[nutterly_uts]

Does anyone make or take Kefir? I caught the interview on Radio2 with Chuckling goats and their information is very interesting so I'm tempted to give it a go, but the wait time is 6 weeks on their kefir currently so I want to make my own but am not sure where to start. I know I can get the grains from Amazon but are all grains equal?

[Anke]

We did make it last summer, but found that after a good while that it was getting too strong and we felt that the grains were past their best. Also it's something that I love drinking in summer, but not really in winter (when a hot milk with honey is more like hitting the spot). But I have tasked OH with sourcing it again from a friend (where last year's came from). No idea if any of the stuff available on the internet is working ok.

But as interesting as her talk was - unless you also cut out all the crap that we modern people eat (refined sugar and wheat are probably the worst, even for us smallholders who can cut out most of the artificial stuff) drinking kefir to improve your gut flora is not much use if you then destroy it again with sugars...

[nutterly_uts]

drinking kefir to improve your gut flora is not much use if you then destroy it again with sugars...

VERY true I want to start kefir and use it to kick start myself into cutting out all the rubbish I eat because I know I will find it easier to do that with a "good reason" (that probably sounds daft but it'll work for me)

[ladyK]

I have been making kefir for years. Got my first grains on the net and been going well ever since.

When I think the culture 'weakens' I reduce the amount of grains per jar and give them fresh milk more often (i.e. every day) and this has never failed to revive them.

A well maintained culture grows like crazy so I always have surplus grains - pm me if interested.

[sokel]

We drank it for years then when we where away my sister managed to kill it  ?
We used to split it and rinse it in cold water then set it away again if it started to get too strong

[doganjo]

What's kefir? sort of milky gingerbeer 

[Steph Hen]

We drank it for ... ...

Did you notice any health benefits?

[sokel]

I have both rheumatoid and Osteo arthritis and I must admit  after a few weeks of drinking kefir my pain was not as bad as it was before I started taking kefir
A friend also suffers with gout and since starting with kefir they have not had a single flare up of gout

[benandjerry]

We drank it for years then when we where away my sister managed to kill it  ?

Kefir is great, but if planning any time away (holiday, weekend off) you need to make sure you have a kefir babysitter!  It becomes like a much loved pet and when it gets killed it is very irksome  especially as non kefir people 'don't get it'.  But well worth the effort. Go for it.

[sokel]

We drank it for years then when we where away my sister managed to kill it  ?

Kefir is great, but if planning any time away (holiday, weekend off) you need to make sure you have a kefir babysitter!  It becomes like a much loved pet and when it gets killed it is very irksome  especially as non kefir people 'don't get it'.  But well worth the effort. Go for it.

She had looked after it loads of times in the past but for some reason she managed to send it to its end of life

[ladyK]

I find my kefir to be rather tough going,actually!

It does fine with not changing the milk for a week at times, at least in winter (makes the kefir very tart, but doesn't seem to harm the culture) and it will happily go 'to sleep' in the fridge if we are away for a week or two. It might need an extra milk change after that to properly 'wake up', but it does go back to normal.

If you think your culture is damaged/tired changing the milk more often (up to twice a day) and a bit of patience will most likely revive it. Give the 'not quite right' kefir to the dogs during that 'reviving 'time.