OT: Kefir Revisited

Dave Rishar

Dave Rishar

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Oct 25, 2004
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One truly can find anything on Ebay.

After tracking down some kefir grains and kombucha culture, I found a source of raw milk within walking distance of my house. My first batch of kefir was completed last night. It probably could've stood to ferment for a few more hours but I figured that I'd try it "sweet" first. I took only a sip last night - in my experience, if something's tainted and I'm going to get sick it happens in the first few hours. No problems this morning so I polished off a glass.

Now, having never tried this before I'm not quite sure what it's supposed to taste like. My best description of what I've got is that it tastes like an extremely sharp cheese and has a sour smell similar to yoghurt, but a bit different. I found it very unusual - not bad, but very unusual. Is this correct, more or less?

Part of its unusual taste may be the raw milk. I'd never tried raw milk before and I sampled it. I have to say, I prefer homogeonized milk. Again, not bad but unusual. I'm planning on switching to organic homogeonized milk after I've used up the raw stuff.

Whoever mentioned that it suppresses appetites was spot on. One small (4 ounces or so) glass and two cups of coffee and I haven't been hungry yet today. Very interesting stuff.

As for the kombucha...I'll get back to you in a week or two.
 
So it suppresses hunger hunh? Sounds like something I may need.:D

Satori, don't really know if you're a country or city boy but just in case you're a city boy you do realize the need to really shake up raw milk before you drink it don't you? :confused:
The cream will rise too the top and needs too be mixed in with the milk or it doesn't taste right, at least too me.

I'd really like to know more about how long it works as an appetite suppresant. Like a lot of fat people I really don't eat that much but then I am too much of a mouse potato to keep what I do eat worked off my body.:rolleyes: :grumpy:
 
If you are buying raw milk from a local farmer, you can pasturize it on your stove. Simply heat to just below boiling. Them bacteria things can't take the heat.

Wacherinput.







Be well and safe and pasturized. :)
 
Kefir is somewhat thickened milk, but not as thick and creamy as yogurt, it has an acidic type taste, kind of tart and tangier than yogurt. Might have little lumps in it.

I would use pasteurized milk. Raw milk has a lot of wild bacteria, yeasts and stuff in it already, so you might not be tasting the actual kefir culture but a mix.

The beauty of making cheese and other stuff is that there are some bacteria that are in milk that is local that gives it it's unique character. On the other hand if you are not careful you can ruin your stuff. Especially in the summer chances of yeasts or coliform bacteria causing your milk to spoil rather than culture, or your cheese to blow up and rot. During those hot humid times better to pasteurize the milk.
 
Yep, it's got a bit of an unusual taste to it. I don't know about the raw milk part. Never heard about the appetite suppresant, but that's interesting.

Reminds me of being a young 'un on my grandmother's farm. We would get up, and milk the cows. Oh man was it early in the morning. I still remember those big milk cans that the milk man would come and pick up, dropping off some pasteurized milk at the same time.
 
IF you live in a urban area, try the nutrition departments of the grocery stores. The company I work for sells it in both Raspberry and Strawberry flavors.
 
Thanks for the advice, guys. I'll try to address everyone in one post.

45-70 - my area is not that urban - I've looked. Most folks around here have never heard of the stuff.

HD, Kismet - I'll try pasteurized after this jug's done for.

Yvsa - I'm kind of an everywhere boy. I knew about shaking the stuff up but not from previous experience. (Actually, I remembered it from stories my folks told me when I was a kid.) It still tastes kind of strange to me. As for the appetite, between the kefir and coffee I had to force myself to eat breakfast. (I'd gone to the VFW with friends; one of them was paying. It would've been rude of me to refuse to go or to eat.) I also had to force myself to eat dinner for the same reason - a friend dropped by unexpectedly and wanted to prepare dinner. She brought a lot of food. It would've been very rude to refuse...that, and I hadn't had salmon in a while. ;)

Well, over the course of the day I drank the whole jar without any problems. I'm guessing there was no contamination or I would be feeling it by now. Batch #2 is going to wait a second day, although it smells exactly the same as the first batch. I don't find the taste/smell disagreable but I wouldn't want my prime rib to taste that way, if you know what I mean. I'm guessing that it's kind of an aquired taste. For the record, I didn't like beer the first couple of times that I tried it either and we all know how that turned out. :)

Very interesting stuff. I'm curious about how the tea will turn out. I'm seeing tiny bubbles at the surface so I'm guessing that the culture took.
 
