Kefir

 Have you ever heard of kefir?

I learned about kefir a few months ago when I was trying to find an alternative to yogurt making. I had sold my yogurt maker and I was looking for an easy way to get in my probiotics. After a bit of searching, I stumbled upon kefir.

It is a fermented milk drink that if full of probiotic bacteria strains. Where it originated in the Caucasus region, milk was left out in animal skin bags over doorways to turn into kefir, the movement from visitors jostling the bacteria enough for them to distribute evenly. It is sour, slightly alcoholic, fizzy, and somewhat like runny yogurt. But while yogurt has only 3 or 5 strains of bacteria, kefir made from kefir grains has around 50 different strains!

Not only that, it is way easier to make than yogurt. No boiling! No billions of tiny glass cups to sterilize!

I got my grains at Cultures for Health, but if you aren’t willing to make your own just yet you can buy Lifeway Organic Kefir.

How to make kefir

1. Procure grains
2. Place grains in around 1 quart of milk in a shady area
3. Leave alone for 24 hours (less in hotter climates)
4. When the texture is jiggly but the whey hasn’t separated from the rest of the drink, enjoy!