"The clever cat eats cheese and breathes down rat holes with baited breath." W. C. Fields
Arklatex (01-19-2015),Baglady (01-19-2015),bigwheel (01-18-2015),Inor (01-18-2015),shootbrownelk (02-27-2024)
What is kefir lemonade?
shootbrownelk (02-27-2024)
Normally we make soda that is carbonated naturally by fermentation of water kefir grains and sugar water. This batch we did lemonade which is usually not carbonated. This batch during the second fermentation will be carbonated as we added a bit of sugar with the lemon juice before bottleing. It will sit out at room temp for 24 to 48 hours more to ferment then it goes in the fridge. On chilled it will be ready to drink.
I've got a thread on this stuff somewhere I'll dig it out and bring it here.
Last edited by hawgrider; 01-18-2015 at 05:22 PM.
"The clever cat eats cheese and breathes down rat holes with baited breath." W. C. Fields
Arklatex (01-19-2015),bigwheel (01-18-2015),Chiefster23 (02-27-2024),Inor (01-18-2015),shootbrownelk (02-27-2024)
Sounds good! I'll have to try that one.
shootbrownelk (02-27-2024)
Brought this over from another board I'm on.
So if your in the sticks and you have a cow or a milk source. And you have some kefir grains you can make some cool stuff. Dips, yogurt, cream cheese and shakes.
Milk kefir grains
Milk
Im using what mama wants it ain't cheap but shes happy so anyway..
It takes about one tablespoon kefir grains for one pint of milk.
Put that in a canning jar cover it with a coffee filter or muslin cloth put a rubberband on it to keep fruit flys out of it. Leave it out at room temp 24 hours.
Then take the grains out by using a plastic strainer don't use any metal tools they can kills the grains.
Now take the kefir milk you just made and pour it into some muslin cloth in a quart jar and let it sit in the frig for 24 hours or more to get the thickness you want for what you decided to make.
Below you can see they whey draining off.... curds and whey right lol
So this time went with dip its got chives, spicy curry powder, garlic salt and pepper it is real tasty.
So now you have all this whey left over what do you do with it?
I will show you soon...... hint- fermented vegetables
"The clever cat eats cheese and breathes down rat holes with baited breath." W. C. Fields
Arklatex (01-19-2015),bigwheel (01-18-2015),Box of frogs (07-24-2022),Inor (01-18-2015)
Here is the other thing I do with kefir grains. This is water kefir which is different than the milk kefir. I've been making a naturally carbonated soft drink.
You can see the grains in the square glass jar above. This was my first batch I made black cherry soda and lemon aid 2 bottles each. My second batch is brewing in that square jar. It ferments for 24 hours at room temp between 68 and 85 degrees will work it will make a half gallon or 8 16 oz bottles.
The second batch bottled we did ginger ale, Lemon aid, black cherry and grape.
So to brew a batch you need to use well water or you can use spring water from the store or whatever just no city water with chlorine.
Use 1/4 cup sugar for each quart of water the kefir grain feed on the sugar.
Add 3 to 4 tablespoons of water kefir grains to each quart of water.
Cover with Muslin cloth and secure to keep fruit flys out.
Ferment for 24 hours then separate the grains from your fresh batch of kefir water and its ready to consume, flavor or refrigerate.
To make the lemon aid add 1/4 cup lemon juice to each quart of water serve cold. or if you want it fizzy add a heaping teaspoon of sugar to the bottle cap and let sit another 24 hours at room temp it will continue fermenting feeding off the sugar to make the carbonation. you have to add the sugar because lemon juice has no sugar. No sugar means no carbonation.
To make the soda combine 4 parts of water kefir to one part fruit juice then bottle and let stand at room temp for 24 hours or more depending on how much fizz you want. Ive gone 2 days and it has as much carbonation as coke cola.
Go to your brewing beer shop and buy good quality bottles like you see in the pictures as this stuff builds some wicked pressure.
So your thinking man.... that's a lot of sugar. Well yeah it is but the grains feed on the sugar so the end product isn't loaded with sugar at all. The longer you leave it bottled whether in the frig or at room temp the less sweet the product will be. *NOTE* be careful leaving it out at room temp for too long these thing will explode!!! I go about 2 day at room temp bottled then they go in the fridge. Ive left them in the fridge for a week they get pretty pressurized but Ive had no explosions .....yet8-)
BTW I'm am not a health freak but for those that are this may appeal to you as its pro-biotic. Same with the milk kefir its all basically cultured which is good for the gut!
"The clever cat eats cheese and breathes down rat holes with baited breath." W. C. Fields
Arklatex (01-19-2015),Box of frogs (07-24-2022),Chiefster23 (02-27-2024),shootbrownelk (02-27-2024)
^^^ +50 on that one!
Thanks!
hawgrider (01-18-2015),shootbrownelk (02-27-2024)
So to use the whey you can ferment some veggies.
Here is some mixed veggies
Makes one quart jar.
To ferment them using the kefir whey do as follows.
1 tablespoon kosher or Himalayan salt.
1 to 2 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons dill seed or a handful of fresh dill
1 teaspoon black peppercorn
1/4 cup kefir whey
Use filtered well water cover veggies leave one inch head space in quart jar.
Leave out at room temp for 5 days burp jars daily to relieve pressure.
Fresh green beans are really good with this recipe.
After 3 to 5 days at room temp put in the frig they will keep for several weeks.
Last edited by hawgrider; 06-25-2015 at 07:44 AM. Reason: Found a error
"The clever cat eats cheese and breathes down rat holes with baited breath." W. C. Fields
Arklatex (01-19-2015),shootbrownelk (02-27-2024)
We are now using raw milk for the milk kefir products as we are now leasing a cow so no more ruined pasteurized government controlled milk.
"The clever cat eats cheese and breathes down rat holes with baited breath." W. C. Fields
Box of frogs (07-24-2022),Inor (01-18-2015),shootbrownelk (07-24-2022)
Box of frogs (07-24-2022)