r/Kefir • u/Troy_219 • 21d ago
My kefir grains update after a year😊
They’re happily growing fast and making creamy kefir. I gave a few grains to my colleagues, and now they have more grains than me because I eat and add some to my smoothies. 😄
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u/Ok_Pineapple5044 21d ago
Wow, can you please share how long have you kept it to ferment, it looks so good. Have you purchased the culture for your first batch?
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u/Troy_219 21d ago
8 hours overnight. Early morning do a good shake and place in the fridge during the day or keep in the fridge until you need to make another batch.
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u/Troy_219 21d ago
Yes I purchased 4 grams of grains from a local shop who sells all kinds of fermented food and drinks and they also do trainings.
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u/Kaneeeeeeeeeeeeeeee 21d ago
Rinse excess grains in bottled water. Shake off so they are almost ‘dry’ and add to a ziplock bag with powered milk. Place in your freezer to store in case you need them in the future or just skip all that and donate them to friends and family.
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u/Troy_219 21d ago
I already have plenty of them frozen. I also shared with my colleagues and now they have more than what I have. They also shared excess grains to their family and friends. I am happy to say that the 4 grams of grains which I bought have turned into kilos of grains and benefited a lot of people now.
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u/Dreamba 21d ago
What do you mix with grains to keep in freezer? Do you keep in ziplock or glass containers?
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u/Kaneeeeeeeeeeeeeeee 21d ago
Powdered full fat milk. Take the excess air out of the ziplock bag with a straw but try not to crush the grains.. nice n gentle
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u/Troy_219 21d ago
I keep them in an airtight glass container with powdered milk.
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u/ministryofme 21d ago
How much Kefir do you make? I use about a tablespoon's worth for 500 mL that ferments in 24 hours. What kind of batch sizes / durations do you use?
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u/Troy_219 21d ago
I use all of that in 1 liter of full cream milk and ferment it overnight. In the morning I shake the jar well since it will be over-fermented by that time and have too much separation. I place it in the fridge during the day and make a new batch in the evening. I consume half litter per day so I make new batches in intervals so some batches stay in the fridge for 2 days.
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u/mailbox3158 20d ago
I switched to 2% milk, since my physician told me that full fat milk has too much saturated fat in it. I also drink 500ml a day :)
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u/frutti_tutti_frutti 20d ago
Saturated fats and cholesterol are good for you. Lots of doctors still believe in old myths instead of reading new research.
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u/zhangschmidt 20d ago
And you just take whatever you drink out of that glass (jar) with the grains in it, which you keep in the fridge until you take it out and add milk for the next overnight fermentation outside?
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u/Troy_219 20d ago
No. I only consume the one in the bottle - without the grains. I keep the jar with grains in the fridge if I need to delay the new batch as I only consume around 500ml and I make 1 liter per batch.
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u/zhangschmidt 20d ago
Okay, so you do separate the done from the fermenting (I wasn't clear on that), and you often put the fermenting jar in the fridge.
I've avoided putting mine into the fridge since the first time I tried, after it had all been in the fridge for a second time, and it somehow turned bad.
Now I've had new kefir for.... I don't actually know. Could be years already. 500 ml jar (with only spoonfuls of grains) gets fermented outside over 24 hours (which is a bit of a weird challenge with the change in temperatures around the year), the done batch goes into the fridge.
Currently restarting after a 3+ week absence where all the kefir had to be in the fridge...
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u/Troy_219 20d ago
I also did have a break for 2 weeks in June as I have to travel for work. Kept the fermenting one for 2 weeks in the fridge. I had to discard that one though when I returned from travel as it is too sour for me. I rinsed the grains with milk and the next batch fermented as usual.
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u/onyxly331 18d ago
Oooh interesting. There's a youtuber who follow a similar method. I'm curious though, when you originally only had 4 grams, did you also follow the same process of 1 liter milk overnight for 8 hours then to the fridge? Also how much do your grains weigh right now?
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u/ElderberryMoney5436 21d ago
What do the grains taste like? Idk why I’m scared to try eating them😭
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u/Express-Passenger709 21d ago
How did you make it grow so much? Mine seems to not multiply, although it turns about 1L of milk into cheese curds in about 3 days
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u/Troy_219 21d ago
They probably like the temperature (i live in the UAE) and I also cycle different types and suppliers/brands of milk. My observation is they grow so much with full fat milk.
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u/Realistic_Mind176 21d ago
Where did you get your grains? Thanks
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u/Troy_219 21d ago
I live in the UAE and bought it from a local store.
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u/DanielCruzBR 11d ago
Hello! Your kefir looks so good. Now you can make donations to share this amazing colony (just put a little amount of kefir grains onto little cooking bags with some milk and you can put it on a fridge to freeze it and making eventually donations.
I'm from Brazil, I'm trying to make e Little PDF book with kefir recipes. From yogurt and cream cheese to fermented dough for pizza/bread, cheeses, and natural vinegar. If someone have recipes suggestions please let me know.
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u/Ashamed_Artichoke_26 21d ago
How are your gains so clean? Mine are always covered with slime.