Learn how to make my Water Kefir Ginger Tonic! Visit www.ricengravy.com/2015/08/wat... for the ingredient amounts, additional tips, and all my other video recipes! Let me know in the comments how you used it!
There's another & I guess healthier way to do it ... just juice raw ginger & put as much of the juice as you like, according to taste, into the 2nd ferment or storage bottle. Ginger's got lot of a protease enzyme in it, so it has to add something to the mix. I've been giving beer bottles of it, just kefir water & raw ginger juice, to very unhealth conscious friends & even they love it. The kefir in the bottle seems to react well to it (fizzes a little). A cheap, instant ginger beer/ale. I just use a garlic press to crush it.
I always add flavors in the second ferment. I use warm water and don’t heat it on the stove. The sugar dissolves and it isn’t too hot for the kefir grains.
You should add ginger in 2nd fermentation, not cook them it not good for the grains. Never mix fruit and other stuff together with grains. You can put 1 Fig in with the water and sugar and grains. In Sweden we have so clear water from crane we can drink it from Home. So i mix cold water with sugar to dissolve it and then i put in the grains and 1 Fig that lay in the buttom. When its finished the fig has floaten up then i can see when its ready. I fermented in 24 hours, i do 2nd fermentation in 24 hours, and seal up on bottles in 24 hours and after i put it in fridge. Frozen organic swedish blueberry i put in 2nd fermentation in 24 hours it taste so Good. Add also apple, strawberry, raspberry etc of your choice. Good Swedish recipe 1 liter water 4 table spoon raw organic sugar Water kefir grains 1 organic fig
@@anic3904 If you want to add flavoring, its generally done with a second ferment. The reason why is because fruit is acidic, and an acidic environment is not good for your grains long term. That being said, Ginger is not a fruit, and it is also not acidic so it should be fine. Linkan mentioned to do the first ferment for 24 hours (This completely depends on where you are and what season it is in that location. As the video mentioned, the grains are happiest between 80 and 90 degrees. Keep in mind that if it is colder than 80 degrees it will take longer than a day to ferment. For this reason, it is best to taste your ferment to see if it is done. It will be tangy and much less sweet when done.) and the second for 24 hours in a separate jar that you strain the fermented kefir water into. Once you separate the fermented kefir water from the kefir grains, then you can add fruit. I would recommend blueberries as well. It's simply incredible. I also like dried mango (make sure there's no sulfur dioxide) ... or pretty much any fruit other than banana (try it and see why :).
That`s for fermentation in general because many steel types don`t do well under acid conditions. They oxidize, only alloy steel should be resistant to this. Your kefir should not be affected, at least in the lab we also used steel or plastic material to isolate bacteria. We never saw any difference.
I really appreciated this video. Thanks a lot. I am a sourdough baker and when I first learned about that, there were similar rumours in some videos about never using metal containers or spoons. Stainless steel is fine and have never had any problem with it with sourdough cultures so I am pretty confident it will also be fine for kefir.
Better' using mud pot covering with cotten cloth on mouth for formatted because mud pot give uniformall aeration for bacterial growth through small hole in pot and cotten cloth. Pradeep Bhubaneswar, India.
Finally I found someone who speak calm, understandable, clear, very good explained for me. I'm still working on my water kefir. I'm making kombucha and the flavor its very different, but I knew my water kefir does not taste right. Thanks
a, never work with methal period. b. never heat the grain, both will kill the grain, if you just put cold water and sugar, of carbon free dried dadels/figs or other fruit, and put the jar in the window, make sure there is no sun direcly on the jar, you can filter after 24 hrs with an plastic grainder. Then rinse the kefir, (never put kefir with ginger together) and take a bakingsoda cleaned jar, put the Kefirgrains in there, and then in the frigde, for the next time. If you do this, the grain will grow and grow, and you have Kefir for ever.
