I'd like to start making kefir and thought perhaps someone here might have grains to share/sell/swap.

Anyone have any? Have any experience making kefir?

I made my first batch today using packaged starter - not grains. Yummy. Would love to alternate between kefir and yogurt days.

thanks!
Cathy

I don't, but would love some, too! I love making yogurt but have never tried making kefir (love to drink it though!).

I am looking too. I have posted all kinds of places with no luck. I made a great recipe on accident. SAmantha was trying to help and watered down a bowl full of kefir by about 1/2 the other day. Rather than throwing it out (it was not drinkable), I tossed it in a jar with a 1/2 cup or so chunked dryed pineapple. I let it soak in the fridge for days as I forgot about it. When I took it out, all the water was gone and it was REALLY think. I tossed it in the blender and had to add a little more kefir to get it blended it was so thick. Once done, it was WAY too sweet. The pineapple was only slightly sweetened so I am thinking Samantha must have sweetened the watered-down stuff. So, I put in 1/4 cup lemon juice. Tolerable but still sweet. I decided not to let it go to waste. (Ever frugal). Walking by the table, I say the bowl of peanut butter Samantha had gotten herself and only eaten a little of. I tossed a couple of spoonfuls of that in the pineapple kefir and stirred. Yum! SAmantha liked it too. So, I will be adding fresh pineapple and peanut butter to my next kefir smoothie.

I found a source - costs $13ppd to get the starter grains. You can email the guy at Yaphey" <welovekefir@yahoo.com> for more info. I found him from a Nourishing Traditions yahoo group.

So far I am using the commercial starter and loving it! A friend of mine said she almost vomited when she opened her first batch of finished grain-produced kefir, smelled like mildewed clothing she said. While her experience doesn't have to be mine it is certainly tempering my enthusiasm to pay up $13 at the moment..... On the other hand, if anyone here wants to buy the grains and then dehydrate some when their starter grows too big and ship some to me - I'd be delighted to pay $5 or so for that opportunity. Or if someone wants to offer to buy some starter from me, again, that would be all I need to make the initial investment/effort/experiment.

According to the kefir-making sites I found kefir-grain produced kefir is far more nutritious than the commercial starter stuff I am using, and eventually, far less expensive. I just don't see devoting myself to a regular kefir grain ritual....

Would LOVE to have someone who is actually using the grains post here about their experience. Anyone?

oh, my gosh, cathy, michelle, and linda, care to start at the beginning for uneducated ol' me? i'd love to join the kefir train! :) and i'll gladly pony p $13 ppd for non-dairy (?) kefir? b/c dd can't have dairy and i'm still b-feeding her.

alycia (kisses to you all in advance) :smooch:

I had water grains, but I killed them. I could not tolerate it, it made me feel drunk. :lol:

I am using commercial dairy kefir for me and Samantha. Tests show she is not allergic and she seems to tolerate it. We avoid it for her by choice. I am allergic to whey but thus far have not had a problem with kefir. Beth has not had much yet. She has been too congested for other reasons to try it. I just want plain kefir grains (dairy based) to do juice or coconut milk kefir.

Google kefir and you get a lot of info. There is a huge amount of info and recipes on MDC.

i tried making it from 2 different starter batches, and i usually forgot to feed them ... i think they are dead, they are actually in the cabinet now- still smell the same to me, really yeasty. like beer kindof. i hate beer, and the smell of it as well.