WHAT TO DO ONCE YOUR MILK KEFIR GRAINS ARRIVE:
The dehydrated milk kefir grains have a 2-year shelf life, so there is no need to activate them upon arrival.
MILK AND METAL:
You will often hear that you should not use metal utensils while making milk kefir. Although this holds some truth, it has been greatly exaggerated! Milk kefir gets very acidic; if left in contact with metals for long periods of time, in theory, it could degrade and rust the metal. That metal would then end up in the milk kefir and eventually in you. However, using a stainless steel strainer/sieve or spoon while making milk kefir will not cause any problems. The contact time between the metal utensils and milk kefir will always be very short. Never leave anything metal in contact with milk kefir for long periods of time.
FERMENTATION JAR:
You will need something to ferment your milk kefir in. We recommend using something glass. Glass is much easier to clean and keep sterile. Plastic tends to degrade over time and is prone to scratches, which can harbour unwanted bacteria. Plastic also carries a risk of chemical contamination from the materials contained inside of it, such as BPA. A glass Kilner-style jam jar is perfect to use.
STRAINER/SIEVE:
You will need a strainer/sieve.
JAR COVER:
You will also need something to cover your jar. We recommend paper kitchen towels as they are easy to discard and replace. You can also use a muslin cloth or similar if you wish. Rubber bands also come in handy to secure the cover to the jar. You can also remove the rubber seal from the lid of any swing-top jar (such as the Kilner jars supplied in our kits). With the seal removed, you can close the lid while still allowing airflow during fermentation.
GLASS/PLASTIC MEASURING JUG:
You will need something you can stir your milk kefir with.
WHAT KIND OF MILK SHOULD I USE?
We recommend organic dairy milk for the very best kefir. Cow and goat milk work best. Using whole milk will produce a thick, creamy kefir. Semi-skimmed and skimmed milk still produce kefir, but the consistency is much thinner. Experiment with different kinds of milk to find what you enjoy the most. You can also use raw milk to produce kefir. Using raw milk can carry some risks, so we recommend you do some research on raw milk before making kefir from it.
Although some people have had success with non-dairy milk alternatives such as rice or coconut milk, milk kefir grains do not thrive in non-animal-based milks (see below on using coconut milk). If you have problems with dairy, we suggest you try water kefir grains as a dairy-free alternative.
DO I HAVE TO USE ORGANIC MILK?
No, milk kefir will ferment any type of dairy. We choose to use organic milk with our grains as we believe organic is better. However, if you do not believe that to be the case, you are free to use whatever type of milk you wish while making your own kefir.
ACTIVATION:
You need to activate your milk kefir grains; this is to rehydrate them, making them ready for milk kefir production.
PLEASE NOTE: YOU MAY NEED TO REPEAT THIS ACTIVATION PROCESS UP TO 5 TIMES TO GET THE GRAINS REVIVED.
Place your grains into 250ml (1 cup) of milk and cover your jar. Leave them for up to 48 hours at room temperature (21°C / 70°F) until the milk separates. This can sometimes happen within 24 hours and occasionally take longer than 48 hours. If the milk does not separate within 48 hours, repeat the process with fresh milk.
Repeat this process up to 5 times to fully activate your grains. Sadly, dehydrated grains take some time to activate in comparison to fresh grains.
Look for indications that the milk is starting to thicken or a crust-like layer is forming on the top of the milk, indicating the grains are active.
Once/if the separation has occurred, stir the mixture very well so that no separation is visible. Strain out the milk kefir grains and discard the milk. Often, you will need to stir the milk as it is going through the strainer to help it pass through. Your grains are now activated.
PLEASE NOTE: We write basic guidelines for activation. However, as you are working with a living product, it’s hard to predict how quickly dehydrated milk kefir grains will recover. Usually, it is within 14 days, sometimes longer. Ensure your grains are always at 18-21°C (65-70°F) or above during activation (especially during the winter). We promise they will work. Sadly, all we can offer in terms of advice is that patience is required. If, after 2 weeks, your grains still show no signs of change, please contact us for a replacement.
Once activated, it is normal for grains to produce poor-quality kefir for the first week or two. Often it is very watery or very sour. This is normal; the kefir is still fine to consume. This happens due to the grains still settling into a new environment and recovering from shipping. We urge you to continue with the daily fermentation process listed below. In time, your grains will produce great kefir (usually within 1-3 weeks).
THE FERMENTATION PROCESS:
Once activated, place your grains into 250ml (1 cup) of milk per 5g (1 teaspoon) of milk kefir grains and cover your jar. If possible, try to stir your milk kefir mixture every 6 hours, at the very minimum, every 12 hours. You are looking for the consistency of the milk to change. Kefir never gets as thick as yoghurt. The ideal consistency is that of single cream.
The time it takes for the texture to change depends greatly on the temperature of the room in which the milk kefir is fermenting. Generally, at room temperature (18°C / 65°F), it will take 24 hours for this to happen. During warm summer months, this can happen much faster, and in winter months, much slower. As the milk kefir grains begin to grow in size, the time it takes to ferment will also decrease. Try not to over-ferment your milk kefir.
INCREASING THE AMOUNT OF MILK USED:
Milk kefir grains will grow pretty fast. A good rule of thumb is to use 1 tablespoon (approx. 15g / 0.5 oz) of milk kefir grains per litre (1 quart) of milk once you have enough grains to use that much milk. To begin with, keep an eye on your grains, and once you see they have grown or are over-fermenting the milk kefir too fast, increase the amount of milk used. As a rough guideline, you should be able to double the amount of milk used every 2-3 weeks. Making kefir is not an exact science; lots of environmental factors come into play. Much of fermentation is a trial-and-error process.
WHY IS MY MILK KEFIR NOT THICKENING?
We tend to find that milk kefir can take a little while to settle into a new environment and recover from shipping. This usually takes 2-3 weeks. During that time, you might notice that you get a crust on the milk at the top around the grains. Often only around a third of the milk will thicken around the grains. Underneath that crust, the milk can still be very watery.
Once the grains have settled into their new environment in your home, you will find the milk separates much slower, and you will have a better consistency of kefir fermenting. The kefir produced during this initial phase can still be used as per normal; it just does not have the same thickness and taste it will develop over time. However, it still contains all the beneficial bacteria of normal kefir. Remember, milk kefir grains are a living product, and they need care and nurturing to produce the best quality product possible.
