Milk Kefir

We make a lot of kefir. We drink it every day along with making kefir cheese and kefir sodas, so we make it daily. As usual, my husband and kids were helping me make kefir on April 1st, 2014. As I poured out the jugs into the strainer, no kefir grains appeared. . .

I love winter kefir! It’s often creamier and thicker than summer kefir. Kefir acts differently in the winter than in the warmer months of the year, due to cooler temperatures that make it ferment more slowly. […]

I make a lot of kefir cheese. I use kefir cheese in place of any recipe that calls for cream cheese, sour cream, or Greek yogurt. It’s very versatile, and the length of time you strain it will determine how thick it becomes. . .

Kefir Cheese and Whey Making kefir whey and cheese is something I do many times a week. It doesn’t take long, and the whey will culture a multitude of foods. The whey in kefir has many benefits, so don’t throw it out! One of the things I hope to accomplish with this blog is to…

Staying healthy can be a daunting challenge for most people. Life gets crazy at times, but most of the articles I write are meant to give you little things you can do that can make a big difference. […]

Kefir can be made with many different kinds of milk, be it non-dairy or dairy milk. It differs in calories and nutritional differences depending on which type of milk you use. Kefir is far superior to regular milk. Fermentation is the alchemy of milk. […]

I love my kefir grains and they love me. It’s true! We’ve been in a long relationship for over twenty years and they never cease to amaze me with everything they can do. […]

There are many ways to make kefir with many different types of milk, and believe me, I’ve tried them all. Mostly to try to help you. I have some of my favorites, but I will explain which ones you can use and let you know my favorites too. […]

When your feet hit the ground in the morning are you pumped about the day? Do you feel appreciation and love for others? Do you have energy that will last all day? Did you know that you are supposed to feel this way? […]

Kefir is my favorite cultured food. It has the most probiotic strains of any cultured food (over 50 strains) and is also super easy to make. It was the first cultured food I tried and it made me well in so many ways that I started on a journey to learn all I could about this magical food. […]

“Kefir is worth the trouble of making. Like all things virtuous, you have to struggle to gain the reward. Trust me, the rewards are many.” Donna In these summer months, has your kefir been fermenting faster and turning  into curds and whey before you know it? In the summertime, kefir can change and many people…

If you love cheese then you really need to learn to make kefir cheese. It’s crazy easy, filled with probiotics, and you can use it in a million different ways. I make kefir cheese in big and small batches and I want to show you how you can do it too. […]

I’ve been eating cultured foods for two almost two decades and this recipe has been on the blog almost from the very beginning. I’m always scrambling to make recipes that my family would enjoy and eat that have probiotics and prebiotics. […]

Perhaps you’ve seen this happen, and it even happens to me from time to time: My kefir will get really sour. This can happen for several reasons. During your first ferment, you let your kefir ferment too long on your counter, or your house might be warmer than usual. […]

Many years ago I discovered a way to make kefir not only taste better but also increase the nutrients in it. It is the only way that I make my kefir now because it is so delicious. The process is called second-fermenting. I have to admit that the reason I second fermented my kefir is that it tasted so much better. […]

In March 2010 I was turning fifty years old and facing down demons in my life. Our home was going on the auction block on my birthday. I was fighting fear and had two voices in my head. One was filled with hope, the other with panic and fear. Looking back on this time, I remember it so vividly. Months of fear slowly began to turn to hope and for no other reason than I stopped listening to the voice of fear and started to believe that no matter what, I was guided and loved and it would be ok. . .

This recipe is in my new book Cultured Food in a Jar. I only make recipes that are easily incorporated into my life because I’m crazy busy and I want recipes to care for my body and busy microbes. This recipe fits the bill. It has only two ingredients and it’s so easy to make. […]

I love kefir that is thick like yogurt. However, it can sometimes be difficult to strain out the kefir grains. There is a super easy remedy for this. Enjoy the benefits of kefir and find an easy and quick way to strain it. Check out the video for tips. […]

Goat milk was a godsend for my tiny daughter, Holli. She was born eight weeks premature and this little one rocked my world. I became a woman on a mission to help her be well. Nursing this tiny infant was a challenge […]

Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house,
no creature was stirring not even a mouse. When out from the kitchen there came such a clatter, a bubbling, and hissing . . . and even a splatter. […]

This little guy in the picture is my puppy Scoby (pronounced like kombucha SCOBY) enjoying his kefir. Kefir is incredibly good for dogs and we hear many stories of how it helps them in so many ways. Did you know that your pets need probiotics, too? […]

Why on earth am I writing about bacteria? A few years ago I was nearly non-functional. I felt terrible. I had zero energy. All food made me sick – especially healthy food. I didn’t want to go anywhere or do anything and was seriously thinking I would end up going on disability at work. […]

A few weeks ago I had a dream about kefir. I was watching TV in my dream and heard a newscaster say that kefir had swept the world and there was now kefir in every kitchen. I woke up and carried that dream with me for weeks. If everybody drank kefir, the world would be a better place. I am convinced of this. […]

What is Kefir? “What is kefir?” You’ve probably asked yourself this before. Pronounced “KEE-fuhr,” kefir is a tangy, slightly fizzy, FANTASTIC fermented milk beverage. It can be made with all kinds of different milks, dairy and non dairy. It looks similar to yogurt, but is far superior. Click here to learn more on the difference between kefir…

Gather Your Materials Milk or Non-Dairy Milk Most milk types are acceptable, including whole milk, fat-reduced, non-fat, pasteurized, and homogenized. Fresh raw whole cow’s milk is delicious too and goat kefir is one of my favorites! Please don’t use ultra-pasteurized milk when making kefir. Your kefir won’t do well. Many times organic milk that you…