{Welcome to MultiMEDIA Splice #15, a link party. Join me by linking up a “milk”-themed post or a multimedia post on any topic.}
Click to view slideshow.Have you heard of kefir? A fermented milk drink that’s a cousin of yogurt, kefir is loaded with healthy probiotics. My husband started drinking it (from the grocery store) after having some intestinal problems. We soon learned that it’s easy and cheap to make at home.
Place the grains in a cup of milk and store at room temperature in a dark place for a day or two
I ordered some kefir “grains” on the Internet as a starter for making homemade kefir. The first step is to cover the grains, actually a little colony of bacteria and yeast, with about a cup of milk and put it in the cupboard to work its magic at room temperature for 24 hours. I had to do this process about four times with my newly arrived colony, to wake it up after its travels.
Strain out the kefir “grains” and use them as a starter for your next batch of kefir
I strained out the starter and put it into a new jar of milk in the cupboard. The new batch will be ready in about a day or two, depending on how thick and tart I want it.
I blended in some mixed berries and a little honey and refrigerated my homemade kefir smoothie.
I’ll admit it took a leap of faith to drink it, knowing it had sat at room temperature in the cupboard for a day. People in Eastern Europe, though, have been preserving milk this way for centuries, so who am I to question it?
How was it?
Homemade kefir smoothie
My homemade kefir had a pleasant, mild taste and was thinner and less tart than the grocery store version. Letting it ferment for a longer time would make it more tart and thick.
I liked that mine had real fruit rather than strawberry juice concentrate, and my husband guessed there were more active probiotics (based on the taste) than were in the grocery store version.
Cheers.
Have you tried homemade kefir?
Related content:
- Well, did you ever milk a cow?
- I Am Only 9 Percent Human: What’s in My Gut
- Got sugar? Remove flavored milk from school cafeterias
- Homemade butter
Beyond 101 Things: Make homemade kefir
MultiMEDIA Splice #15
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