Thanks Marisa. I am new to making kefir and have found this video one of the most helpful of many I have watched. My biggest challenge has been assembling appropriate kitchenware to do the job easy. The overhead views are helpful in seeing the form & function of the strainer. Your hack to speed up the process is also helpful. A suggestion for mentioning to folks is the "die-off" symptoms they may experience. Two days after beginning kefir consumption I began to wake up feeling hung-over, foggy minded and just tired and headachy. I thought I had poisoned myself. Fortunately I noticed a comment to one of the videos I watched by a person who had the same symptoms, and they knew it was from die-off of the unfriendlies that may exist in your gut. Three days later I am feeling better than ever before and free from carb cravings.
I two woke up a few days after really enjoying this Kiefer one day i really feeling stiff and achy all over so it’s nice to know what that was all about
Just an FYI why you don't crave carbs💖 praise ALMIGHTY YAHWEH 💖 and MESSIAH KING YAHSHUA 💖 Jesus'real Hebrew NAME that means YAHWEH SAVES 💖 HE remindedme of what I heard when I read your comment 🙂 It's because the good bacteria actually make Vitamins 💖 so many people are deficient but I would think that's why the cravings. Vitamins needed to repair brain and Neuro cells , they are mood boosting and anti anxiety , they prevent Alzheimer's 🙂💖 which is basically the brain cells starving because older people stomach acid has gotten to weak to extract the vitamins out of their food,so basically they said it's Berry Berry syndrome ( probably spelled that wrong but you get the idea 🙂 ALMIGHTY YAHWEH 💖 please bless and keep you all 💖 praying this info helps someone who needs it . Thank you so much for your information it led to this information thank you so much 💖🙂
I actually leave my Kiefer till it totally separates (like half the jar is milk the other half is the whey) then scoop out the milk part that has the grains in it, strain them. This makes a very thick yogurt like Greek style or even thicker like sour cream. I soak our sprouted oats in the whey. Doesn't take any extra time and it SOOOO yummy.
We have goats. We do a couple farmers market and was talking with a lady a few tears back about keifer grains...she shared some of hers with me. So thankful! Been doing it since we have had goats. When I get too much, it's just my husband and I, I freeze the grains and when I need more i reconstitute them.
It appears that Kefir fermentation is anaerobic (so, it doesn't need air). Therefore, you keep the lid off solely for the purpose of expelling gasses from the culture (not because atmospheric oxygen is needed). Cotton is a great place for random bacteria to live in, so, you may as well ditch the towel all together, and just leave the lids on the bottle (but unscrewed), with the whole thing in darkness.
I have been making milk Kefir for about a year. I learned it from videos by Donna Schwenk. She does a second ferment of Kefir by adding a citrus rind. If I remember correctly she said this adds a lot of B vitamins. I like the subtle citrus taste. I make small batches, a pint every 2 to 3 days. I make it in a cold area (hallway) because I heard slower fermenting is tastier. I just need to slow down the making of it since I am one person who also drink kombucha, etc and eats other fermented foods. One can have too much of a good thin! I have noticed on occasion the Keifer has a slight bitter taste…ever have that? It may be my metal strainer. Thanks for the tips…I’ll cover my Kefir from now on!
I like to do a second ferment by putting strained kefir back on the counter for 12-24 hours, with a splash of cream and some e citrus rind or ginger mixed in, which makes the beneficial microbes increase even more and makes it very tasty and creamier.
I ferment kefir in a fully sealed manner. There are a lot of kefir grains, accounting for half of the container. It can also be fermented in the refrigerator. I have to wash the kefir grains every time, otherwise the kefir grains will multiply and not grow in a large direction.
It is so good to know I can make yogurt from kefir and you have gained a new subscriber......I have yet to make my first batch of kefir as I purchased the grains online today. I am also looking forward to making homemade kefir yogurt too. Great video and thanks for posting
This video was fantastic thank you I learned so much. I really like that you talk about using your own estimation of when the kefir is done, when the jar needs to be cleaned, etc
I subscribed a while ago and I didn’t know you had a kefir video until now. I just started making my first batch thanks to my cousin. I traded her a kombucha scoby for some of her kefir grains. Thank you for this video.
I'm new to making kefir. I just started my first batch yesterday. I didn't have plastic lids for my mason jars so, until I get them, I am using the lids that came with the jars. Also I wasn't aware that the jars need to be covered during fermentation. Mine is not in direct sunlight but on top my fridge so they are out of the way and not in direct sunlight but getting the light from the window next to the fridge. 35 hours later it's looking good enough to strain. Hoping the grains are going to be ok.
Great video. Thank you for the tips. I haven't been leaving mine in the dark and gave been using a metal spoon and strainer! I'll be changing that. You mentioned that your kids like to eat the grains. I didn't know they were edible. How do they eat them?
Super interesting, I’ve been doing kefir for about 10 yrs and I got a couple good tips! I haven’t covered mine like that but it makes sense rather than a lif
Hi Marissa, I enjoyed your video. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and expertise with us. I went to my first Weston A Price meeting a couple days ago in Denver. It was very interesting. I brought many kombucha SCOBYs to share. But wasn’t fast enough to get any kefir grains. Maybe next time. Lol (unless you have any extra to share) 😊 I’ve very new to all of this and am planning to watch many of your videos.
I simply take a few tablespoons off the top of my quart size jar of keifer. This makes makes everything easier, especially cleanup, which insures I continue to make. My favorite use is a cup in the freezer for a few hours till lightly frozen and top with maple syrup. My only advice for newbies is to not give up too soon, it took me a while before my keifer really thickened. I started with purchased grains and they were small which made straining a pain. This could have been because of my lazy method, I probably should have put in more keifer to my new milk.
