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tcboweevil
338 Posts
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 Posted - Feb 07 2015 : 5:17:57 PM
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| Janet, I am sorry I am so late. Outside all day. It was wonderful. I thought you had culture. I didn't realize you had dehydrated grains. So, yes throw out that milk. I feed it to chickens and to the cats. I would keep the grains in a pint of milk and change to a fresh pint everyday until the milk cultures (thickens) in 12 to 24 hours. Sometimes it takes about 4 days before it starts to thicken in a day. As long as the milk stays liquid after 24 hours, it is not kefir and will not taste good. Once the milk thickens in a day, I would increase the amount of milk to a quart. Then you will have authentic tasting kefir. Shake the jar to loosen the kefir grains and strain with a colander to save your grains. The thick milk is kefir and the strained grains should go into your jar and refill I rinse my jar and lid with warm water to keep it from smelling yeasty. I also use skimmed milk. |
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tcboweevil
338 Posts
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Posted - Feb 07 2015 : 5:21:45 PM
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| Charlene, using raw milk competes with the symbiotic balance of the kefir. Raw milk has competing enzymes and lactic strains. When I heat my milk and cool it before adding my grains, my kefir tastes delicious, is creamy, and consistent. Also my grains grow huge in heat treated milk. More sugar for the kefir and less competition for the kefir grains. Even pasteurized milk becomes a live food again when cultured with kefir. I hope this helps. |
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tcboweevil
338 Posts
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Posted - Feb 07 2015 : 5:24:14 PM
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| I just wanted to add that the reason I mostly use raw milk is to save time and have a large quantity of kefir on hand. |
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NellieBelle
11217 Posts
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Posted - Feb 07 2015 : 5:58:08 PM
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| I did use culture and the instructions had me add it to cold "pasteurized", but I used thermized milk. Left if overnight. Then this morning the instructions said to pour the milk through a strainer and put the "grains" into a glass of fresh milk. I used thermized milk again and it's sitting on the counter until tomorrow morning now. I hope this works. If not I may be asking for some grains if you still have them. This is interesting, fascinating ordeal. I know, I live a boring life. LOL. |
To laugh is human but to moo is bovine. Author Unknown |
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tcboweevil
338 Posts
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Posted - Feb 07 2015 : 6:15:55 PM
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Janet, I picture you making EVERYTHING an adventure. You words read like that. If you need grains they are yours. As well as anyone else here.
There is a culture that is a powder that you mix in your milk and it kefirs over night. It is nice and thick. Then you use a cup of that kefir and add it too a quart of milk and that will culture. You just keep doing that over again for about 7 times and then you will need a new packet.
https://healthygoods.com/body-ecology-kefir-starter-culture.html?gclid=CjwKEAiAjNemBRCgp_vymcvVym0SJACRp_UZdPb7ez5zf2P1udZYYgsY4quYXUajZ-MAr7kJVHJdZhoC6xfw_wcB
It seems that you have dehydrated kefir grains and they should revive the way you are doing it. The milk is safe to drink at any of these phases it just doesn't taste like kefir and the texture is not right. It sounds like your having fun. |
Edited by - tcboweevil on Feb 07 2015 6:17:43 PM |
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Mike
1667 Posts
Mike
Argyle
WI
United States of America
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Posted - Feb 07 2015 : 6:22:30 PM
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These piglets are an hour old....eight little piggies! Mulefoots. Valerie is one very happy piggie-mamma! |
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Mike
1667 Posts
Mike
Argyle
WI
United States of America
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Posted - Feb 07 2015 : 6:25:48 PM
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Ms. Weevil, you need some Mulefoot piggies!!
Can I get some Kefir grains? Please??
Mike |
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NellieBelle
11217 Posts
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Posted - Feb 07 2015 : 6:38:27 PM
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| Oh Mike and Valerie, that's as cute as can be. Everything went alright it appears. That's just heartwarming. Thanks for posting the picture. Hello Theresa, I was outside much of the day too. It was beautiful. Yes, the Kefir culture was powder and I got it from Cultures for Health. I'm hoping it will do what it does for everyone else. My house is pretty cool so it may not be warm enough for it to activate. Thanks for the link too. I can always try that if this doesn't work. Thanks again Theresa. |
To laugh is human but to moo is bovine. Author Unknown |
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tcboweevil
338 Posts
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Posted - Feb 07 2015 : 6:49:18 PM
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You are welcome, Janet. I hope it cultures too.
Mike, I am sending some on Monday. Is the address on your email the best one to use? As cool as it is, the grains should ship just fine.
The piggies are too cute. Pleas tell Valerie hi from us down here. I am glad she is ok. |
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Mike
1667 Posts
Mike
Argyle
WI
United States of America
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Posted - Feb 07 2015 : 11:41:38 PM
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Thank you Theresa:)
Valerie is grateful to you and others who expressed concern. That was a nasty one. Whew.....
Little piggies are doing fine!
Oh, that is the right address. |
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CloversMum
3486 Posts
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Posted - Feb 08 2015 : 7:10:56 PM
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Thank you, Theresa, for your wisdom. MaryJane shared some of her precious thermized Jersey milk with me today and I'm making kefir with some of it!
And, Mike, I'm also very glad to hear that Valerie is doing better...that was scary just to read about it! Your new babies are pretty cute too! |
Loving life and family on our Idaho farm, Meadowlark Heritage Farm; A few Jersey cows; a few alpacas; a few more goats, and even more ducks and chickens |
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tcboweevil
338 Posts
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Posted - Feb 10 2015 : 3:06:40 PM
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Charlene, I posted this here to keep from hogging up the other topic. If you have grains, the cauliflower looking gelatinous kefir grains, then you can re use them forever. They will grow, and split into two cauliflowers and you can share.
