Kefir Water

A quick look in our refrigerator will reveal beverage choices unfamiliar to most people.  We stopped buying soda after reading about the potential risks of   high fructose corn syrup and artificial sweeteners and found new ways to hydrate.

Kefir water and grains.

When we consider healthy eating, we don't always consider the empty calories we consume with soft drinks.  Drinks like kombucha and kefir water add important probiotics to our diet with each sip.

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Water kefir is a cultured drink made with kefir grains, filtered water, and organic cane sugar.  The kefir grains "eat" the sugar and the result is a slightly sweet drink with a unique flavor.  Milk kefir, which can be found at co-ops is similar, but is cultured with grains that use the lactose in milk as their "food".


"Grains"  is the term used to describe the translucent, bumpy, jelly like lumps which are actually  colonies of beneficial bacteria and yeast.  According to Cultures for Health, kefir grains contain these strains of beneficial bacteria and yeast;


Bacteria

Species Lactobacillus; L. brevis, L. casei, L. Hilgardii, L. hordei, L. nagelii
Species Leuconostoc; L. citreum, L. mesenteroides
Species Acetobacter: A. fabarum, A. orientalis
Species Streptococcus; S. lactis

Yeasts
Hanseniaospora valbyensis, Lachancea fermentati, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Zygotorulaspora florentina


Don't let the reference to bacteria freak you out!  We have been socialized to destroy bacteria at all costs, but not all bacteria is bad for us.

Our bodies naturally contain large amounts of bacteria and we need the beneficial bacteria on board to boost our immune function and help our bodies absorb the nutrients in the food we eat.

Kefir grains.

Making water kefir is simple.

The first step is to assemble your supplies;

Half gallon glass canning jar
Wooden spoon
Measuring cup
Plastic pitcher with pour spout
Coffee filter
Rubber band
Plastic strainer lid or non-metal strainer

Assemble your ingredients;

Kefir grains - I bought mine here for about $7.00
Filtered water - check out the Berkey water filters
Organic sugar 

Sugar and water.

Place kefir grains in a half gallon glass jar.

Pour about 1 3/4 quarts filtered water (at room temperature) into a plastic pitcher.

Stir 1/2 C sugar into the water until completely dissolved.

Pour the sugar water into jar (on top of the kefir grains). 

This pitcher is handy for both mixing and pouring.

Add enough additional water to fill the jar, leaving about 1 inch head space at the top.

Leave room for the bubbles to escape.

Place a paper coffee filter over the top of the jar and secure with a rubber band. The porous cover will allow the bubbles created by the fermentation to be released and keep pesky insects and flies out.

Paper coffee filter are easy to find and use.

Place the jar on your counter or in a cupboard.  Allow to ferment for about 5 to 7 days.  (During this time you can hold the jar up to the light and see lots of small bubbles floating to the top.  The bubbles are the by product that occurs when the grains consume the sugar.)

Kefir tucked out of the way in the pantry.

Taste the kefir water.  If it is too sweet, put it back in the cupboard and check the next day.  If the level of sweetness tastes good to you, it is time to decant.  

Screw a plastic strainer lid on the top of the jar or pour through a strainer.

This strainer is sold for sprouting purposes.

Pour the finished kefir water into a plastic pitcher.

The plastic strainer makes the job super easy.

Then pour into glass jars, cover, and store. 

The finished product.

Kefir water can be stored in the refrigerator or at room temperature.  Finished kefir water will continue to ferment and become less sweet each day.  Placing your finished water kefir in the refrigerator will slow down the fermentation. Conversely, hot conditions will speed up all stages of the fermentation process.

Tips

• Use only organic sugar as pesticides, herbicides and fungicides in conventional grown sugar can kill kefir grains.

• Always use non-metal utensils as metal can leach into and contaminate the water and grains.

• Water filters that remove chlorine, fluoride, and other contaminants while keeping the minerals in the water will work best.  If your grains start to decrease in size you may need to give them a mineral boost by adding a bit of molasses to the fermenting brew.  

• When you start out with new grains, the yeast/bacteria ratio can be unbalanced causing the brew to taste "yeasty".  Placing the fermenting jar (grains and all) in the fridge for a few days can help retard the growth of the yeast.  I often have to just continue making batches until yeast gets into balance.

• When the yeast is growing fast, the grains will multiply quickly.  Extra grains can be dehydrated and stored in the freezer in case the grains you are using die.  Grains can be dehydrated by spreading them in a single layer on a clean dish towel and allowing them to air dry until all the moisture has evaporated.

• Grains can be rehydrate by placing them in a glass jar with sugar water (1/4 C sugar dissolved in 3 C water) for 3 to 5 days.  On day 5 discard sugar water and brew as usual.

Dehydrated grains "chilling" in the freezer.

• Kefir water can be flavored with lemons or other fruits.

• If you like carbonation, you can do a second fermentation by adding a teaspoon of sugar to a 16 ounce bottle of finished kefir, cap tightly in an EZ Cap bottle and allow to sit at room temperature for a few days.  The sugar will be "eaten" and carbonation created.  The tightly capped bottle will keep the bubbles in the drink.  Use caution when opening as the contents will be under pressure and may spray out.

• If you are culturing more than one food or beverage, keep each ferment three feet away from the other ferments to avoid cross contamination.

• If you want to avoid sugar, allow the kefir water to ferment until it no longer tastes sweet.

• This site contains a wealth of water kefir information.

Happy culturing!