Thanks for this video. I’ve been making water Kiefer for about a month or more and have had random success. My house is around 20C or 72F and I also have it sitting on a fermenting belt. When it’s ready I put it in a quart swing top bottle, but, it’s rare I get any fizz. Is it my Kiefer grains or am I doing something wrong. I’ve also used coconut sugar, brown sugar and usually white. I’ve also used salt and molasses for added minerals. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
I have a “sock” I keep my kefir in. It’s made of unbleached t-shirt like material that I bought in a health food store so I don’t have to strain the kefir. Unfortunately the store no longer stocks them. I wish I bought more when I could have. I’ve tried to make them with cloth I bought but nothing else is as good. I put candied ginger in with my kefir grains and it tastes gingery.
Great vid! I found boxes of water kefir grains ( cultures for health) in the discontinued bin at my local supermarket. Two for a buck! I'll definitely try this recipe. 👍
Excellent find! I think I paid $12-15 for mine way-back. Do be patient when reviving them, it can take several days and a few water changes to get them viable. And just when you think it's useless, they start to thrive.
Ginger is antibacterial compared to... carrots. Or a zucchini. That is to say, if you put a slice of ginger and a slice of carrot on a Petri dish full of staph bacteria, it will take longer for the bacteria to colonize the ginger, but the ginger is not going to kill the bacteria. Ginger is NOT an antibiotic, no matter what your yoga teacher told you, hippie. So I wouldn't worry about it if you have a healthy and established colony of cultured organisms like kefir.
I use candied ginger in each of my kefir batches for a ginger flavour and have had no problems at all. Ginger is ok. Fresh ginger might be different as would fresh fruit (on a first ferment in the kefir grains) but not because of any antibacterial reason.
I see your website link no longer leads where it's supposed to. Is there a way you can post your recipe? I see the ingredients, but it would be nice to know the quantities
Another question...do you add sugar at the beginning and end of all your kefir drinks? I've been adding it for the first firment and for the second, I add fruit.
👍Thanks for sharing your knowledge & know how. I love ginger so I’m going to try this. 💞Yes, you pronounced kefir properly, most Americans say KEE-fur or KEFF-er. The correct pronunciation is kuh-FEAR. 👍
What temperature do YOU use? You mentioned room temp but then said 85-90F. That seems really high. Have you tried lower temps? My grains are really growing and my kitchen is generally 65-70.
I haven't watched this video in a very long time, but I thought I remembered saying my kitchen runs pretty hot. Truth is, water kefir does well anywhere from 70-90° in my experience. In the cooler months, my kitchen runs around 70-80; in the warm months, it gets up to 90 (commercial kitchen). And they thrive in the 90° range.
Some recipes call for you to put dried fruit (dates, figs, etc) directly into the (first) fermentation jar, saying that it helps feed and ferment the kefir. But now I am seeing that a lot of people flavour the water kefir AFTER the first fermentation. Which works best? Is the dried fruit NOT for feeding the grains?
Hey Fernanda. Thanks for commenting! I believe Kevita is a brand of kombucha, right? Kombucha is a fermented tea product. It's only the same in that they both provide probiotics. Other than that, they're not the same. Making your own probiotics at home is always going to be superior to whatever you can buy in the store, whether it's milk kefir, water kefir (tibicos), yoghurt, sauerkraut, miso, etc. If making your own is not a viable option for you, then the next best thing is store bought. Your other questions were answered in the video.
Just to note brown bottles are best to place you kefir also don't best to place it in a dark place use metal when your touching the kefir as it harms it.
Please let me know if you ever get that recipe down to a science cause thats my favorite as well! The lemon ginger or ginger lemon is my favorite cant remember exactly how its labeled.
HELP ME PLEASE I have followed the instructions and my water kefir keeps coming out very vinegar-tasting. What am I doing wrong? It smells like beer and tastes like vinegar. What do I need to change?
I buy mine off Amazon. I get the Florida Sun brand. I've ordered three different times from them and always been happy with the results. The first 48-hour session is usually pretty benign, but once I change The sugar water a second time, they go crazy. On this last batch, I ordered up about 70 g. When I change the sugar-water for the third time, they had grown into 96 g.
I need to know a clear recipe to know how much sugar content is left in the final product. A can is 330 ML or 11.15 Ounces, how much sugar content is there in this amount? Does anyone know?
