My Resilient Milk Kefir Grains

Kefir Grains

Milk kefir.  Have you ever tried it?  It is chock-full of wonderful probiotics and other health benefits. 

 When I wanted to try kefir,  I wanted the actual grains so I wouldn't have to buy a powdered starter again and again.  If you don't know anyone that has some grains they can give you, you can purchase some from a reputable company, like these from Cultures for Health.  (The grains look kind of like cauliflower.)  

If you've never had milk kefir before, it is like a thick milk that tastes similar to yogurt but with more of a twang... almost like it has wine in it.  No, you don't get a buzz from drinking kefir.  That's just kind of how it tastes to me.

When I first got it, it took some getting used to.  I still don't enjoy drinking it straight, but do love it in smoothies.  (I've got some great recipes to share with you later this week.)  I went through a spell where I was drinking it fairly regularly, but then I just stopped.  I'm not quite sure why.

So, I decided to put my milk kefir grains with some fresh milk into the refrigerator.  It stayed there for close to 6 months. 

A few weeks ago, I thought I'd better see if I'd killed off my grains.  I strained off the kefir it had been sitting in all those months, rinsed them with filtered water, put them in some fresh milk in a clean jar, and left them on the counter.

And you know what?  Yep, you guessed it.  They were alive and started to do their thing.  After a couple batches I was right back up to having freshly fermented kefir every 24 hours or so.

Now that I'm back having milk kefir smoothies as a afternoon snack, I've noticed that my blood sugar is more balanced and that I'm not craving "bad" food.  I thought it was just me until I read that that was one of the side-benefits to drinking kefir.

Do you drink milk kefir?  If so, let me know your favorite way to use it!

I'm so glad I'm not a kefir grain murderer.  I don't know how I could have lived with myself.