Dairy Kefir

I've been making dairy kefir for quite some time now, but realized that I never have posted about it.  So here goes!  Dairy kefir is made by adding dairy kefir grains to milk. You can use almost any kind of milk - raw cow's milk, raw goat's milk, pasteurized milk (but not ultra-high temperature pasteurized), homogenized milk, and I've even seen blogs on using coconut milk to make kefir. It is generally recommended to use whole fat milk, rather than low-fat or skim milk.

 The dairy kefir grains, like water kefir grains, are a symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast. But don't be confused with the two types of kefir grains... they are different in the way they look and the way they eat sugars. Dairy kefir grains look kind of like cauliflower. They're sort of a pale yellow/whitish color and clump together. Dairy kefir grains feed off of the lactose/milk sugar. The resulting kefir is low in lactose, while rich with beneficial bacteria and yeast. It also contains high levels of vitamins, minerals, and enzymes. Kefir is often compared to yogurt because they have similar tastes. While yogurt does contain some beneficial bacteria, kefir is much better for you. It contains five times more beneficial organisms than yogurt and includes beneficial yeasts as well as bacteria, while yogurt only contains beneficial bacteria. These beneficial bacteria and yeasts are good for digestion and help to keep your gut healthy. They also help your body protect itself against viruses, disease, and parasites.

Dairy kefir has many uses. You may drink or eat it plain; use it in smoothies; use it as your acid medium to soak grains/nuts/seeds; or use it to make ice cream, popsicles, salad dressing, cheese, and so much more, I'm sure. So far, I have really only used mine plain, flavored it with pureed fruit, in smoothies, in salad dressing, and for soaking grains. I have wanted to expand my uses of kefir, but just haven't gotten around to it yet. Hopefully I will soon.

Dairy Kefir

2 tablespoons of kefir grains
1 quart of milk

If your kefir grains are dehydrated when you get them, you should follow the directions that come with them to get them hydrated.

It will take your kefir grains some time to become acclimated to your house and your milk. This could take anywhere from a couple of days to a month, according to some sources. You may want to start with only one cup of milk for the first few batches to get your grains acclimated and not waste much milk. Once your grains are fully acclimated, you can use the full quart of milk to make kefir. Make sure you're not using too many grains for the amount of milk you are culturing. You only need about 2 tablespoons for a quart. If you have more, your chances of it separating into curds and whey are higher and the yeast will be in overabundance in the resulting kefir... which does not taste the best.

I started out with some kefir grains from my sister-in-law and had decent luck with them.  Although I never really got a nice, thick kefir out of them.  Unfortunately, those grains died over the holidays when I stopped making kefir due to just plain being too busy.  Just before New Years, I got some more grains from my dairy farmer.  These have been awesome since they were cultured in the same raw milk that I am using.  My kefir is now nice, thick, and creamy.  This isn't the most appetizing picture, but it shows how thick my kefir now gets after 18 hours.  The cream that has risen to the top is extra-thick.  You can also see the kefir grains, which rise to the top as they culture.

To make kefir, pour milk into a wide-mouth quart sized jar. Add the dairy kefir grains and stir gently with a wooden or plastic spoon (don't use metal as it does not react well with the grains). Cover with a cloth, paper towel, or coffee filter, and secure with a rubber band... or just loosely place a jar lid on the jar.  Leave at room temperature away from other cultures to prevent cross-contamination. Ideal room temperatures are between 65 - 80 degrees. It will take longer to culture/ferment with cooler temperatures (like in the winter) and faster with warmer temperatures (like in the summer). If you have your kefir near a heat source (the stove, oven, crockpot, etc.), keep in mind that it will culture more quickly. 

You may culture the kefir until you are satisfied with the thickness and taste. You may want to try tasting it after 12 hours, then 24 hours, 36 hours, and 48 hours. It will get more thick and more sour over time. If you let it go too long, you will see the kefir separate into curds and whey. You might also see some yellow liquid surrounding the kefir grains, this is the beginning of this separation into curds and whey. Its fine to let the kefir culture to this point, if that is what you like or what you want. We tend to like our kefir after about 18 hours in the summer. I'm finding I have to let it culture a little longer in the winter if I leave it on the counter... usually to between 24 and 36 hours now.  But I generally just turn my oven light on and place my jar in the oven with the light on.  Its done after about 18 hours. 