Some tips:
I think you would benefit by joining this group and checking in once in a while and scanning the messages I have found it very informative:
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/Kefir_making/

I have also found that too much kefir such as a 1/2 gallon per day will cause constipation.A tablespoon of whole flax seed will take care of that usually. To check out flax seed put some in some water and let it sit overnite and it turns into a fairly thick muscilage.

I personally love the taste and most of all the tangy fizzy carbonation which results from the yeast turning the milk sugar into alcohol.

Be careful to keep the tops of your containers loose so the gas can escape or the plastic milk cartoons can burst open.

If you use the 2% fat milk you will find the curds and whey will separate and you will get a lot more whey than you would get with whole milk and the kefir will be much thinner.

On the Kombucha-It is (to me) very similar to the old military 3.2 beer or a good fermented apple cider.
The lady that sent me my culture used Tazo black organic spice tea. If you will combine your tea with about an equal amount of club soda it will be an excellent beer-like thirst quencher.

After making my new sugared tea in a stainless steel boiler I cool it down with ice cubes to room temp then place it in the gallon glass fermenting jar. I then lift up the "scoby" from the plate I laid it on and put it in on top of the cool new batch of tea and let it work it's magic for a week. I then place the fermented tea into the empty club soda bottles because they won't explode if the kombucha keeps working. :D
 
I'll skip the kefir, thanks. I've no desire to drink something with hardened camel spit in it. Kefir can be collected from any rumiant animal as a calf, sheep, goats, etc.
 
PherrousWeal said:
I'll skip the kefir, thanks. I've no desire to drink something with hardened camel spit in it. Kefir can be collected from any rumiant animal as a calf, sheep, goats, etc.
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Keith, would you mind enumerating on that a bit more? :eek: Please tell me that Kefir isn't hardened camel or other rumiant animal spit! :barf:
Guess I've eaten worse though and didn't know it.:rolleyes: :grumpy: ;)
 
Camel Spit? That's kind of exotic... somebody could make a lot of $$$ off of camel spit..just needs a good marketing plan..
 
Jebadiah_Smith said:
Heck, I dont care if it is spit. My mouth is full of spit at this very moment.
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And does that mean you would French Kiss a Camel?!?!?!? :eek: :rolleyes: :p :D
How about a LLama, or a big ol' Cow, now she could wipe yer tonsil's down ainnit?
And if she liked you she might even go fer a deep throat!!!!! :p :rolleyes: :eek: :D ;)

LMRRAO!!!!!

You oughta know better than that Jeb.;)
 
Yvsa said:
And does that mean you would French Kiss a Camel?!?!?!? :eek: :rolleyes: :p :D
How about a LLama, or a big ol' Cow, now she could wipe yer tonsil's down ainnit?
And if she liked you she might even go fer a deep throat!!!!! :p :rolleyes: :eek: :D ;)

LMRRAO!!!!!

You oughta know better than that Jeb.;)
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Yvsa you oughta know "Once you go camel, you never go back".

How come you never rip on the Bastid and his goats? Thats animal discrimination! Im calling the ACLU!
 
Again, thanks for the advice. Second batch came out smelling like the first...I'm guessing that this is the way it's supposed to be. That puts my mind at ease. It seemed too easy. (I almost never get something to work correctly the first time.)

As for blocking up the works, it's going to be a while before I have enough grains to make a half gallon in one day. I'll certainly keep it in mind though.

The tea is on its second day. No more visible bubbles and the starter scoby is parked at the bottom, but there are some "swirlies" that weren't there before and it's definitely picking up a tart smell. I guess it's doing its thing.

Another lesson in patience. I needed it.
 
Jebadiah_Smith said:
Yvsa you oughta know "Once you go camel, you never go back".

How come you never rip on the Bastid and his goats? Thats animal discrimination! Im calling the ACLU!
Click to expand...
Well I have heard that Jeb, from guys like you, but never experienceing it myself, or wanting too, I'll just have too take your word for it.:p :D ;)

I just mentioned a goat, in context with a woman, in another thread a while ago, no need to call the ACLU!!!! :eek: :rolleyes: :p ;)
 
Yvsa said:
Well I have heard that Jeb, from guys like you, but never experienceing it myself, or wanting too, I'll just have too take your word for it.:p :D ;)

I just mentioned a goat, in context with a woman, in another thread a while ago, no need to call the ACLU!!!! :eek: :rolleyes: :p ;)
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Its too late, I already called the ACLU, the UCLA, the NAACP, and the NCAA. Im not sure those last three will be much help...

We better quit before the smarta$$ who made Gay Manatee and Homo Hamster makes a Gay Camel account. :eek: :p
 
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