UHF: Water Kefir

I talked about kefir a bit when I first got my grains but wanted to wait until I was proficient before passing on my know-how. The first batch was icky and I thought it was going to be a big fat fail on the whole kefir thing but I got a few tips and every batch since then has been great.

Rember, kefir grains aren't really a grain but a mother structure of a symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast used to ferment liquid. The more common milk kefir grains are used to ferment milk (if someone is just talking about kefir without specifying, they probably mean milk). Water kefir can be used to ferment water and juice which is what I will be talking about.

There are two methods, the one step and the two step. With the one step method you directly ferment your final product, juice or sugar water with flavor/fruit. With the two step, you ferment sugar water into your kefir base then add your flavorings/fruit/juice to make different types of "soda". I like the two step because it leaves my options open and I don't have to worry about anything adversely effecting the grains. Because kefir is a living thing, there are things that help it grow and survive and other's that hurt or kill it. I'll go over them in a second.

One Quart Kefir Base:

Supplies:

• Plastic*/Glass container - I use a one quart mason jar
• Lid - You want the kefir to breath during fermentation but you don't want bugs or dust getting in there. I cut up an old tea towel into ~8" squares and use those in what I like to call my "bible character technique", (I think you'll see why later) but you can also use cheese cloth or coffee filters along with a rubber band.
• Plastic* Strainer/Grain bag - You can either keep your grains in a little pouch so they are easy to transfer from batch to batch. Another option is to strain your grains. I have tried both and thought the pouch would be easier but I actually like straining as I can know they are doing okay. I tend to be a grain-hypochondriac so I like to see them bopping around in there. *Don't use metal utensils as that can supposedly hurt your grains. Some people have gotten away with a metal strainer if it is necessary but try to limit contact with metal as it hurts the grains.
  

Ingredients:

• About a quart of water - You want a non-chlorinated water (It's in the water to kill stuff and but you don't want it killing your kefir!) but minerals also help your kefir prosper so don't use filtered water or distilled water. Your best bets are either to buy spring water or use tap water but boil it first to get rid of the chlorine. Since one costs money and the other doesn't, I bet you can guess which I do :-) You can also add a small piece of eggshell to increase the mineral content of the water. I add it to the water while it's boiling if I remember.
  
• Sugar - 1/4 to 1/2 of sugar. I started with using 1/2 cup but am now down to 1/4. Don't use less than 1/4 because the kefir needs to eat the sugar and you don't want them starving. As for type of sugar, you can use really anything but honey (it's antibiotic properties are not helpful in this particular instance). Rapadura is good for growing your kefir but it's pretty strong and I personally don't like the overpowering flavor but others don't seem to mind. I use your basic white sugar. After fermentation only about 20% remains so that ends up being less than a tablespoon of sugar in a quart.
  
• 2 Tablespoons of water kefir grains. I bought mine from cultures from health. They sent me more than 2 Tablespoons and I'm pretty sure mine are growing now so pretty soon I'll have some to pass on if your interested, let me know and I'll put you on my list.
  

What to do:
Mix the sugar and water in the jar. If you don't think the sugar is dissolving, you can start with a bit of hot water, dissolve the sugar, then let it cool. Just be sure to wait until the water is room temperature before adding your grains.

Add your grains and cover. Let sit for 24-72 hours on the counter. The speed of fermentation will depend on your room temperature but I would suggest starting with short times and working your way up to the stronger ferments. If your grains are loose you should be able to see them raise and lower every once in a while and if you gently bump the jar, a few bubbles will rise to the surface.If you ferment for a longer time, the water might start getting slightly opaque and if you taste the water, it should be getting less and less sweet. Those are all signs it is working.
Here's mine about 48 hours later, slightly opaqua and with a few floaters. It's ready to go! After 24-72 hours, strain the grains, rinse with water and repeat for your next batch, saving the water kefir. It won't be very tasty until you flavor it but it shouldn't taste bad, only slightly fermented. If you get ahead of yourself and need a break, you can keep the grains in sugar water in the fridge for a few day.

Flavoring the Kefir:

Lemonade - Add juice from one or two lemons (or limes for limeade). (You can also soak the lemon in water the whole time but I find that leaves a bitter taste)

Berry /Lemonade - Microwave a couple tablespoon of frozen berries (any type) then smush with a fork, add to water and proceed with lemonade recipe. This is first one I made and really enjoyed. The stawberry flavor completely coveres up the fermentation.

Grape soda - Add about a 1/4 of grape juice to 3/4 water kefir. Yummy! (Supposedly apple juice works too)

Ginger-ale - Grate 1/4-1/2 inch of ginger into a quart of kefir water. This has a much stronger flavor than store ginger-ale but I really like it.

Cream soda/Root beer - Add a teaspoon or so of rootbeer extract or vanilla to a quart of kefir water. I've never tried this (it is next on my list) but I've heard reports it is good.

Finishing the Kefir:

Once you flavor the kefir, you can let it sit, tightly covered, on the counter for another 12-24 hrs to build up carbonation before moving it to the fridge unless it is a juice and I want to lower the sugar content more, I normally don't wait that long before drinking it. Serve cold and enjoy!

I store mine in these cool glass bottles but if I leave it out, I have to make sure to vent it occassionally. I don't want any explosions.

P.S. - Since this is a fermented product, technically it is slightly alcoholic just as any home fermented product will be (kimchi, sour dough, overripe bananas). I have no way of measure for myself but what I read seems to indicate that at 48hrs the alcohol level tends to be vary (depending on starting sugar level) from 0.2-1%, In comparison, non-alcoholic beer is anything less than 0.5%. Since I typically only add 1/4 c of sugar and 24-36 hrs fermentation, I didn't worry about giving some to my little brother while he was here (I just called it homemade soda, what he doesn't know won't hurt him) and I know of others who drink it while pregnant, but I wouldn't go around serving it to unsuspecting Baptists or Muslims without their knowledge.

P.S.S. If you want to read more about water kefir, here are some resources.