After about 8 or 10 hours, gently stir the culturing kefir.  You will see the grains floating on top - the bumpy stuff. Stirring after the milk has partially cultured will help achieve a smooth consistency.

When you've decided the taste and thickness are right for your family, remove the grains with a wooden or plastic spoon, or use a plastic strainer... remember don't use metal! Transfer the kefir grains to a new batch of milk, or store in the refrigerator until you need them again. Do not rinse the grains - you really only want to rinse the grains if you fear cross-contamination, or are switching to a different type of milk.

Cover the finished kefir and refrigerate.
Dairy kefir grains may be stored in the refrigerator in a small amount of milk. This will keep for one or two weeks.

This post is posted as part of the Tuesday Twister at GNOWFGLINS and Real Food Wednesday at Kelly the Kitchen Kop.

Lacto-Fermented Roasted Tomato Salsa

I've been wanting to try out a lacto-fermented salsa recipe for awhile now. With the first week of the Preserving Summer's Bounty Challenge focused on fermentation and last week's tomato festival at the farmers' market ($10 for a half-bushel of Roma tomatoes!), I figured this was the perfect time to try it out. I had come across a recipe for a roasted tomato lacto-fermented salsa on Cooking God's Way awhile back, so I dug it out and gave it a go on Friday. This takes some time to roast the veggies and let them cool, but then it comes together pretty quickly. It tastes amazing, too! We tried it last night. I think I'll be making at least a few more quarts of this after I get some more roma tomatoes this week. This first quart certainly isn't going to last long!

Lacto-fermented Roasted-Tomato Salsa

2 pounds Roma tomatoes (about 8 to 10), sliced in half length-wise
4 large cloves garlic (do not peel)
1 medium onion (yellow or red), sliced into thick rings but not separated
2 jalapeno peppers, left whole (I just used 1)
1 small bunch cilantro, or to taste
2 Tablespoons lemon or lime juice
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon mexican oregano
pinch ground cayenne pepper, or more to taste
1 Tablespoon unrefined sea salt
4 Tablespoons whey

Preheat broiler to 500F. Have ready a large heavy-duty baking sheet. Gently smash cloves of garlic with the back of a spoon or drinking glass, leave skins on. Place tomato halves on baking sheet (cut side up), along with the sliced onion, garlic cloves, and jalapeno peppers. Place baking sheet in oven, directly under broiler, checking on them every 5 minutes. Turn as needed, when tops are browned and/or bubbly. Brown both sides, removing any pieces as necessary when they are finished.


Place broiled peppers into a plastic zip-top bag and seal. Allow to steam for 5 minutes. When done steaming; peel off the skin and remove stem, seeds, and membrane. Meanwhile mince all the vegetables (be sure to peel garlic first) to desired size

NOTE: If you have a food processor, mincing the vegetables is very easy and quick to do. Just pulse all ingredients, individually in the food processor. It is important NOT to mince them all at once, or you will end up with half the ingredients turned into a puree before the other half gets to the size you want.

As you mince each ingredient (tomatoes, garlic, onion, peppers, cilantro) add it to a medium mixing bowl. When everything is minced and added to the bowl, add the lemon (or lime) juice, cumin, and oregano; stir gently to combine. Stir in the whey and sea salt. Taste and add ground cayenne pepper as desired.

Pour salsa mixture into a quart-sized mason jar, screw-on lid with metal band. OR Use a quart-sized Fermented Vegetable Master, they work wonders and really make all your fermented veggies taste better. (Always remember to leave 1-inch of space from the top of the jar to allow for expansion.)

Leave at room-temperature for 2 days before transferring to cold storage.

Makes 1-quart.

