Second Ferment

[Timmah!]

Kefir 2nd ferment with fruit.
Add some fruit to the Kefir after straining & let sit on the counter for 12-24 hours.
The fruit sugars further feed the probiotic menagerie, adding flavor, and attenuating the tart taste.
Also lets the probiotic population further grow  & produces even more healthful vitamins, minerals, organic acids, antioxidants, exopolysaccharides, bioactive peptides, Et al.
It's the most richly varied, concentrated superfood I've yet incorporated into my daily diet.
I feel healthier, my skin is nicer, no more heartburn. 
Kefir also supports the immune system & reduces inflammation, among other healthful benefits.
Truly amazing.

Edited June 27, 2024 by Timmah!

[Icequeen]

Wow! Now I know fermented foods are good for you. How does that taste? Are you drinking it or incorporating it in with other foods?

[Timmah!]

1 hour ago, Icequeen said:

Wow! Now I know fermented foods are good for you. How does that taste? Are you drinking it or incorporating it in with other foods?

The longer you let it ferment, the higher the probiitic population & the more tart it will taste.

Standard ferment time is 12-24 hours.

After 12 hours, its a mildly tart, lightly fizzy-(due to the yeasts component of the kefir grains) -mildly sweet flavor, kinda like a drinkable yogurt.

I like it really tangy, so I let it go 24-48 hours.  At that point, the curds & whey have separated, I stir them back together & it tastes like a tangy mix of yogurt & sour cream.

A few times a week, I mix it with fruit & let it sit for another 24 hours, which mellows the tart & tastes like a fruit smoothy. 

I also strain it through a cheesecloth to make a healthy cream cheese which I mix with some extra virgin olive oil & sea salt to spread on tosted onion bagels.

I also let some strain overnight to make a nice, crumbly Kefir Feta cheese to put in salads, lasagna, chili, etc.

2 gallons of milk willl yield about 2 pounds of cheese; which makes it cheaper & healthier than store bought.

On average, I drink 3 8 fl. Oz servings a day.  Morning, Noonish, & evening.

There's about 50 strains of bacteria & yeasts in the Kefir grains, & research has just begun to understand the myriad health benefits people have enjoyed for thousands of years.

Immune boosting, tumor shrinking, anti-inflammatory, blood pressure, Irritable Bowel Syndrome healing, diabetes amelioration, antiviral, antibacterial, antioxidant....

These bacteria in your gut comprise 80% of your immune system, communicating & coordinating its operation.

 

[Timmah!]

@Icequeen

Here's a short video I made of the simple process of maintaining Kefir. 

 

[major-mark63]

is kefir like  yogurt????

[Timmah!]

5 minutes ago, major-mark63 said:

is kefir like  yogurt????

No, it's much more richly complex.

Where yogurt has a few strains of bacteria fermenting the milk, Kefir has around 50 strains of bacteria & yeasts fermenting the milk, producing vastly more healthful products.

The only similarity is they're both a fermented dairy product.

You can purchase the Kefir grains online, or find someone near you to give you some grains and they will last you a lifetime. 

All you do is place them in milk for 24 hours & the grains turn the milk into kefir 

Then you simply strain the grains out & place them in a fresh batch of milk to repeat the process.

Gotta keep the grains fed with milk, as they're a living coliny of bacteria & yeasts.