How to Make Kefir

• Vegetarian

• Pasta & Grains

  • 1 Kefir grains

• Dairy

  • 1 Milk

Found on wholenaturallife.com

Ingredients

• Kefir grains (find kefir grains here)
• Milk (I use raw, organic whole milk but any type of milk will work)

Directions

• Put your kefir grains into a clean glass jar. How much milk and kefir grains you want to use is up to you – flavor and texture change depending on your ratio of grains to milk. I typically use 2 to 3 tablespoons of grains for about 2 to 2 1/2 cups of milk.
• Add your milk.
• Cover with a cloth or something breathable to keep fruit flies and other objects out of your jar. Secure the cloth with a rubber band.
• Leave the jar out at room temperature for about 24 hours. If it’s particularly cold in your kitchen, you may want to keep the jar in the warmest spot you can find. Kefir grains like warmth.
• Check the kefir after 24 hours. It should be thickened and starting to separate into curds and whey. If you don’t think it’s done, leave it out for another 12 to 24 hours until it appears finished. My kefir is always done after the first 24 hours, but yours could take longer if your kitchen is particularly cold.
• When your kefir is finished, stir it up in the jar so it’s liquid again, then pour it into a strainer to strain. I use a small plastic strainer set inside a canning funnel over a glass jar. If your strainer is small like mine you’ll have to pour the kefir into the strainer in batches.
• Gently stir the kefir to encourage it to move through the strainer. When you’re finished, all your finished kefir will be in the jar while your grains will be left in the strainer.
• Put the grains into a new jar and add more milk to start a new batch of kefir. (I reuse my original jar several times instead of starting with a new jar each time, but I’m not sure whether that’s recommended.)
• Store your finished kefir in the fridge. If you want to further reduce the lactose content of your kefir, you can instead store the finished kefir on the counter for a day before transferring to the fridge.