However, if you have a powder, culture starter, then that is actually dehydrated kefir and can be reused about 7 times before it loses it's probiotic zeal. If you use the powder, and reuse the resulting kefir for too long, it will just separate into curds and whey and taste yeasty.
I hope this helps. |
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Mike
1667 Posts
Mike
Argyle
WI
United States of America
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Posted - Feb 10 2015 : 3:21:21 PM
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Theresa,
Thanks for the kefir advice.. That stuff takes milk to new heights of wonderful. Cheese, kefir, yoghurt and raw milk.... anhh... burp.. |
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CloversMum
3486 Posts
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Posted - Feb 11 2015 : 08:49:43 AM
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| Oh good to know...I have the gelatinous kefir grains so I'm good. The only time I ran into a problem was when I thought I had two jars of kefir and gave one to the chickens. They were very pleased, I was not as I discovered that I had just given my ONLY jar of kefir to my hens! I had to humbly ask for more kefir grains from my friend. |
Loving life and family on our Idaho farm, Meadowlark Heritage Farm; A few Jersey cows; a few alpacas; a few more goats, and even more ducks and chickens |
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kefir
1 Posts
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Posted - Oct 06 2015 : 1:08:44 PM
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| Wow! I'd greatly appreciate a free shipment of your kefir grains. How should I go about that? |
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maryjane
7074 Posts
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Posted - Oct 06 2015 : 1:34:42 PM
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Lisa,
It would be best if you introduced yourself on our welcome wagon and got to know people here first.
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MaryJane Butters, author of Milk Cow Kitchen ~ striving for the stoicism of a cow standing in the rain ~ |
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txbikergirl
3197 Posts
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Posted - Oct 06 2015 : 1:47:42 PM
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| i must have missed this original post, but it never dawned on me to add sweetener to the kefir. don't know why, that is what i do to drinkable yogurt... will have to do this when we have enough milk for kefir! |
_(199x300)_(66x100).jpg?v 93697001) Firefly Hollow Farm , our little farmstead. Farmgirl living in the green piney woods of East Texas on 23 acres with a few jerseys, too many chickens, a pair of pugs and my Texan hubby (aka "lover boy") |
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CloversMum
3486 Posts
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Posted - Dec 12 2015 : 09:04:06 AM
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| Making kefir yet, Cindy? Just add some kefir to yogurt or a smoothie and then you really don't need to add any sweetener. |
Loving life and family on our Idaho farm, Meadowlark Heritage Farm; A few Jersey cows; a few alpacas; a few more goats, and even more ducks and chickens |
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txbikergirl
3197 Posts
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Posted - Dec 13 2015 : 06:09:55 AM
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| hi charlene! lover boy is making kefir but i am enjoying my raw milk so much just haven't jumped on the band wagon. i keep saying i am going to be more open minded about it, but EVERY time i try a bit i just cringe. can't stand it. from what i hear it is a love/hate relationship with kefir, and i must be on the wrong side of the equation. |
Firefly Hollow Farm , our little farmstead. Farmgirl living in the green piney woods of East Texas on 23 acres with a few jerseys, too many chickens, a pair of pugs and my Texan hubby (aka "lover boy") |
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CloversMum
3486 Posts
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Posted - Dec 13 2015 : 07:47:17 AM
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I do understand just loving the straight fresh milk! I struggle to take out enough milk to make yogurt! I haven't made cheese yet (although I'm getting ready) as we don't seem to have the abundance of milk as do others yet. I'm hoping for a significant increase of production once Humble is weaned.
And, I've never had kefir straight ... always mix it into something! (cause I can't stand the taste of it straight either! Especially when I know how good fresh milk is!) I just want the additional nutritional benefits of the kefir. Kefir can actually help colonize your intestinal tract with the correct bacteria.
Now my own hubby won't touch the stuff ... so I'm impressed that yours even makes kefir!
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Loving life and family on our Idaho farm, Meadowlark Heritage Farm; A few Jersey cows; a few alpacas; a few more goats, and even more ducks and chickens |
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txbikergirl
3197 Posts
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Posted - Dec 13 2015 : 4:13:22 PM
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| charlene hang in there, we went from 2 pints a day to 2 gallons a day in just 2 days. now the frig is overflowing. today i have two types of yogurt in the making, bavarian and villi, we'll see how they go. i love yogurt so much and it is so easy to make that i am loving it. |
Firefly Hollow Farm , our little farmstead. Farmgirl living in the green piney woods of East Texas on 23 acres with a few jerseys, too many chickens, a pair of pugs and my Texan hubby (aka "lover boy") |
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CloversMum
3486 Posts
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Posted - Dec 13 2015 : 7:20:03 PM
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I just posted a question regarding Clover in a different thread, but I'm sure hoping as the weaning continues that the milk production increases! And, I'm a big fan of yogurt ... I absolutely love Clover's milk made into Greek yogurt.
Tonight Clover only gave us 3/4 gallon with Humble nursing twice in the past 24 hours. |
Loving life and family on our Idaho farm, Meadowlark Heritage Farm; A few Jersey cows; a few alpacas; a few more goats, and even more ducks and chickens |
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GingerBKelly
274 Posts
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Posted - Oct 28 2016 : 07:46:21 AM
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| I realize I'm a little late on this topic, but if anyone has any Kefir grains they would like to share, I could use some. Mine went bad when we went off on vacation and I forgot about them in the fridge. |
~Ginger Kelly, Kelly Homestead Apiary, Charlton, MA~.jpg?v 26652890) gingerbkelly@gmail.comWhen a cow laughs, does milk come out her nose? ~Author Unknown
Check us out on FB: https://www.facebook.com/KellyHomesteadApiary/ |
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Free Kefir Grains
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