Lacto-Fermented/Pickled Cucumbers

I've made a total of six jars of these cucumber pickles now - some slices and some whole ones. They've all been delicious and we've already finished an entire quart and are well on our way through our second quart of them. I eat a few slices or a whole one each day, so does Carson and Kevin often does, too. So we're going through them pretty fast. They're so good, though! I planted my cucumbers late this year - they were the last thing I got planted this year. I did that on purpose so that mine would be ripening after the huge influx of cucumbers at the farmers market and I'm so glad I did now. I'll be able to extend my pickle making season! :)

Lacto-fermenting veggies is seriously so easy and virtually fool-proof. Everyone should try it! All you do is prep your veggies, fill your jars with whatever spices you like - in this case garlic, dill, and peppercorns - add the veggies, and pop the cap on loosely. Then let it sit on your kitchen counter for a couple of days and throw it in the fridge. For these cucumber pickles, I also added three raw grape leaves to each jar. I've read on several blogs and in Wild Fermentation that they help to keep the pickles crunchy. They seem to be working well because our cucumber pickles are still quite crunchy (and the ones soaked in ice water are even more crunchy than those that were not... see below for explanation).

In addition to being so simple to make, lacto-fermented veggies are really good for you. They give you a dose of beneficial bacteria, which everyone can use more of these days... especially if you have digestive issues... which most people seem to have nowadays. The lacto-fermentation process also increases the vitamins for which your body will absorb from the vegetables. And they're easier to digest than the raw versions. This all helps to keep you healthy.

In the midst of peak harvest season here in the midwest, cucumbers and other veggies are so widely available at the farmers markets and farm stands. So go on out and support your local farmer! Pick up some veggies and give lacto-fermentation a try! You've got nothing to lose and only your health to gain!

I'll update with a picture soon!

Pickled Cucumbers

Cucumbers, sliced, spears, or whole
sea salt
water
fresh dill heads
garlic cloves
peppercorns
freshly picked grape leaves (oak and cherry leaves are also supposed to work)

Wash your cucumbers well. Put some ice and water into a large bowl and submerge your cucumbers in the ice water. Put the bowl in your refrigerator for 3-8 hours. This is another trick to making crunchy cucumber pickles. It really does work. I did not do this on the first jar I made and we can definitely tell the difference in crunch between those first pickles and the rest of the pickles that have all been soaked in ice water. This is a trick I learned of from Wild Fermentation.

Remove the cucumbers from the ice water bath and slice into 1/4" slices, cut them into spears, or leave them whole. I've used both pickling cucumbers and regular cucumbers this year and both seem to work just as well... though I have always sliced the regular cucumbers. Some sources say you should peel the regular cucumbers because the peel can become bitter, but I haven't peeled them and haven't experienced them being bitter.

Wash your grape leaves. Prepare your brine. See my post on spicy carrot pickles for a little more info on what type of salt to use (not Celtic sea salt) and making the brine a proper strength. Also keep in mind that it is better to use more salt during the hot summer months and less salt during the cooler winter months.

Pack each jar with three grape leaves, a fresh dill head or two, 2-3 garlic cloves, a pinch of black peppercorns, and your cucumbers. Cover with brine and put the lid on the jar loosely. You do not want a tight seal.

Check your pickles every day and learn to look for signs of fermentation. The day after you make your pickles, open the jar and listen for popping, fizzing or hissing as you open the jar. Smell the contents and then taste a sip of the brine. Is it at all sour or fizzy or still just salty? Put the lid back on and let it sit out for another day. It usually takes 2-5 days for signs of fermentation to really show up. When your pickles are popping, fizzing or starting to taste sour, move them to the fridge.

Brined Wild Grape Leaves

I had thought Kevin destroyed all of our grape vines during all of the outdoor demo work we've done the last couple of years. But he missed one area of them. He hates them. I'm not crazy about the way they look and all the japanese beetles that they attract, but I am putting them to good use this summer. I have used them in my pickles and I decided it would be good to preserve plain grape leaves to use in making dolmas (stuffed grape leaves) in the future. So I found this method on Prodigal Gardens and knew this was what I was going to do. I made some on Friday and now have one jar sitting in my fridge. I plan to make another jar once more of the new leaves start growing.

Brined Wild Grape Leaves

Quart sized mason jar
3 dozen, fresh, large wild grape leaves
1 tablespoon sea salt
4 Tablespoons whey (or just add another Tablespoon of salt)
2 cups filtered water

Only harvest the young, tender grape leaves - the ones that are large and minty green in color. The dark-colored older leaves should be avoided - they are stringy, fibrous, and tough.

Place a dozen leaves in a stack, stems all together. Roll up the stack so as to obtain a tight compact roll and this should be put in a jar. You will have three rolls in your jar.

