Just when I got our family acquainted with the lemongrass concoction last year, I am again giddy over introducing kefir to our family. I have Tita Jane of HerestoLife.wordpress.com to thank for. Last Saturday, during the launch of Globe’s Tattoo sim and ImmortalTXT, she handed me the famous kefir grains. I really so appreciate her heart, even going out of her way to bring those containers with the kefir culture in it to give away to friends. The inconvenience of it all! You can’t find a whole lot of people like her nowadays and I’m really just so happy that I have met her through the bloggers network via Plurk. 🙂 I have to admit that it has been months since I started lurking and reading through her “kefir posts”, curious and all, I never had the chutzpah to start culturing the probiotic myself.  And now that she handed me the culture with the kefir grains in it, I am left with no choice but to get down to it and get started on being a “kefirhead” myself.
So there, before I babble on and get into this kefir madness and proceed with kefir jargon, allow me to sink everything in as I catch my breath. Here is Tita Jane’s post on the kefir process. And just for those who do not know what kefir is. Here are more information straight from Wikipedia:
Kefir (alternately kefÄ«rs, keefir, kephir, kewra, talai, mudu kekiya, milkkefir, búlgaros) is a fermented milk drink that originated in the Caucasus region. It is prepared by inoculating cow, goat, or sheep’s milk with kefir grains. Traditional kefir was made in skin bags that were hung near a doorway; the bag would be knocked by anyone passing through the doorway to help keep the milk and kefir grains well mixed.
OVERVIEW
Kefir grains are a combination of bacteria and yeasts in a matrix of proteins, lipids, and sugars. This symbiotic matrix forms grains that resemble cauliflower. Today, kefir is becoming increasingly popular due to new research into its health benefits. Many different bacteria and yeasts are found in the kefir grains, which are a complex and highly variable community of micro-organisms.[1]Traditional kefir is fermented at ambient temperatures, generally overnight. Fermentation of the lactose yields a sour, carbonated, slightly alcoholic beverage, with a consistency similar to thin yoghurt.[2] Kefir fermented by small-scale dairies early in the 20th century achieved alcohol levels between 1 and 2 percent, but kefir made commercially with modern methods of production has less than 1% alcohol, possibly due to reduced fermentation time.[3]Â Variations that thrive in various other liquids exist. They may vary markedly from kefir in both appearance and microbial composition. Water kefir (or kefir d’acqua) is grown in water with sugar (sometimes with added dry fruit such as figs, and lemon juice) for a day or more at room temperature.
For my regular readers, you probably know me too well to expect that I would stop at this post. More articles about kefir coming up. Meanwhile, allow me to finish my yummy and refreshing Banana-Mango kefir smoothie. 😀
