Our little farm is growing and we are anxious for the fresh produce this spring will bring. But for now I am trying my hand at growing healthy bacteria. Thank you Rebekah Ortzen-Abbott for sharing your water kefir grain starts and moral support as I try my hand propagating water kefir.
Here is a combination of of instructions provided by Rebekah and supplemented from Sara Tung's blog. These instructions are for wet grains that have been divided from a previous kefir batch.
To start a new batch:
Pour off the old liquid (don't use metal - the grains supposedly don't like metal) to each quart jar (if using a quart canning jar this is approximately one (1) inch worth of wet grains
Add two (2) tablespoons of molasses
Add one (1) tablespoon of raw cane demerara sugar, sucanat, rapadura, sugar, agave nectar, or maple syrup (honey cannot be used as it has antibacterial properties that will hurt the grains)
Fill the rest of the jar with purified water ( I used water from BPA Free Get Clean® Water Pitcher)
Screw on lid and shake. And that's it, really!
Two (2) days or so in a medium-warm environment and you are ready to strain the grain.
If you screw the lid on slightly tight, you'll get a effervescent beverage. If you leave the lid loose, you'll get a flat drink. Put this in the fridge. Start the process over again with the grains. You can put the grains in a smoothy, compost the grains, or whatever else I discover and add to the blog.
I hear fruits can be added to the kefir and bread can be made. As I try these varitations I will keep you posted. Of course, I am still taking my Optiflora to insure I get all the probiotics I need; but, this will be a fun way to get some extra.
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