Mix your brine - the salt and water - until salt is dissolved. Pour the brine over your rolled grape leaves in the jar. Put the lid on the jar, but do not tighten completely. Leave the jars to lacto-ferment for 2 or 3 days. Look for signs of fermentation - popping, fizzing, bubbling, and for the brine to taste a little sour. Move the jars to the fridge. Let sit for at least a month before using. They will be good for about a year in the fridge, whenever you want to make dolmas.

Spicy Carrot Pickles

A couple of weeks ago, I tried out some more lacto-fermentation experiments. I have read about the spicy carrots from Real Food My Way on several blogs, so I decided to give them a try. I had some organic baby carrots in the fridge that I needed to use up, so it was perfect.

These carrots lived up to my expectations and were as delicious as all the other blogs had said they were! They are crunchy, salty, a bit sour, and spicy all in one bite! They are probably a little more spicy than I will make them in the future (will just use less crushed red pepper flakes), but they're still tolerable, even by Carson. I've been eating a few of these each day with my lunch. They're a good snack, too. Its hard to just eat a few! I will most definitely be making these regularly to keep a jar in my fridge at most times.

Preparing lacto-fermented veggies is so simple! Its much easier than pickling them in vinegar and canning them. I think I will be trying out all sorts of lacto-fermented veggies. I've done carrots and cucumbers (post to come) so far, an want to do beets next, I think. I've read a tip in Wild Fermentation to use up the pickle brine after your pickled veggies are gone. The brine can be used as a digestive tonic or in soup stock. The brine is full of Lactobacilli, which makes it great for digestion if you can sip it raw. If you can't (I can't), use it as a soup stock. Dilute it with water to your desired taste for the soup. You can also use it in place of vinegar in salad dressings.

Spicy Carrot Pickles

Glass jar with lid
Filtered water
Sea salt (not Celtic sea salt)
Carrots
Onions
Garlic
Jalapeno, or crushed red pepper flakes (I used red pepper flakes)

Use a glass jar with a tight fitting lid. A pint or quart sized mason jar with a metal or plastic lid is great, but an old pickle or mayonnaise jar works just as well. Wash the jar and lid with hot soapy water and rinse well.

For a pint (two cup) jar you will probably use 1 1/2 - 2 medium carrots, 1/2 an onion, 2 cloves of garlic and half of a jalapeno. You can use a hotter pepper like Serrano or Habanero (if you dare) or a milder pepper like an Anaheim, a Hungarian pepper or a pizza pepper. Be sure to adjust the "half a pepper" accordingly to the size and heat of the pepper you choose. You could also use a pinch of red pepper flakes instead of fresh peppers. I used a quart sized glass mason jar. I had some organic baby carrots to use up, so I used those and just sliced them all in half lengthwise. I didn't have a pepper, so I just used crushed red pepper flakes.

Wash the carrots, but don't peel them. Slice them into long ovals by slicing on a steep diagonal to about 1/4 inch thickness. Peel and slice the garlic cloves and slice the onion longitudinally (from pole to pole, not around the equator) into 1/2 inch slices or into chunks. Slice the jalapeno into rings. Layer the vegetables in the jar to within an inch of the threads.

To make the brine, I used the method described in Wild Fermentation. You can read Alyss' post (linked above) for her method of making brine. Brines are often expressed as a percentage of weight of the solution. When added to 1 quart of water, each Tablespoon of sea salt adds 1.8% brine. Low-salt pickles are around 3.5% brine. Normal pickles are around 5.4% brine, but they are quite salty. I used about 2 1/2 Tablespoons salt for a 4.5% brine.

Make sure you are using pure sea salt. Do not use Celtic or grey salt because it is too moist. Moist salt is sometimes known for carrying bacteria and mold that can ruin your ferments. If you want to use moist Celtic sea salt then you should bake it first until it is dry.

Once you have your brine made, pour it over the jar full of vegetables. The brine should cover the vegetables, but still be below the threads of the jar. Screw the lid on tight and set it on the counter to begin fermenting.

