Quarter Cup Florida Sun Kefir Exclusive LIVE Prickly Pear Cactus Nodules Virgin Water Kefir Grains Unused

Some years back I had milk kefir grains and enjoyed making my own kefir. Then there was a giant hurricane and a lot of things got lost, my grains among them.This time around, I decided to try water kefir. It's healthy, tasty, and I'm trying to cut down on dairy. I bought these after reading the reviews and I highly recommend them.There was a bit more than two tablespoons in the order, enough to start brewing right away. The directions were clear and easy. They state that it might take a batch or two of sugar water to revive the grains and get fermentation, but my very first batch fermented up just fine. Now, only three batches later and I have close to a cup and a half of healthy grains and I can start experimenting with different flavors.I don't drink soda anymore, but I miss the fizziness and flavor of it. The fermentation reduces the sugar in this kefir (to about 20% of the original amount, from all information I've been able to find). I use a bit more unsulfured molasses than recommended and the 1/3 cup sugar in the recipe and the fermented result is lightly fizzy with a perfect balance of tart and sweet. Add a bit of vanilla extract and it tastes like cream soda!There are lots of recipes on the web for water kefir, so I won't go into that here. There is also lots of documentation about the healthiness of fermented foods. The trick is finding something that is relatively easy to access, not highly processed and that tastes good enough to look forward to. I like both dairy and water kefir so that's what I look for. The trick to success in making kefir at home is to find an excellent supplier of grains.This is it. This is the one. If you're going to make water kefir, buy your grains here.Edited 5/24/2013 for update: These grains are amazing. I have easily three cups stashed away in the fridge and am brewing everyday with the remaining cup to cup and a half of grains. I'd estimate that every brewing cycle is increasing my grains by about a half cup, maybe more. The fermentation is light, but steady. I can taste the breakdown of the sugar and progress of the fermentation easily at about the 24-hour mark, though I leave the brew to sit for at least 48 hours.Edited 5/26/2013 for update: Did you ever see that Star Trek episode about Tribbles? Well, that's where I am with these grains! As of yesterday, I have two gallons of water kefir and a full TWO QUARTS of grains in my refrigerator! They're everywhere! I'm going to have to start eating them just to reduce the volume! I wonder if I could live on them. I'm not much of a gardener but, goodness, can I grow these kefir grains! Maybe I can save on groceries. ;-)

These kefir grains are amazing! I’ve been making my own water kefir for a few weeks now, and the results have been fantastic. The grains arrived fresh and ready to use, and the fermentation process was easy. The flavor is light and refreshing, with a subtle tang that I really enjoy. It’s great to be able to make my own healthy probiotic drink at home. I’m very happy with this purchase and will continue to use these grains for future batches.

I got my grains and put half the package in a wide mouth quart jar with unsulphered molasses and smart water.I saved the other half in case I messed up.A day went by… two days… three days…On the fourth day I saw no fermentation, no lightening of the molasses, no bubbles, no grains “bumping” (moving up and down as the fermentation occurs), nothing.I poured off the dark molasses water and put them into regular tea sugar water, so I could watch the grains. (Tea sugar is small lumps of turbinado sugar, so it has a small amount of molasses.)I still didn’t see activity so I started pouring off some mother and feeding it. Nothing.I splashed some of the mother into a jar of coconut water and added a prune to kick off fermentation and a lemon to keep the ph balanced.The next day I tasted it and it was vinegar sour, so I knew fermentation had taken place. I tried to put a teaspoon of this into my glass with fresh coconut water but it was too sour and undrinkable, so I learned a young kefir is better for me. (I drop spoonfuls of the mother into my green tea several times a day, much more pleasant.So now I knew the fermentation was occurring but I still didn’t see any activity. Also, water kefir grains on the internet always look caramel brown and mine look white and anemic.I googled and realized (I should’ve read the instructions again that came with it, but of course I didn’t) I was underfeeding my grains. A tablespoon of sugar per cup, not a teaspoon.I know underfeeding won’t injure the grains but it will make them less active. I added more sugar and got some bubbles, but they still looked pale. I strained my grains, saving about a cup of the mother, cleaned the jar and the strainer and the kefir spoon and added the saved mother back into the jar and added water and sugar. I put the strained grains into another jar that was 2 tablespoons molasses and about a half cup of water. My intention for this was to darken the grains but right away they started bubbling. It was good to verify they were that active and healthy.I checked the jar I had just fed that had a cup of the mother included and already (after about an hour) there were colonies on the bottom of the jar!I’m not getting the amazing growth other people have gotten (yet!) but my grains are active.I’m about to pour off the molasses and return the grains to the mother jar.So the things I found out that were most important to brewing water kefir: don’t put anything with the grains except water and sugar. If it gets a musty smell, you can add a lemon slice and/or a pinch of baking soda, but keep your grains unpolluted, only water and some kind of cane sugar. (I’m told coconut sugar also works well, haven’t tried it so can’t say.)Brew your water kefir in a separate jar.Don’t use tap water, chlorine is bad for the grains.Don’t use honey, it’s bad for the grains.Drink your kefir young to keep it sweet, more aged for more sour.Play with recipes.Currently I’m only drinking small amounts in coconut water or with tea, but using about a cup over the course of the day (but I also get probiotics from fermented dairy, vegetables, and sourdough).These are fun to play with and “bloom” within hours.Don’t be too precious, they’re pretty sturdy.