(Left to Right) Water Kefir hanging out in a jar waiting for the sugar water to cool off; Grapefruit peel all purpose cleaner; Experimenting with cherry juice and water Kefir grains instead of sugar water.
In the Summer of 2012, I found out I had 29 food allergies. Thus began my quest to find foods that I can not only eat, but that will repair my gut. I quickly got online and started reading about Kefir. It seems logical enough — Kefir are strands of probiotics that resemble a cross between a white cauliflower and tapioca balls. All bunched together, they cause milk or water to ferment, and the result is good bacteria to put in your stomach to help it do its job. These probiotics balance the acid, helping to relax your stomach so it can absorb the nutrients.
Water Kefir vs. Milk Kefir
Kefir can be made from water grains or milk grains. Water grains are a lot smaller than milk grains. Mine look like little gel cubes, and they taste like sugar and are a lot like tapioca balls. This is where the color of the grains will vary, because it depends on the color of the sugar you use. I use raw turbinado sugar. It has a brown sugar with a molasses taste to it. I use it for all of my baking, regardless of whether the recipe calls for white or brown sugar. As a result, my water grains are mostly clear with a slight brown twinge to them. It is kind of like the effect you’d get if you were to hold them up to the light and put a brown paper sack between them and your light source. The result is a fizzy, yeasty sugar water.
Milk grains are the white, cauliflower appearance, with all stuck-together grains, but they still have the
texture and consistency of tapioca balls. They are bunched together almost as if they are making a DNA strand, and when they are put in milk, they turn the milk to a sour smelling and tasting drink.
From my research, there is no way to make the grains out of thin air. They have been multiplying over the past 2,000+ years, and as they multiply, people pass them onto other people. I purchased both milk & water kefir grains.
Page Two – How to Make Kefir
This is so interesting to me Allison! I’ve heard of kefir and lots of people talk about it but I’ve never tried it or made any. I didn’t realize how beneficial it is!!
This is really cool! I only have milk grains and have converted them into juice grains in the past. I never knew the different things you could do with water grains! So interesting! Will definitely share with my kefir friends!