Check your pickles every day and learn to look for signs of fermentation. The day after you make your carrot pickles open the jar and listen for popping, fizzing or hissing as you open the jar. Smell the contents and then taste a sip of the brine. Is it at all sour or fizzy or still just salty? Put the lid back on and let it sit out for another day. It usually takes 2-5 days for signs of fermentation to really show up. When your pickles are popping, fizzing or starting to taste sour then move them to the fridge. Carrot pickles usually taste best after another two or three days in the fridge and will last for months without getting mushy or gross. The onion will start to get a little mushy after a month or so but whole garlic cloves are still virtually raw until at least a month in the brine.


This post is linked to Grain-Free Tuesday at Hella Delicious.

Lacto-Fermented Ketchup

I've wanted to try making homemade ketchup for ages so that I could can it. But I never have made it. My SIL tried some lacto-fermented ketchup last month and they liked it well enough. So I thought maybe I'd give that a try once we were running low on ketchup. Then I saw a post over at GNOWFGLINS. She was just raving about how fantastic this ketchup is. So I knew I wanted to try it. We are now running low on ketchup, so I gave it a go the other day. We tasted it for the first time tonight with dinner. Wow, is this good! Sweet with just enough of each of the different spices. Delicious! This is definitely a keeper!

Lacto-Fermented Ketchup

12 ounces organic tomato paste, no salt added
1/4 + 1/8 cup water
1/8 cup whey (or water) (I used whey)
2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1/4 teaspoon mustard powder
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon cloves
1/8 teaspoon allspice
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4-1/3 cup maple syrup

In a medium sized bowl, whisk together all ingredients. Pour sauce into a storage container. (I used a pint mason jar.) Cover and leave at room temperature for two days. Move to the fridge after the two days have gone by.

Water Kefir

I've not been shy in my struggles with pop. I don't know what it is (its not the caffeine), but I have such a hard time giving up pop. I've been looking for better, healthier alternatives. Yes, it'd be great if I could just swap pop for water, but I already drink a LOT of water each day, so that hasn't really worked for me. I started reading about water kefir and kombucha a few weeks back. Many people have said they've found them to be acceptable substitutes for their pop addictions. So I wanted to give it a try. I started with water kefir. I ordered some water kefir grains and started looking through recipes. Wow, there are so many ways of making water kefir! I had no idea. So I picked one to start with, just a very basic recipe. But first, I want to give you a little background about kefir.

There are two types of kefir - dairy kefir and water kefir. You need kefir grains to grow both, but dairy grains are different from water grains. Water kefir grains are more translucent and loose than dairy kefir grains. You can convert dairy grains to make water kefir, but it takes quite a bit of time and the grains will not continue to grow, as true water kefir grains do. Your body can also handle more water kefir in a given day than it can dairy kefir. You can safely drink up to 3 quarts of water kefir daily. And some sources say that water kefir's benefits and good bacteria and microorganisms are far superior to those found in dairy kefir. The typical composition of water kefir include: Lactobacillus brevis, Lactobacillus casei rhamnosus , Lactobacillus alactosus, Lactobacillus casei casei, Lactobacillus pseudoplantarum, Lactobacillus plantarum, Streptococcus lactis, Streptococcus cremeris, Leuconostoc mesenteroide, Saccharomyces florentinus, Saccharomyces pretoriensis, Kloeckera apiculata, Candida lambica, Candida valida. Water kefir is said to be beneficial for those with nervous disorders, ulcers, liver/gall bladder/kidney/stomach/intestinal problems, diarrhea and constipation, allergies, and many other issues. It is said to also help regulate blood pressure and helps with weight control.

Ok, so now back to my first water kefir experience. Like I said, I chose a very basic recipe for my first try. Again, I was quite hesitant to try it once it was done... but once I did, I really liked it! It tastes kind of like Sprite. Its fizzy and everything, though not quite as fizzy as pop is, but its fizzy enough for me. I am very excited to try out different water kefir recipes now and will be brewing up a couple different ones very soon, so watch for those posts in the coming weeks! I'm also on the hunt for a SCOBY to try making some kombucha soon, too!

