I'm bummed you have to discard the milk cuz goat's milk $$$. I might trying "parking" them with regular milk next time.)
Hi donna I need your help plz
If I make reuteri yogurt with coconut milk instead of milk do I need to do anything different than if I was doing it with milk ? Not sure if iam doing it right x
Hi yes you need to add in some guar gum or something to help it thicken. Check out the recipe here: www.culturedfoodlife.com/recipe/l-reuteri-superfood-coconut-yogurt/
@@CulturedFoodLife thank you I've been very ill for a few years now and this reuteri yogurt even tho mine is quite runny lol its genuinely I think fixing me . Very happy I came across your vidoes xx
Rest assured, Donna, I follow your advice to the letter. My gusanitas (term used here in Ecuador, "little worms") love me!
You are too sweet. I hope its helping!!
Love your podcasts. They are so informative! Why would anyone think kefir grains need to be washed?? Doesn’t make sense to me. I started using a plastic lid after listening to you. Thank you, Donna.
You'd be surprised how many people wash their kefir grains. I keep doing my best to spread the word! #savethekefirgrains :)
I'm beginning my kefir journey next week, the place I'll be buying them from has instructions on their website to wash the kefir grains in (non-chlorinated) water before using them lol
Thank you! Great, solid information. ❤❤😊
Thanks for the video - I’ll also love my kiefer ❤ do you use the whey left from Kiefer
All this time I’ve been storing my kefir grains in the fridge. I did not know to store them on the counter.
Great chanel Donna. can you use kefir in ice coffee?
If you like the flavor yes you can!
Donna, can u recommend a source for Kiefer grains?
The voice activated Kefir Jar is great. Good pod cast thank you.😊
Can I add newly made kefir with kefir in the frig from the day before, into the same glass jar?
Thank you for this video. I’m hoping my husband will get me some key for grades. I’d like to get some live for milk. Thanks for mentioning this.
Do you put the fibers in the first fermentation? With the grains?
The prebio plus? You dont need to. They have plenty of food from the milk alone. If the kefir separates during fermentation you can remove the grains and add in some prebio and then refrigerate to help thicken it back up agian.
After I strain the grains do I put the liquid kefir in the refrigerator or leave the kefir on the counter? Do I need to feed the liquid kefir if I am not drinking it until the next day? Thank you so so much!
What about old kefir grains!? They've been sitting in a jar with some milk in the fridge for probably like an year or more. Shouldn't I rinse those a bit?
I've heard about such a situation to rinse them, give them some milk, throw that first milk away then start the first initial batch. Well... First batch after a long time at least.
I've done this rinsing and refeeding before!
🙏🏻🙂🙏🏻
p.s. ~ to the below comment a correction; BOTH methods worked ~ just took a day or 2 longer with the freezing method. ;)
What does good kefir smell like, I love the store bought kifer milk, but I'm not sure if I should compare mine to those in the store or what to look for in my kefir.😓
I want this Keri , and Kabucha
Kefir is awesome. I had kefir grains in the fridge for a couple months, i been trying to reactivate them. They used to float but now they arent, and theyre yellow. The milk today smelled like that kefir smell I am familiar with so I guess im back at it.
Thank you. Where can I buy Kefirowder in Canada?
If I'm working on reviving milk kefir grains, will adding a little of the probio plus help, or will it encourage other bacteria and yeast to take over before the grains gain their strength back?
Do you screw the lid on tight or just lay it on top?
Please can you tell me where can I buy this Kiefer grains to start off with
is there a limit on how much to drink. is a pint enough or a quart?
I started my kefir journey with using store bought kefir. I did use it as a starter, and it did ferment, so it was alive. I bought kefir grains 3 months ago, my only problem is the amount of grains that grow. It seems to over take the amount of drinkable kefir I get. Also, my husband wants yogurt to spoon eat instead of drink, so I have to strain it, and it wastes so much whey, of 2.5 cups of kefir, I get .5 of the spoonable yogurt. It seems such a waste.
Hi Mary
Using kefir from the store wont have the same benefits as using kefir grains I or a kefir culture like easy kefir. so you'll get much much more benefits from homemade with either of these. You need to reduce the amount of grains as they grow so your kefir doesn't over fermented. They will continue to grow and grow all the grains I sell are from my original kefir grains that I got almost 20 years ago so they grow like crazy when happy. You only need about 1 tablespoon of kefir grains for 2-6 cups of milk. i have a full blog on ways you can use up the rest of them. Kefir is a pourable type drink and not yogurt. You can eat it more like yogurt if you make kefir cheese and whey but you wont get as many benefits if you dont consume it whole. I do have several wonderful yogurt cultures on my website as well. L. Reuteri yogurt is wonderful for benefits and makes a yummy thick yogurt.
Prior to making my own, I bought Goat Kefir from Whole Foods. Redwood Hill Farm Goat Kefir . Made from Grade A Pasteurized Milk. Can you give it a grade? Local Raw Goat milk is $27 for 2 Liters!- OUCH!
