Shopping List

Jo Anns / Hobby Lobby

1-Yard of White Muslin with a tight weave

*Wal-mart

(1) 128 Oz Glass Jar or smaller

(1) Plastic or Silicone Spoon

(1) Plastic or Silicone Strainer with smaller holes

(1) Large Plastic Bowl  (make sure the strainer fits snugly inside it)

(1) 2 Gallon Plastic Pitcher

(1) Plastic Ladle

(1) Large Rubberband 
Kefir Grains   If you want to learn more on where to purchase grains, look here:   http://www.culturesforhealth.com/starter-cultures/kefir-cultures.html

 How will you store your Kefir once it's made?  Make sure you have something like a soft plastic style container. Use best judgement.

*I do not recommend glass jars with lids.  Kefir tends to expand because of it's gasses.  It could go Boom!  *

Using Your Reusable Kefir Grains

This is such an easy process.  Take your time and enjoy making your hand crafted Kefir.

Sanitize everything first.  You can use Vinegar and a drop of  Soap.

Strain your New grains over the sink.  You can rinse the grains with Spring Water or Raw Milk.  Never ever use Chlorinated water or that crummy Pasteurized/Homogenized milk!  IT WILL KILL THE GRAINS.

Place new grains in your glass jar.  Fill jar 3/4 of the way full with your raw milk.  Wipe rim and sides of jar clean (you can get an invasion of fruit flies if you don't).

Cut a piece of muslin to fit the jar.  It must cover around the whole top of the jar, and the top portion of the sides.  Place your rubber band snuggly around it.  Make sure that the cloth is pulled taught so that no critters can get in.

Set in a warm, dark, dry place.  Do not disturb for 24-48 hours.  The longer it sits the more whey appears.  Never go past 3 days!  You can choke out and kill the Kefir Grains.

Time to make your 1st batch!

Get all of your items ready

(1) Gallon of Raw Milk

(1) 128 Oz Glass Jar that has your newly made Kefir

(1) Clean pre-cut piece of Muslin (every 2nd  processing time use a new one and wash the old one)

(1) Plastic or Silicone Spoon

(1) Plastic or Silicone Strainer with smaller holes

(1) Large Plastic Bowl  (make sure the trainer fits snugly inside it)

(1) 2 Gallon Plastic Pitcher

(1) Plastic ladle

(2) Towels (it's a messy process)

(1) Rubber Band

(1) Extra bowl to dump whey if necessary

Set strainer in bowl.

Remove Muslin and Rubber Band carefully.  Set as far away from processing as possible.  This final process splatters and is quite messy.

Ladle out white foamy chunky top.  put into strainer

Ladle out whey if necessary.  A little is ok, a lot is not good.

Then gently pour into the strainer the remainder of your jar. 

You can gently stir the kefir and shake it over your bowl.

You should see popcorn looking chunks in your strainer and beautiful white Kefir in your bowl.

Now that you have separated the two.  Set your strainer full of Kefir Grains on a towel.

Pour the bowl of Kefir into your plastic pitcher or blender.

Using a stick blender or a real blender, put on high for 30 seconds to 1 minute.

Pour into your Kefir storage jar &  immediately refrigerate.  It should keep up to 60 days.   Let the gasses out occasionally and check on it.  Sometimes it keeps growing and expands.

 

   

Back to the grains.

Rinse your grains with spring water or raw milk.  City water which contains chlorine will kill the grains.

Sanitize the jar every time!!  This will help you maintain healthy Kefir grains. 

Remember Sanitize with vinegar and Soap only!  Bleach will kill the grains.

Now begin again. 

Refill that jar as instructed on the 1st page.

See I knew you could do it!! 

*RESULTS ARE NOT GUARANTEED.  KEFIR GRAINS ARE NOTORIOUSLY SENSITIVE AND IF THEY ARE LOST OR PERISH YOU WILL NEED REPLACE THEM.

Need a visual:     http://www.culturesforhealth.com/how-to-videos

Instructions by Shelley Rogers AKA 2 Dainty Crafters