Water Kefir

Recipe

welcome-water-kefir

Water Kefir

Ingredients

  • • Water Kefir grains (1 tablespoon)
  • • Jar (approximately 1 litre). The jar does not have to be sealed airtight as long as it can be covered with a cloth and sealed with a rubber band (for example)
  • • Another Jar (approximately 1 litre). That can be sealed airtight (for secondary fermentation)
  • • 1/2-cup raw sugar
  • • Filtered / spring water (1 litre)
  • • Cloth and rubber band to cover jar
  • • Chopped fruit to taste (half a lemon without the skin for example)

Instructions

  1. Dissolve sugar and water in the jar.
  2. Add the kefir grains (use a plastic or wooden spoon when handling the grains).
  3. Add the fruit. Cover with a cloth and seal with rubber band so bugs can’t get in.
  4. Leave at ambient temperatures for about 4 days.
  5. Dispose of the fruit.
  6. Strain the kefir grains (using a plastic strainer or nut milk bag). The general rule is to remove them from the liquid, avoid the grains contacting metal.
  7. Strain the liquid into the sealable jar.
  8. Seal jar and place in the fridge for another 4 days for secondary fermentation.
  9. Repeat the process from the beginning with the (hungry) strained kefir grains.
https://members.smallstepsliving.com/sstf-water-kefir/

Notes

I encourage you to experiment with the fruit flavouring in the next round. (I have used pear before which was awesome). 

Once your bottles are sealed in the fridge they will become pressurized like lemonade or beer. So be careful when opening.

As the kefir grains are alive they will likely multiply when cared for. Don’t be alarmed if this is not the case because the wide variations in culturing conditions and ingredients their multiplication may take time, alas when cared for properly, they should make good water kefir indefinitely. 

As the water kefir grains multiply so will the volume of the drink you make. If you are a little overwhelmed with guilt about how many hungry grains are reproducing and cannot keep up then I suggest storing them covered in the fridge in a water-sugar mixture. This will slow their appetite while you drink your produce. Alternatively share the love and give the grains away.