A couple months ago, I made a purchase from Cultures for Health that I’d thought long and hard about. I’ve been making my own yogurt since early March and wanted to take a leap into a couple more cultured foods. After looking at all my options and considering which would be 1) easiest to work with (i.e., most difficult to screw up), and 2) most likely to be regularly consumed by my husband and I, I reached a decision.

I chose three: 1) dairy kefir grains, 2) a kombucha scoby, and 3) sourdough starter. My order (with shipping) was nearly $50. So, needless to say, I wanted to take my time with each thing and make sure I got it right. I decided to begin with the dairy kefir grains. The sourdough starter would keep for a while in the pantry and the kombucha scoby would be fine in the fridge for a couple weeks.

First, I read everything I could find on dairy kefir. I read all the instructions, tips and frequently asked questions on the CFH website. I googled dairy kefir and read many of the articles that surfaced. I decided on a plan of action and began to implement my plan the day after receiving my CFH package in the mail.

I needed to choose the variety of milk I was going to use and then be consistent. Kefir grains don’t like to be cultured in a different kind of milk each time. They like things to stay the same. (I have the same proclivity sometimes!) I decided on Snowville Creamery’s whole milk. It’s milk from grassfed cows in my state that is nonhomogenized, pasturized at the lowest permitted temperature, and readily available at several different stores in my area. It’s good milk. We own a herdshare and purchase a gallon of raw milk per week. However, we choose to use our raw milk just for drinking. We consume A LOT of milk! Almost three gallons a week total. So, we drink the gallon of raw and use the other 1 1/2 to 2 gallons of Snowville for cooking, culturing and serving to guests who don’t want raw.

One morning, I put my dairy kefir grains in a cup of milk, gently stirred, covered with a piece of worn kitchen towel secured with a rubberband, and let sit on the counter for 24 hours. I used a pint-sized glass canning jar. Carefully following the directions, I made sure not to let any metal touch the grains, only using plastic, glass or wood utensils. The next morning, I used a plastic sprouting jar lid to drain the kefir, deposited the grains in a clean glass jar, stirred in a fresh cup of milk and began the process all over again. Since my kefir grains came in a dehydrated state and needed to be rehydrated, the kefir formed the first 3 or 4 days was not fit for consumption. It was more like soured milk than kefir and needed to be discarded. However, once the kefir began to thicken up overnight to the consistency of thin yogurt it was ready to use! I put my newly formed kefir in the fridge and allow to cool.

Since then, I’ve cultured one cup of kefir per day. I have about a tablespoon of grains. So, technically, I have enough to culture a quart of kefir per day. However, most days I don’t need that much. If the need for more arises, I’ll simply put my grains into a quart of milk rather than a cup.

My husband, Larry, chooses not to drink any kefir. So, I usually have a kefir smoothie each afternoon. It’s a wonderful treat and is so good for me! I put my cup of cold kefir into the blender along with any fresh or frozen fruit I want, a teaspoon of raw honey, and a tablespoon of coconut oil. Oh, my! It seems so decadent, but is absolutely filled with probiotic cultures good for my gut, and has plenty of beneficial fat, fiber and antioxidants.