[beerocd]

So, it's like this. Say you make a life changing decision to start p90x. There's a meal program with that. So you exercise and exercise - and you've changed your eating habit too. You still blame p90x for the miracle change. Same when people decide to go organic, or start some other "alternative" wholistic magical diet including kombucha, kefir, raw diet, atkins, whatever. Usually there's more than just the one change and it's usually for the positive. All diets work - but are they sustainable.

[capozzoli]

So now over the last twenty four hour period I got a half cup of milk to ferment to the point were it was thick. So thick that it would really move when the jar was shaken.

How much milk can I go up to now? A cup?  

It tastes very agreeable. Similar to yogurt but perhaps more sour with a little bit of a yeast flavor and bouquet. I dont detect any alcohol at all.

This batch went twenty four hours? I guess I could let it go a few days?

Its good stuff.

How big do I have to grow the kefir grains before I can try to convert them to water kefir grains? I want to make some apple cider kefir. Coconut milk kefir???





http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tibicos

[bluefoxicy]

It tastes very agreeable. Similar to yogurt but perhaps more sour with a little bit of a yeast flavor and bouquet. I dont detect any alcohol at all.

This batch went twenty four hours? I guess I could let it go a few days?

Don't go "A few days," it'll solidify.

Mine manages 2 days at room temp, and if it solidifies I shake it and it liquefies.  In an earlier stage, if it solidified I got cottage cheese (had to WASH it off the kefir grains to recover them, it was HARD!).  So this is different.

Yeah, it's like sour runny yogurt with a slightly different flavor.  Took me a few drinks to recognize the stuff as more than sour milk.  I bought some store-bought kefir which was similar and opened up my palate; this stuff tastes like a GOOD version of that, with more complex backing flavors but essentially the same base.

I'm gonna move up to 1qt mason jars for my batches.  I drink a lot of lassi, but this stuff is good and easier to make.

[capozzoli]

I did let a batch go a few days and it did solidify.  It also separated from the whey slightly. I just poured it into the strainer and then agitated it till the kefir dropped through leaving behind the grains.

With the longer ferment it had much more pronounced flavors. It definitely had notes of alcohol, it was more sour and it had a hint of "cheese flavor" which the whole family found undesirable.

Ill stick to the over nights. We are using raw milk and by the morning it is completely solidified and has a half inch of fermented yellow cream on top.

Im gonna say that none of us like the flavor, ts not bad just that I wouldn't seek it out. the little one will drink it with fruit mixed in. We just down our portions for nutritional reasons not taste.

Soon my radiators will come on and I will begin making yogurt. I use that mostly for making Indian food. I add lots of powdered milk to the milk before I make yogurt and the finished product comes out very thick. Great for thickening sauces.

[euge]

I just bought some when at the fancy-store yesterday. Actually, I think this brand is at my local too.

http://www.lifeway.net/Home.aspx I got the "strawberry-banana"... It tastes good. Like yogurt- maybe a little more acidic?

[capozzoli]

I have had a few different brands of store bought. We got one the other day. It isnt the same. The store bought is much more like yogurt.

To get the real deal you have to make it. Also you will get more of the "good" bacteria if you make it yourself, or so I am told.

I would be willing to send some grains to anyone if interested. I think they are pretty stable to ship a couple of days. The ones I got arrived in a zip lock bag.

I suppose I have to wait a little while till they get a bit bigger and start to multiply.

I want to try the kambocha too. Anyone doing that? Wanna trade some kefir grains for some kambocha mushroom, or whatever it is called.

Is there a kambocha thread. At the Russian store I go to they call kambocha kvass for some reason.

[tschmidlin]

I would be willing to send some grains to anyone if interested. I think they are pretty stable to ship a couple of days. The ones I got arrived in a zip lock bag.

I suppose I have to wait a little while till they get a bit bigger and start to multiply.

I want to try the kambocha too. Anyone doing that? Wanna trade some kefir grains for some kambocha mushroom, or whatever it is called.

I can trade you some ginger beer plant if you're interested . . . 