When you first start does it make sense to let it grow for like 4 to 6 days instead of just 2 days --- allowing the grains to fully wake-up? How many uses before your grains were bigger and more hardy/robust?
Thanks Marisa for all your videos I really love them :) what are your thoughts on kefir consumption during pregnancy? I have been doing GAPS for the last 6months and it has taken me a long time to build up the resistance before the "die-off" symptoms to kefir. finally I started kefir not long ago and I've found out I'm pregnant. Would the toxins released or die-off by kefir will affect fetus? thank you again.
I have been making kefir for years but since switching to raw milk have battled some mold appearing 😣 I threw out most of my grains added some yogurt in my kefir and now no more mold is appearing! My grains are growing alot now :) do you think its OK to be consuming? That strong kefir smell still hasnt returned which worried me. Thank you God bless! Love your channel
I started making and drinking milk kefir about a month ago for psoriatic arthritis (similar to rheumatoid) and my pain and inflammation got REALLY bad. I don't want to think I can't do dairy kefir, but my joints got 10x worse.
@@kcmc3615 oh no. I wonder was it a coincidence or definitely related. Unfortunate reminder that just cause it's natural doesn't mean it won't cause issues. I always forget that. But then salad gives me heartburn sooooo I should know better 😅 I hope your pain eases soon
@@tammekremer2138 have definitely been strict gluten free. It was a bit of a mystery but it sure seemed like a direct connection. I think maybe I overdid it and should have eased into it.
I thought you could make kefir with leftover Kefir, but can’t find much in the way of videos on how to do it. I’m new at this. I’m also located in South Florida where my room temperature is on the warm side as I prefer it definitely nowhere near 70, not even 75…
Hi Marissa, thank you for your valuable info. 💫 I'm in Australia & have struggled to find an appropriate strainer, I really like the blue one you have to strain the kefir, the holes are a good size & it's not metal. Would you share where you found it please, 🤞if still available. Thanking you, Susan.
Hi Marisa! Thanks so much for this video :) I while back I bought dehydrated kefir grains from "Cultures for Health" based on your recommendation from another video. I have been making kefir for about 6 weeks with great results, but I'm noticing that the grains are quite small and not getting anywhere near the size you have. I am using raw milk but started them on pasteurized milk. Any ideas why this could be, and whether this affects my final kefir? It tastes normal, just don't know why the grains look different!
I'm not sure, you might try leaving them in the milk for a shorter time, and straining them out just when you see the milk thicken and the whey line start to break. They might just need more milk more often.
Hello there, I'm fairly new from making kefir maybe around 1-2 months ago was when I started making my own milk kefir. I would just like to ask regarding the flavor of milk kefir, I noticed after switching my grains from pastuerized milk to raw milk that the flavor has became cheese like.
@@Teannaschannel 🙋♀️ hi.. I got mine from the dairy I was getting my raw milk from.. sometimes they can hook you up with Milk groups and someone in the group usually has grains.
Nice & informative. Where I live there is no fresh milk like you have everywhere ... a small Island.... can you use a milk that they sell on the shelve ? like half skim milk carton for this process ?
Hi Marissa, thanks you for your videos. I am about to start my GAPs diet, could you clarify for me the probiotics for the diet. Are the fermented foods what will be the Probiotics?
You mentioned having the proper grains to milk ratio, because too many grains cause it to culture too quickly. Is there a particular problem with it culturing too quickly?
Thank You. My Kefir Becomes a Bit Melt not like Yours and on the Bottom of the Jar it Seperstes to much water What im Doing Wrong Please? Thank You For Sharing! 🙌
Questions please. We are big fans of drinking raw milk as well, but when making kefir do you heat the milk first or use raw milk and leave it on your counter?
I have been activating my milk kefir grains by increasing the milk by 1/2 cup each cycle and today finished and poured off the last cycle which was a quart of kefir. I have the previous cycles of kefir increased each time by 1/2 cup of fresh pasteurized milk as the directions say. My question is this. Is it ok to combine those first amounts of kefir in those first stages into one-quart jar?
Hi, I've just discovered your channel. I find it very informative. One question, as I'm from Australia, I'm unable to find raw milk, can I use pasteurized milk to make Kefir? Subscribed.
Hi great video I’m having a little problem. My house is about 72 to 78° and put in about 2 to 3 tablespoons of kefir grains in 2 cups of milk I’m forming curds at the bottom maybe an inch and a half to 2 inches kefir grains not rising to the top it’s like milk consistency over the Kurds I’m letting Forment for 24 hours I’m using whole pasteurized milk, not ultrapasteurize again curds forming a bottom and greens not rising to the top
I can’t figure out why separating the grains is necessary. I make kefir by mixing a couple of tablespoons of kefir into a liter of boxed whole milk, and let it sit out, loosely covered, for 8-14 hours. When the new kefir is thick, I put the jar in the fridge, and enjoy it like yogurt. Honestly, though, I keep wondering if I’m missing something. Any info? Thanks!
I was wondering too. Seems like all the videos on making Kefir are about starting with grains. I’m new at this and my first batch failed miserably. Wasted 30 ounces of raw milk. I will try it once more and if it fails, I’ll use Kefir I already have. Just dont want to ruin raw milk. I don’t drink it straight usually; I use it to make my morn8ng latte.
Hi l would like to know if tou can assist me in learning how to start from scratch as l lives in Trinidad & unable to find those grains to buy buy as yet l found something looking like a watery juice with a little settling in the bottom , but dont look like grains & l would really like to start to make it for myself to help my gut health as am at risk for cancer as my mom & dad passed with cancer