Cool video thanks! Ginger rocks in this cold winter weather. Another cool way to make water kefir, and I never tried adding salt only eggshell so next batch will test it out Your technique also gets me to thinking I can make batches with any of my left over herbal teas..I often make a big pot in the morning and get distracted by other jobs before I drink it all...I wonder how nettle kefir will taste?..or mint and chamomile...cannae wait!
Hey Helen. I've seen advice about adding egg shell to the brew. I guess since one of the by-products of the culture's metabolism is vinegar, that would break down the calcium in the egg shell to make it accessible to the culture. Sea salt and molasses just seemed like an easier solution to me. My advice to you about experimenting with other ingredients is to always alternate with a "clean" brew (no additives/flavors) to give the culture a chance to recover from any stress that may have been caused. For instance, I've found that hibiscus flower makes a great drink but really stresses the culture (slows it down). So does coconut water. I've also seen a lot of comments around the Web that ginger harms the culture, but I have definitely not found that to be true. Have fun experimenting!
Hey there. Tibicos and water kefir grains are the same thing. The recipe in this video will give you ginger ale. But, if you want ginger ale that tastes more like what's available in stores, you will want to omit the fresh ginger juice I add at the end and you'll want to double or triple the sugar. The fresh ginger juice that I add at the end gives it a ginger bite that you would never get from a grocery store. And the recipe I share here isn't nearly as sweet as what you'll get in a store. Good luck!!
Hey Michael. I guess you're asking how to stop the culture from producing once bottled so it doesn't blow up? Refrigeration slows the culture down drastically. Once refrigerated, only after a week to 10 days will you notice an increase of pressure (when you open a bottle). But I have had bottles forgotten in the back of the fridge for a couple months with no danger. But the flavor isn't as strong and the sweetness is completely gone (which would also stop the production.) Hope that answered your question.
I'm sorry, I thought I'd put a link to that in the description. Go to specialtybottle.com and search for "swing top" bottles. The other bottles I used were purchased locally. They are pretty hard to find, they're called "champagne splits." I wouldn't bother with the champagne splits until you know that water kefir is for you, as because you will need other more expensive equipment to seal the caps. The swing tops are a better option for home use, as I mentioned in the video.
Never have. I've had the same culture probably five years now. I've had comments that ginger harms tibicos (water kefir), also. Not for me. I think it's funny how one person says something on the Web and then it gets repeated so many times it becomes "fact!" But no, never any trouble.
ALLCHECKOUT Product Videos, Reviews, Infos, Tests I'll watch your video again to see if I can find what you did wrong. Would you like me to comment here or there?
ALLCHECKOUT Product Videos, Reviews, Infos, Tests I watched your two videos, unboxing and transferring. The only thing I can see that I wouldn't have done is that you rinsed your grains in tap water. I used to live in Florida, lots of chemicals in that water. Maybe that hurt your tibicos? Hard to say. It's also possible there's something toxic about the packaging the shipper used. Or maybe it was mishandled in shipping, or got overheated in a UPS truck. I do not know anything about putting lemon in tibicos culture. But I wouldn't have thought that a good idea. Also, I keep my kefir grains at typical room temperature, around 68-70°. But I know they can tolerate up to 90°. They do fine at the lower temp. The only difference is that they will metabolize more slowly at a lower temperature. I hope that helped!
Thanks for the hint. You're right in general, but we have installed a whole home water filter (carbon). It filters out almost all the chemicals (e.g. chlorine). Hence we even can drink from the tap, which would usually almost kill you instantly here ... ;-))
I love your recipe. I have all the ingredients & grolsch bottles & water kefir grains. I have fermented beverages before. My question is, is it necessary to heat the ginger &sugar salt solution? I believe the ginger contains beneficial bacteria that the heat would kill. I also understand that heating the ingredients before cooling would intensify the flavors & that would be a reason for heating first. Your thoughts please?
You are correct that ginger has beneficial bacteria....depending on where you got it. In fact, you can make a ginger ale on that principle; that's where I got the idea from in the first place. wellnessmama.com/8945/ginger-ale/ I've made her recipe before. It works, but the culture isn't as stable as the water kefir. Which brings me to the next point. You wouldn't be concerned with the bacteria contributed by the ginger because you're replacing it with the more robust and healthful water kefir. You're also correct that heating the ginger intensifies the flavor. Hope that helps!
