The Kefir Experiments Continue

I made a pint with the kefir starter and some raw milk. I put it out on the table overnight and then chilled it. I found it quite nice but not very bubbly when I drank some of it. I also did not find any grains. I decided that perhaps I needed to wait longer than overnight (you think?). I put the remaining 1/3rd cup into a clean pint jar and added 1/3 cup of fresh raw milk and again left it out over night. I will call this Jar #1. Then I added another 1/3rd cup of milk and again left it out overnight.

This time, it separated. So I stirred it gently with a wooden spoon, poured half into a second pint jar (Jar #2) and added fresh raw milk to both. Both went into the frig.

The next day, I very carefully poured all the soured milk off the top of Jar #2 into a clean container and poured the remainder into a small jelly jar and added 1/4 cup of milk. This is Jar #3. The jelly jar was left out on the counter for two days without disturbance, then I added a little more milk to it and put it in the frig.

All the jars remained refrigerated for four days undisturbed.

This morning, I decided to check things out and see what I had.

Jar #1 was fizzy and had a very mild sour smell and flavor.
Jar #2 was still separating into solids and whey and seemed more sour in odor. I have not tasted it.
Jar #3 actually had lumps that look like kefir grains!

So, put my new grains in their own little pint jar, topped it off with fresh milk and will leave it out until this evening and refrigerate it. I poured myself a small jelly glass of Jar #1 and topped it up and will leave it out at room temp until dinner time today.

I added a teaspoon of raw honey to the glass I had poured and stirred and stirred. I finally licked the remaining honey off the spoon and drank the kefir. Ambrosia.

I now understand the Biblical references to "The Land of Milk and Honey." Wow!

With this heady treat in my tummy, I went on to jar up one crock of sauerkraut, started a batch of sourdough starter for my sister, and re-arranged my pantry shelves and sorted out the frig to make room for the newly jarred kraut.

Kefir, oh kefir

I'm trying to make my own kefir from a starter.

And I'm not sure if I'm doing it correctly or not. I'm not seeing what I thought I would see, which is little kefir grains. But I have a nicely soured milk which is not bad to drink and which I am probably going to use for buttermilk salad dressing.

And while it seems like a nice product, this is not like the kefir I'm familiar with. Granted, that kefir, while still active in the bottle, is from a commercial source and clearly contains some sweetener, even if it is in the form of a fruit juice.

I would like to find a source (friend) with some grains to share.

Ah, the on-going adventures of living food... at least I know what I have with mead, yogurt and fermented veggies.