Kefir: receiving new grains, fermenting, looking after, freezing. From start to finish in 8 days.

[@ashlang958]

I put mine in ice-cube trays with a little milk and freeze. Once frozen I transfer them to freezer bags. Works a treat!

[@jaynepaul-mostlycooking8085]

Great idea!

[@kbdefay]

I really enjoyed your video. I learned a lot and you explained the process in such a way that it is not so intimidating. Make more videos!

[@jaynepaul-mostlycooking8085]

Glad it was helpful! We also have a few videos on making halloumi cheese which gives a better result than shop-bought.

[@orinjoysdad6868]

That was great, i like your mannerisms

[@jaynepaul-mostlycooking8085]

Thank you! 😃

[@SchnuffiJames]

I have read that when starting kefir grains, you should use UHT milk until they have a good start to minimise any bad bacterial growth.

[@jacquelinelemoine8807]

I would like to thank you for explaining it in such a manner that it made sense. Yes it is a simple thing to do, but you explained it. Mine was going into curds and whey to fast. Plus using to many grains for what I can consume. Plus freezing them makes a lot of sense. Triple bagging them. 😊👍😎☕️💐 From Somerset, Manitoba, Canada Have a great day.

[@jaynepaul-mostlycooking8085]

We found it separated quickly when there were a lot of grains, and the weather was hot. We need to triple-bag as our freezer generates a LOT of ice crystals.

[@manuelsilva4362]

Thank you.

[@LittleCountryCabin]

Precious!

[@kathytegreene1562]

Thank you for your video. You are delightful. I am envious that you can get raw milk from a vending machine. We are currently in Martinique where only UHT is available.

[@gg-wk2ww]

To save the grains, you can dry the grains at around 80 to 90 degrees and then you can place in the freezer for yrs. The grains themselves don't like light

[@jaynepaul-mostlycooking8085]

Thanks gg, This is really interesting. Up until now we've only worked with wet grains. I'll give this a try - very useful to know, thanks!

[@lizchilders4154]

My Kefir sits on the kitchen counter for 24 hours. Room temp 77 degrees. Cap on. Not necessarily in the dark.

[@jaynepaul-mostlycooking8085]

My personal results actually do confirm your findings, although general wisdom is that light levels are critical. In the winter I too leave my kefir on the kitchen work surface out of the sun. It seems to perform less well in dark cupboards. When there was a heatwave (39 C, 102 F) it became thin fast so I put it into a dark, cool garage cupboard (15 C / 59 F). It was not flourishing in there either, so I then put it in the lounge in a cupboard (24 C / 75 F). That also wasn't doing the trick, so I moved it onto the top of a different cupboard, same room, same temperature, and it flourished with good results. I don't know if it was the residual chemicals used in furniture making (formaldehyde, etc), or the light levels that affected the kefir negatively, however I suspect it was the lack of circulating microbes from human activity that constantly churn in the air. This may have been important! I suspect this, as so many bakers are claiming such findings and also some lager brewers have found an open window is critical to allow wild microbes into the air! I personally don't think light is that important, but full sun is detrimental. The general view, however, is that light levels are important. Happy kefir making!

[@Jjhillb]

Your great. Enjoyed the content 😊

[@jaynepaul-mostlycooking8085]

Thank you so much 😁

[@maricarol85]

So I'm just wondering if your frozen grains survived and worked again. Also, how long is it safe to freeze them? Thanks!

[@jaynepaul-mostlycooking8085]

We often freeze a batch when we have too much. It just needs to be double-bagged to prevent freezer burn. We've thawed them after a year and they've been fine.

[@maricarol85]

Wow! A year? That's great! I've also read about people who bury the grains in milk powder in a jar or bag to prevent freezer burn. It sounds like your method works wonderfully, too. 🙂

[@dorothygrierson2740]

Fat floats , so my best thoughts are the grains grow well with high fat milk. ( raw ) is best.xxxx

[@jaynepaul-mostlycooking8085]

We're lucky to have access to pasture-fed, raw local milk. It gives us the best results.

[@Alice-es2rs]

How many grams of Kefir Grains for how many ML of milk?

[@jaynepaul-mostlycooking8085]

Hi Alice, thanks for your question. It's not a straightforward answer I'm afraid. I generally use about 400-450 ml milk for every tablespoon (15g) of wet kefir grains. This usually takes 24h at 26C/78F. If the environment is colder, say 19C/66F I will double the amount of kefir grains, otherwise it takes 48h or more. Also, expect a very slow start using kefir grains from frozen for a first fermentation. I explain in more details in my other videos: How to freeze kefir without killing it. kzbin.info/www/bejne/gpytoJ1qoc6ria8 Why is my kefir so thin? kzbin.info/www/bejne/iIOofouvjZ2Li9E

[@Amoore1991]

Why are my kefir grains taking so long to culture my milk? I guess they are starting to do something since they are getting all congealed at the bottom and milk is turning yellow. Any idea when they will finally acclimate? Any tips? Thank you :)

[@jaynepaul-mostlycooking8085]

I would change the milk after 3 days to stop it going sour. filter the grains out, and add them to fresh milk. Raw, whole milk is best, organic full-fat is second best, third choice would be pasteurised full-fat, If you use UHT you may get poor results. Also keep them at a stable temperature and in the dark. Hope this helps!

[@Amoore1991]

@@jaynepaul-mostlycooking8085 thanks for the response! The grains were actually making really yeasty kefir. Had to put them in fresh milk in the fridge for 48 hrs. Hopefully the bacteria and yeast will balance out cause it taste quite terrible now.

[@gracecotton9819]

@@Amoore1991 Did this balance out?

[@cmymotion]

Why are you cutting the plastic bag?

[@jaynepaul-mostlycooking8085]

Just to get in, it's too difficult to untie. Sometimes we use bag ties so we don't need to cut the bag. We don't re-use them.

[@craftgeniusideas8856]

Amazing content .keep it up😍Wanna be Friends ?

[@jaynepaul-mostlycooking8085]

Yes we can