I am not an expert. As I understand it need minerals, and neither of those have any minerals--better to use the turbinado sugar and sea salt or Himalayan salt.
I would add ginger to second fermentation not first. And use a cheese cloth instead of locking the jar. Their natural habitat is in rivers so they like fresh air. You will get bobbles in second fermentation anyway. Also, a little trick is putting the second ferment into plastic water bottles and waiting for the bottle to get firm to the touch which will give you the most bobbles. Same truck is good for ginger beer as is. And it's ke-feer not kee-f-r. I don't understand where the pronunciation came from in English. It is certainly not the original word in either Russian or Georgian where it comes from. The word comes from Kurds and Persians word for bobbles and that's kef.
Hi thanks for the video, quick question to ask, why when I am making water kefir, it taste kinda of beer flavor instead of carbonated soda flavor? I dont know what I did wrong that every time I make water kefir leaving for 24 hours after my first fermentation, it tastes slightly kinda beer flavor. thanks
My experience is if it ferments too long on either the first or second fermentation, it gets more of a yeasty flavor. Of course if you are doing an aerobic fermentation process, it's going to have more natural yeast from the air around it which enhances that yeast flavor as well.
As Lindsay said, or even amazon or a health food store. Check each for prices. He used a metal strainer and that’s a big no-no. It will kill your kefir grains. No metal anything with kefir.
I get mine off of Amazon. There's a brand called Florida Sun that has not disappointed. I've ordered from them three times, always received in good order and they come back to life pretty quick
Where should I store kefir grains in order for me to have a break for a few months and then start fermentation again? How long does the kefir grains stays alive for months of pause?
Personally, I have never had to do this, so I can't give you a definite answer. I have successfully kept my kefir culture somewhat dormant for up to two weeks in the refrigerator. Cold temperatures slow the culture down and so they don't consume the sugar as quickly. But anytime you do this, it does take a batch or two for the culture to bounce back to full strength. So I usually do one fermentation at room temperature before I start back with production. There is information on the Web about how to store various cultures in the freezer. My favorite source for trusted info on culturing is "Cultures for Health." They are Googleable.
When I order & make milkkefir for the first day, why cant I put the kefirgrains in the same jar that was used after 24 hour instead of switching to new jar?
DJYAD19 you wrote “milk” kefir. I’m guessing that just a typo? Milk kefir is totally different than water kefir. When you’re starting new kefir grains, you don’t have to use a new jar the way you’re describing. Just pour off the sugar water from the first batch and pour in some fresh sugar water.
DJYAD19 if you go on the culturesforhealth.com site, they tell you how to rest kefir grains. You can dehydrate them and keep them in the fridge. I’ve done it and it works.
coconut sugar, table spoon molasis .. filling the instructions possibly over a day at most two ... my ready water kefir smells literally like a fart ... I don't think it should ... what did I do wrong? .. it's also not clear liquid .. but it's definitely naturally carbonated etc... any assistance... should I dump it?
Yes, I would dump it. It's not supposed to smell like that. It should smell like a vinegary beer. I can't say for sure because I've never encountered that smell, but it seems like you have a different culture taking over that may not be safe to consume. My first guess is the container you're using wasn't totally clean and something was already there that out-competed your water kefir culture.
Could you replace stevia or some non-sugar sweetener in the final stage (after the grains are removed)? I want to make this - but it needs to be low-carb.
Trish Truitt no you cannot. If you want it to be low carb, let it brew till the sugar is gone. The way you do that is taste it for (lack of) sweetness.
Trish, I misunderstood your question. Yes, you can add any sweetener you want after the brew. However, I don't know what effect artificial sweeteners may have on the culture in your finished product. But you can't replace the refined sugar as their food during the brewing.
I fermented mine for 2 days and it still lightly sweet. So I waited 2 more days(total of 4 days) and it still lightly sweet no sourness or fizzness at all. Should I wait longer?
I recently started and at first it was like you said. After a few times, the colony grew and became stronger and now the brew is less sweet and more fizzy. So maybe it just takes some time.