Water Kefir

- 1 large broad opening glass container with lid - exact size depending on the amount of liquid per batch you want to make. If you make the basic recipe exactly as listed below, probably a 1.5 liter capacity container will suffice. If your glass container does not have a lid, you can simply cover it by placing a plate on top or with some plastic wrap or cloth tied with a rubber band around the opening. (I used a quart mason jar... just make sure whatever kind of container you are using, you only fill it 3/4 of the way full!)
- 1 strainer and/or pouch – depending on method used (I used a strainer this time, but will be making a pouch eventually)
- 1 spoon, non-metallic
- 1 glass jar

There are 2 known methods of dealing with the grains: the “loose grains” method and the pouch method. In the first one, you just toss the grains in the glass container along with all the other ingredients, so you will need to use a strainer for pouring each batch and washing the grains afterwards. The pouch method seems easier and better to keep your grains separate from other stuff you may want to add to the recipes and to manage the grains for washing purposes. You can easily make your own pouch with some porous cloth, like gauze or cheesecloth, folding and sewing the sides together, and using a string to tie up the top. Just make sure there’s more than enough room in it for the new grains to grow in there, as they multiply.

3 Tablespoons Water Kefir grains
1/4 cup brown sugar or 3 Tablespoons honey
1 or 2 dried figs – or any other dried fruit you prefer like dried prunes, apricots, dates, raisins, etc. (I used dates)
1/2 lemon
1 quart filtered water – only water without any chlorine should be used (it will kill your grains), so tap water is not suitable unless it’s filtered

Mix in the glass container and stir.


There are 3 different brews you can make: 24, 48, and 72 hour fermentations. 72 hours is the maximum a batch should be let to ferment. The longer it is allowed to ferment, the stronger it becomes. Note that the carbonic acid increases each day, so if your container is air-tight sealed, it could explode. (I only filled my jar up 3/4 of the way and did not tighten the lid all the way.) Covering prevent flies or bugs from getting into it. Keep out of direct sunlight and at room temperature.

It is said that 24-hour kefir acts as a laxative...


and that 48-hour kefir regulates and re-establishes intestinal function. So I did a 48-hour batch... actually it was more like 44-hours... but close enough. :)



Once the fermenting time has passed, strain the liquid, squeeze the juice of the half lemon used in it, and it’s ready to drink... although I chilled my first!


Wash the grains under running water. You can store them in a small jar of water in the fridge for about a week (add a small amount of sugar to feed them), or else you should dehydrate them. I'm planning to use mine regularly for awhile and I have so many different recipes and fruits to try, that I'm not sure when I'll have excess to actually dehydrate, but I'm guessing that will happen sooner than I think because those babies multiply like mad! My first batch nearly doubled! I was so surprised!

Fermented Bean Paste

This was my second attempt at lacto-fermentation (the first being yogurt)... fermented bean paste. This comes from Nourishing Traditions - I've had the corner of the page turned down as a recipe to try some day since I bought the book... but I never made it. I had totally forgotten about it, actually. Until my SIL made some using pinto beans last month. I had to wait until I strained some yogurt to get whey first, though. I did that a couple of weeks ago... but just realized I haven't posted about that yet... oops! I'll post about that soon. Anyway, so once I had my whey, I was ready to give it a go. I'm glad I did. I made a half-recipe to start with. I was nervous to try it... I definitely had to build myself up for it... but I tried it. But you know what? It was quite good! I'd like to try it with other beans sometime. You can use this as a condiment and you can use it in place of refried beans (which is basically how I intend to use it mostly).

(This is a before picture. I'll try to remember to snap an after picture one of these days...)

Fermented Bean Paste

3 cups beans, cooked and drained
1 onion, peeled and coursely chopped
3 cloves garlic, peeled
1 Tbsp. sea salt
4 Tbsp. whey

Soak the beans for 24 hours. Stir in 2 Tablespoons whey or lemon juice when soaking black beans... if you use other beans, you just need water. Then cook your beans. I've found the easiest way is to use the crockpot. Just cover them by a couple of inches of water and cook on low for 6-8 hours or until they are done.

Place the onion and garlic in food processor and process until well chopped. Add remaining ingredients and process until smooth. Place in quart-sized wide-mouth jar, leaving 1 inch of space between the top of the beans and the top of the jar. Cover tightly and leave at room temp for about 3 days before transferring to the refrigerator. It might take less time if your house is hot or longer if it's cold. Serve as a dip with pita chips or tortilla chips.

Makes 1 quart.