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Milk Kefir Care & Directions

Milk Kefir Care & Directions:
Grains need new milk, coconut milk or coconut water every 8-14 hours. You will need 2 glass jars with plastic or spring/clamp lids, a nylon mesh sieve and an appropriate size funnel.
I use a 5.5” stainless steel funnel, 5.5” nylon mesh strainer, and glass mason jars with wide mouth plastic lids or regular mouth plastic lids.
Use whole milk (pasteurized is fine but not ultra-pasteurized). I have used organic valley grass fed, Whole Foods 365 organic whole milk, Lulubelle’s Organic Milk, Umpqua Organic Whole Milk and Local Organic Whole Milk in glass bottles. Be careful of organic brands as many of them pasteurize the milk at too high a temperature to feed the grains. Costco organic milk does not work.
Coconut milk or coconut water (pure) can be used but the grains will need to be refreshed with real hormone free non-ultra pasteurized milk (even some pasteurized milk is heated too high).  It can take a couple of attempts for the grains to adjust to new milks.
Coconut milk or coconut water (pure), home made hemp, almond, rice, oat, macadamia, cashew milk can also be used but the grains will need to be refreshed once in a while with real hormone free non-ultra pasteurized milk.  The creamiest and thickest BPA free coconut milk I have found is Whole Foods 365 brand full fat coconut milk.  Once you have strained it and put it in the fridge it sets into a nice thick greek style coconut yogurt.  I also use Aroy D coconut milk which works extremely well but once in a while the result will be more like a drinking yogurt.  You can cut your coconut milk with filtered, non-chlorinated water before culturing it if you want a drinking yogurt.
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Ingredients
  

  • Organic, BPA free milk of choice

Instructions
 

  • Strain the grains using a fine nylon mesh sieve into a new jar. I used to use a screw top 2Qt Mason but now I use a hermetic sealing jug and store it in the fridge for drinking, breadmaking etc.
  • Weigh the grains in a glass jar and add milk proportionally. Store on counter out of direct sunlight for 8-18 hours. Optimal temperature is 22 degrees Celsius/ 72 degrees Fahrenheit. The process will be slower at lower temperatures and faster at higher temperature.

Proportions are as follows:

  • 5g or 1/2 Tbsp grains in 250ml/ 1/2 pint milk
  • 10g or 1Tbsp grains in 0.5 Litre/ 1 Pint milk
  • 20g or 2Tbsp in 1 liter/1 quart milk

Notes

Use a stainless steel funnel.  Other metals will weaken the grains.  I use a nylon mesh sieve because metal ones will also weaken the grains.