I am not an expert, but I understand you have to follow the directions on the box first and grow them up some (I think discard some) before you actually make the kefir. Keep grains in the frig and feed them regularly.
My Grains took a hit after this recipe. Became a bit mushy. I hope some new water and minerals will put them back on track! I would not add the ginger with the grains again....this was a bad idea for me!
Hey James! Sounds like maybe you haven't worked with kefir grains before. The term is very confusing. They are only called "grains" because that's what they look like. But kefir grains are actually what is commonly called a "SCOBY", which is an acronym for "Symbiotic Colony of Bacteria and Yeast." I don't claim to be a biology expert, but the bacteria and yeast live together in harmony and form the little "grains" they live on. I originally bought mine from Cultures for Health: www.culturesforhealth.com/buy-water-kefir-grains.html. I've had my culture going for about 3 years now, I think. The Cultures for Health website offers a lot of information about raising water kefir grains, which is where most of my knowledge comes from. I hope that helps!
Thanks for the reply. There is another question: Milk Kefir and Water Kefir are the same thing or different thing? Can I use "water kefir grain" to make mile kefir, Or use "milk kefir gain" to make water kefir? Thank you very much! You ART an expert!!
Water Kefir and Milk Kefir are two different things, Milk Kefir is proper Kefir, water Kefir is just called that because it's similar. I'd stick to using Milk Kefir with Milk, and Water with Water.
James Z, @kieran is right. They are two separate things and are not interchangeable. The only similarity is that I have successfully used both in the fermenting of coconut water (delicious!) However, neither will thrive in coconut water alone; they need to be alternated back to their preferred food. Milk kefir grains are the true kefir grains, and originated someplace in Russia long long ago. Water kefir grains are more accurately called "tibicos" which, which I believe I mentioned in the video. All the knowledge I have came from the Web. Look up "tibicos" on Wikipedia. And you'll find a lot of very useful data about all fermenting on Cultures for Health's website.
Any sugar works fine. You can also just add ginger puree into your bottles for a quick simple ginger kefir. Why do you people over complicate such a simple thing with trendy ingredients, kefir doesn't care.
Usama Alhaj given that it is a fermented beverage, and that one by product of fermentation is alcohol, yes there is alcohol. If you are allergic to alcohol or don’t drink alcohol for religious reasons, then any form of this drink is not for you. However, depending how long you continue the fermentation, there usually is only a negligible amount of alcohol. Certainly not enough to get you drunk.
+Jake The Snake Hey Jake! Yes, I do have some tips for you. I agree that what you described is NOT optimum. It should taste a little yeasty, but not sweet. I have to add more sugar after brewing to get the right taste balance. Lack of ginger taste indicates something wrong with your source of ginger, or how long you steeped the ginger. The smell of ginger should fill the room when you steep it! Some say that ginger is too harsh for water kefir culture. But I have not experienced this in the slightest. But I thought it would be worth mentioning. Maybe you used too much ginger, even though you didn't get much flavor? 5 oz of ginger should have given you plenty of flavor. I would consider the source of your ginger. National grocery stores probably don't move their ginger fast enough to have anything fresh available. I get mine from an Asian farmers market, where they move cases and cases of the stuff every day! "Yeasty taste" would indicate your culture isn't vigorous enough. How experienced with water kefir are you? Is it possible that you just purchased your kefir grains and that maybe you didn't give them enough time to "revitalize?" Also, if you aren't careful with temperatures, maybe if the ginger "wort" was still too warm when you added it to your culture, it harmed the culture. Also, with temperatures, maybe you're culture isn't in a warm enough place? Another thought, if you've had your culture for a while, it's possible they have been weakened by infrequent feeding? I've found I have to change out the sugar water every two to three days. I have mine in a commercial kitchen where temperatures easily get into the 90s when we're busy cooking, which makes them very active and I have to feed them more frequently. I get my culture from Cultures for Health. They have a live chat line and are VERY helpful and knowledgeable about their product. Does any of this seem like a possibility? Sorry for the long reply. Hopefully something in what I said will trigger an idea for you. Good luck. Thanks for writing!