Goat milk kefir is tasty and some storebought brands are good. But homemade is much more beneficial. You don't have to use raw goats milk to make it at home. It will do better with regular pasteurized milk and it will be less expensive. Check out this article: www.culturedfoodlife.com/what-kind-of-milk-do-i-use-to-make-kefir/
There are so many conflicting information on kefir
If you can please answer this question:
Can you lose weight eating kefir ?
I listen and watch your shows and truly appreciate it very much thank you
Yes you can but weightloss and healing is different for everyone. Cultured foods can help greatly with weight loss as they help balance the gut and also decrease cravings and add essential vitamins and minerals. But of course the diet and lifestyle factors (stress, sleep, medication, overall diet, exercise etc) all also greatly affect weight loss or weight gain.
@@CulturedFoodLife thank you so very much for responding. Question : I make my own puppy formula it requires yogurt and I put kefir instead ? Have a great day your a beautiful person for doing this for the public !!!
If we want to avoid milk protein, can we keep the kefir gain in coconut milk?
Water kefir gain is less beneficial than milk kefir gains right?
I started making kefir recently and got me some grains from an online shop and made my first batches. However, the yeasty taste of the kefir was disappointing. It did not improve with time. So I put the grains in the fridge and studied how others got along. I learned that rinsing the grain with sterilised water improves the taste. I did this yesterday evening. Then I made a new batch with the washed grains thereby carefully observing hygiene rules.
Was this a mistake?
Try reducing the time to ferment. More time means more yeast taste
What’s the process I need to do if I have rinsed them in water already? Are they no longer good?
How to continue using the kefir grains after they have been contaminated with pink mold?
Thank you!
Where do you get your prebiotic powder?
Im trying the ferment 24 hours on counter, then put in the refrigerator 24 hours,mthen will bring out and feed, reason why is, i dont want to make everyday, i want to use up what i have first, hope this is ok?
I haven't heard anyone say that you need to use non ultra-pasteurized milk. It seems everywhere I look it's ultra-pasteurized! I've got some grains from someone online that when they sent them to me, they sent an instruction sheet with them that said make sure the milk is not ultra-pasteurized! They said that it won't yield the best results but use caution if you do want to use ultra-pasteurized. What are your thoughts on this? Also, can you freeze the grains? Do you have to dry them out first and then freeze them or can you freeze them while they're wet or how do you do this?
I don't have problems with ultra-pasteurized goat milk, I haven't tried anything else yet but the grains are growing so it can't be that bad.
God bless you!
I'm having trouble getting the ph of my kefir down below 4.9 even after it's separated, or second fermented. Is this a concern? Or is it safe?
We don't go by PH for kefir. The PH changes greatly once you consume it. We only go by timing, taste and how it looks. The milk should be slightly thicker and tart/sour. The good news is that if the kefir grains aren't active they wont ferment the milk at all so you will know. You want to avoid separation if possible as this will make the kefir overly sour and kefir grains start to struggle.
@@CulturedFoodLife thank you so much for your reply! That makes me feel much more comfortable.
My kefir grains seem very small compare to the ones pictured. Could it be because I use sheep milk?
How do I get a kefir starter?
When I started mine from dried grains, I rinsed mine, and it kick-started the activation process
I see she doesn't respond to questions, but does anybody know if you keep the lid on loosely for air to get in or do you screw it on tightly.
my got very slimy end product, ok they are stressed what to do now? how to reverse them to feel not stressed?
How can I get the keifer grains. Help.
IActually Many do not know the correct way of using Kefir .. and storing methods .. temperature comtainers etc.. Only if you could prepare a video about the Do's And Don'ts In detail ... that makes it easier to underst and ... for all those who are new to this concept of keeping healthy...... ThankYou...
How can I fix kefir grains that I've winced with water every time I've used it and now my milk stays watery and it doesn't get thick and it smells bad sour, and I've left my kefir in milk for almost a year in the fridge after having alot thats happens in that time. I think thier not working anymore. 😭
I started drinking homemade Kefir and got very bloated and gassy. Is this normal?
I just ate some of the extra grains. They were chewy and tasteless.
I'm guilty of rinsing mind off when I've neglected them for a couple of weeks and they get a bit mankey
Did I hear it right?
One hour on the counter then in the refrigerator?
I bought the kefir milk grains from cultured health and tried activating but I am getting mush and not grains how can I fix that
I literally just had this exact problem but I took a few tablespoons of my mush, put it in a full quart of fresh whole milk and fermented it for a few extra hrs and it separated into whey and big old grains. So almost over fermented. But now I have juicy grains to make another batch. Keep going!
@@devanhadlock8888 thank you this is what I am doing now,it doesn’t get thick but it tastes sour,so I guess it still works.If I go longer than 12 hours it overferments and seperates into curds and whey.Hopefully I will get bigger grains soon
Where do I get fresh Kiefer?
They used to use Kefir grains in the stuffing for Thanksgiving back in Jesus's days! 😁lol