[capozzoli]

Yeah man, Ill trade for some ginger beer plant. May be a stupid question but what is ginger beer plant, ginger?

[tschmidlin]

No, it's another scoby.  Similar to tibicos from what I've been told, but different organisms.

From wikipedia

Ginger beer plant

Ginger beer plant (GBP) is not what is usually considered a plant, but a composite organism consisting of a fungus, the yeast Saccharomyces florentinus (formerly Saccharomyces pyriformis) and the bacterium Lactobacillus hilgardii (formerly Brevibacterium vermiforme),[3][4] which form a symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast (SCOBY). It forms a gelatinous substance that allows it to be easily transferred from one fermenting substrate to the next, much like kefir grains and tibicos.[5]

The GBP was first described by Harry Marshall Ward in 1892, from samples he received in 1887.[4][6][7][8] Original ginger beer is made by leaving water, sugar, ginger, and GBP to ferment. GBP may be obtained from several commercial sources or from yeast banks[9]. Much of the "ginger beer plant" obtainable from commercial sources is not the true GBP as described here, but instead is yeast alone. This is not legally false advertising because there is no regulation defining GBP.

I got mine from Raj Apte, so it is the real thing.  If you want some let me know, I'll need to make sure it is still viable . . .

[capozzoli]

Wow, thats awesome.So it makes like a Ginger Ale? I would love some of that.

Would you really want some kefir grains? They are probably good, now fed on raw milk. They are not that big yet. Might need to wait a little while I think?

How much would I need to send for someone to get started?

[tschmidlin]

Wow, thats awesome.So it makes like a Ginger Ale? I would love some of that.

Would you really want some kefir grains? They are probably good, now fed on raw milk. They are not that big yet. Might need to wait a little while I think?

How much would I need to send for someone to get started?

It's not quite the same as ginger ale, although it depends a lot on your recipe.  It tends to have more sourness than typical store-bought ginger ale though.

I actually am interested in making kefir.  I don't know how much I'd need to get started, but you let it grow until you're comfortable sending me some, and I'll see how the GBP is doing.  I'm not in any rush, I've got more than enough projects going on right now

[capozzoli]

With a little research I found it should be a few weeks before I can break some off to send. Im looking forward to it cause it would be great if the transfer were successful even though Im sure it will be,

Interesting about the Ginger Beer plant. Im sure this is something I would like. I love ginger.

Dont worry about kefir taking any of your time, it wont. Only the time it takes to strain a cup of Kefir and then refill the container with milk. Honest, it takes all of five mins,per day.

Once you get to the daily amount of kefir you want ya just trim up your grains so they dont crowd. 

[euge]

My understanding is that you can create the ginger plant yourself by soaking shredded ginger in a bowl for several days and letting it ferment on it's own. Or something like that.

As far as Kefir goes I've had two small portions- about half a cup the last two mornings. The results today were "interesting" to say the least. Or I hope it is the Kefir...

[tschmidlin]

No, you can't create a ginger beer plant.  What you're describing is called a sludge brew, where you're culturing the stuff that is present on the ginger.  It is not the same as GBP.   

[capozzoli]

I dont seem to notice much growth in my kefir grains. They have definitely "puff up" a bit. More like little cauliflower. Maybe they just need a little more time.

Maybe when beerocd pops back in he can fill us in on how much to send.

I did an interesting thing with the kefir last night. In two cups of kefir I added two teaspoons of sugar. I then sealed a lid on it and let it sit over night.

Today I took it out and then poured it into a bowl, I whipped it vigorously for a few moments with a whisk, it nearly doubled in volume as I incorporated air.  I also added a little more sugar and some vanilla extract.

It remained whipped and had a thick foamy head. Very refreshing and slightly carbonated.

Its easy to make this stuff very enjoyable.

Im also sure there is a way to carbonated this.If it will convert sugar and get co2 then it should carbonate.I guess I would just have to calculate somehow how to get enough sugar to carbonate but not get bottle bombs. hmm?

I was thinking of a slightly sweet less viscous carbonated beverage flavored with sugar and vanilla.