+Rice 'N Gravy It's a bit sweet after adding the sugar at the end :) I even steeped the ginger for about 2 hours. I've noticed the ginger I've been buying is a bit a green, perhaps that's why? Do you think I could just steep the ginger in warm water overnight to help the flavors? I'll look for ginger at an Asian market. My kefir grains are new, but I bought them undehydrated and they've been put through about 3 batches following this recipe. Do you keep the lid on tight while fermenting because I've been using a loose lid and perhaps that's why the yeast have been dominating? I know the bacteria don't need oxygen. Thanks for anymore tips!
+Jake The Snake Okay, I get it. So just adjust how much sugar you're adding at the end. In my house, my wife likes it less sweet, my kids and I prefer a little more. If you've added more sugar than you like, then let it ferment another 12 hours or so and the sugar will have been consumed. As for steeping, I would follow my recipe more closely. Put all your ingredients in (the sugar, the sea salt, the ginger slices), bring to a simmer, then turn off the heat. Let it steep 20 minutes. I've steeped as much as 45 minutes or so and found no difference in intensity of flavor. So you're probably adding unnecessary time to your process. So, did you get your grains from a friend or Craigs List? Maybe they weren't cared for when you got them. Maybe if you cycle them a few more times before trying to make a specific beverage, they'll become more vigorous. I keep the lid on tight to capture the CO2, so it's fizzy. But, if you're doing a second ferment, like I do, it's not really necessary as long as you keep a tight lid in the SECOND fermentation. I just feel right doing it that way (tight lid), so that's what I do. And maybe that would explain the yeasty taste you got. I don't really know. I used to make this in 2 gallon batches when I owned my little cafe. I sold them in 7 oz champagne splits (the smaller bottle in the video) at $3 a piece! It was hard to keep up with demand. Customers preferred the fizz hands down. As for caring for your kefir between batches, it's important to include minerals for the culture, they thrive on it. They will get minerals from molasses (which is present in turbinado sugar). I have also found my culture to be very happy (productive) when I add dried fruit. Their favorites seem to be apricots (UNsulphured), figs, and dates. They seem to especially like the apricots, and so do I, so that's what I use the most. But you would not add the dried fruit when you're making the ginger "beer" unless you like that flavor with the ginger. That's the main reason I add the sea salt. Since you're using the whole food, it's a good idea to choose organic where ever you can. I don't know if you eat organic anyway, but this would be an instance where it would be important for the health of the culture. It's worth noting that I started doing this stuff (and other cultured foods) to help my wife with a skin condition she had (psoriasis caused by candida over growth, look it up). This ginger tonic was the only thing that she felt like she could enjoy drinking on a regular basis. And she hasn't had the skin condition, or any other symptoms, for nearly two years. ;)
David Latty I guess for the same reason they don't leave the barley in beer. It's not very tasty after the flavor's been extracted then brewed. I've tried, I know!
David Latty I don't think that's right. I would throw it out and start over. My water kefir always smells like a slightly vinegary beer (besides the ginger smell). My guess is your container wasn't totally clean or somehow something else managed to out-compete your culture.
This one is the one ... way better !! and thanks ... yeah i think sanitize everything ... any maybe that starter u need to make a few first before using for drink? i am also switching between coconut water kefir and ginger water ... righteous
I completely understand. I don’t eat much sugar either. Sadly, yes you must use sugar. But, depending how long you let your water kefir brew, most of the sugar is consumed by the culture. You’ll know by experience by how sweet the final product tastes. That being said, you can experiment with other natural sugars. Many people use refined sugar. I use raw sugar, which I feel is a little bit better. You can also use fruit juices (fresh raw juice, or pasteurized bottled juice). Apple juice tastes great! However, most fruit juices have higher sugar content than just plain sugar. At least with regular sugar, you can control the amount you add. Not so much with fruit juices. Sweeteners NOT to use: artificial sweeteners, honey, orange juice. These will all kill your culture. I hope that helps! Just get some kefir grains and start. I’m sure my video was helpful. But the best way to learn is just to do it and learn from your mistakes!
Your video was perfectly fine, but its understandable the grains must feed on something. I have pure raw sugar at home, as dark as molasses, so I'll use that. Thanks for the reply!
