Years and years up to now, as soon as I used to be on a vital nicely being kick, I went down the rabbit hole of learning ferment each factor beneath the photo voltaic. I taught myself to make yogurt, jar sauerkraut, and brew kombucha. I baked sourdough, cultured pickles, and used latest apple cores to make apple cider vinegar. In 2008, as soon as I discovered my colicky youngster couldn’t tolerate dairy (or gluten or caffeinated tea!), I turned my consideration to water kefir, a simple fermented drink made out of water kefir grains and sugar water.
Water kefir is a little bit of completely completely different than most cultured drinks on account of instead of rising a tart or bitter fashion, it stays sweet. If you’ve cultured it, you presumably can each drink it plain (though I don’t uncover the flavour all that inspiring), or it’s best to put it to use as a base to make flavored carbonated drinks. I choose to take points one step extra and use the grains to custom coconut water flavored with latest fruit and herbs from my yard.
Culturing water kefir is straightforward. You merely place water kefir grains – a matrix of symbiotic micro organism and yeast – in sugar water and let the grains flip the sugar proper right into a probiotic rich drink. The kefir grains are mushy and gelatinous and are thought to originate from Mexico the place they thrive throughout the sugary water of the prickly pear cactus. They love sugar and might multiply if fed it by means of sugar water, fruit juice, or latest fruit. That acknowledged, on account of the kefir grains metabolize the sugar to make further micro organism, the final word drink could also be very (VERY) low in sugar.
In the event you want to make water kefir with a lot much less sugar (and further style), you possibly can even try feeding your grains coconut water instead of sugar water. The highest consequence’s coconut water kefir, a drink stuffed with electrolytes, enzymes, nutritional vitamins, AND probiotics.
To make coconut water kefir, you’ll need to confirm your grains are completely hydrated and have been culturing in sugar water for a minimum of 3 weeks. You’ll moreover should refresh your grains between batches of coconut kefir to take care of them glad and healthful. To do this, merely custom them in sugar water (following the steps in Half II) after using them to make a batch of coconut kefir (in Half IV).
I do know that was a complete lot of information to digest, notably on account of there are so many strategies to utilize water kefir grains. On this publish, I’ll stroll you through the whole course of, displaying you 1) activate dehydrated water kefir, which is the way in which it’s purchased on-line; 2) make water kefir, which you can drink plain to help good gut nicely being; 3) make flavored water kefir using juice and/or latest fruit; and 4) make herby coconut water kefir, using your favorite combination of herbs (and berries, if you would like). None of these steps are tough and in addition you’ll get the grasp of it in a short time with a little bit of hands-on learning! In case you’ve got any questions, be at liberty to drop them throughout the suggestions underneath!
Substances
I. To activate water kefir grains
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glass jar
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non-metal stirring utensil
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breathable tea towel
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rubber band
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muslin cheesecloth
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dehydrated water kefir grains (I reap the benefits of these)
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¼ cup pure cane sugar
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3-4 cups chlorine-free water
II. To make water kefir
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glass jar
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non-metal stirring utensil
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breathable tea towel
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rubber band
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muslin cheesecloth
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rehydrated water kefir grains
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¼ cup pure cane sugar (per quart of water)
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chlorine-free water
III. To make flavored water kefir
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accomplished water kefir (grains eradicated)
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pure, pure fruit juice
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grolsch-style bottles (like these)
IV. To make herby coconut kefir
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1 quart jar of coconut water
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non-metal stirring utensil
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breathable tea towel
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rubber band
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muslin cheesecloth
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rehydrated water kefir grains
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3 sprigs of lavender, mint, sage, and so forth., (your choice)
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slice of lemon
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cup of frozen berries (elective)
Directions
I. Activate water kefir grains
1. Heat 3.5 cups of water, then change it to a glass jar.
2. Dissolve ¼ cup cane sugar throughout the warmth water, then allow the water to sit back to 68°-85°F.
3. Empty the dehydrated water kefir grains into the cooled sugar water.
4. Cowl the jar with a tea towel, secure it with a rubber band, and place the jar in a warmth spot (68°-85°F) for 3-4 days.
6. After 3-4 days, the kefir grains should be plump and translucent. Using the cheesecloth (and NOT a metal strainer!), stress the kefir grains and discard the sugar water.
7. Now you’ll should make water kefir alongside together with your grains following the steps in Half II. If you’ve been making water kefir for a variety of weeks, it’s best to make the most of your grains to make coconut water kefir (see Half IV). If this seems to be as if an prolonged course of, don’t forget that you simply CAN drink the water kefir (in Half II) and profit from the great benefits of it while you look ahead to the grains to get sturdy adequate to custom coconut water.
II. Make water kefir
1. Heat 3.5 cups of water, then change it to a glass jar.
2. Dissolve ¼ cup cane sugar throughout the warmth water, then allow the water to sit back to 68°-85°F.
3. Empty the dehydrated water kefir grains into the cooled sugar water.
4. Cowl the jar with a tea towel, secure it with a rubber band, and place the jar in a warmth spot (68°-85°F) for 3-4 days.
6. After 4 days (or so), or when the culturing is full, use the cheesecloth (and NOT a metal strainer!), stress the kefir grains and reserve the water kefir to drink. You might each drink it immediately or retailer it in an airtight container throughout the fridge.
7. put collectively a model new batch of sugar water following steps 1-4 to take care of the grains working. As quickly because the grains have been making water kefir by means of sugar water for a minimum of 3 weeks, it’s best to make the most of them to make the herby coconut water kefir, following the steps in Half IV.
Observe: To expand batches of water kefir, use 1 tablespoon of sugar for every 1 cup of water. One packet of grains from most corporations (along with the one I useful above) will typically make as a lot as 8 cups of water.
III. Make flavored water kefir
1. Add 1/2 cup of fruit juice per quart of water kefir till you’re using lemon juice, by means of which case you could use 1/4 cup of juice per quart of water (it’s potent!).
2. Fill the bottle with accomplished water kefir from Half II, leaving about an inch of headspace.
3. Shut the bottle tightly and let it sit at room temperature for 24-72 hours, or until your kefir carbonates. Burp as quickly as a day in warmth climates.
4. As quickly as carbonated, stress, and drink warmth or refrigerate for a cool drink.
IV. Make herby coconut kefir
1. Place the water kefir grains and the sprigs of herbs throughout the quart jar of coconut water. Cowl the jar with a breathable towel and secure it with a rubber band.
2. Custom the coconut water and allow it to ferment for 24-48 hours. As quickly because the culturing course of is full, stress the kefir grains and refresh them by culturing them in sugar water (see Half II).
3. To style the coconut kefir water, pour it in a extreme velocity blender, add berries, and purée. Serve chilly with latest herbs and a slice of lemon.