Today I made Kefir and it felt like a
religious experience. I'm listening to Andrew Bird's The Water Jet Cilice and reading Dom's blog about Kefir-making. Apparently the
people who first discovered and used Kefir grains told
microbiologists the grains were a gift from Allah. For all the grains
health benefits, I'd say that's not too far off.
A year ago I fell down the fermentation
rabbit-hole, but really only for the past three weeks have I felt the
benefits. Sugar, how I both love and loath you. My sugar obsession
counter-acted the health benefits of the probiotics I made and ate.
Maybe it's genetics. My YiaYia grew up in a candy shop her parents
owned. My mom cannot resist a bowl of ice cream, or two, or three.
Both YiaYia and my mom passed the sweet tooth along to me. Though I
still eat some sugar, I now eat much less.
When it comes to sweets, I now try
to
- not fall asleep with candy bars in my mouth
- avoid smitten kitchen's home-made oreos which I made for the holidays and are absolutely divine
- and keep a good walking-stick distance between myself and Rachel's ice cream maker.
So far, so good.
2 health benefits of my sugar
divorce:
- clear skin (no zits for like over a month)
- improved digestion (seriously awesome poos)
2 future health goals, hopes and
dreams:
- improved mental acuity (Did someone stay STATA?)
- Find a boyfriend
Kefir (pronounced Kuh-fear) supposedly
derives from the Turkish word Keif, which loosely translates to good
feeling. Kefir is a cultured milk beverage which
originates from the Caucasus Mountains in modern-day Georgia. Some
say the mountain tribes-folk discovered this process over 1,000 years
ago. Kefir grains are not actually cereal grains but instead a
symbiosis between lactic acid bacteria (LAB), acetic acid bacteria
and yeast strains. Traditionally, the tribal people of the Caucasus
mountains poured fresh goats milk into a leather bag and stirred in
the Kefir grains with a wooden spoon. The grains cultured the milk,
and the people drank this leather-y goat-y goodness 24 hours later. I
don't have such a fine leather pouch nor my own goat (yet) but I do
have the ridiculously named Pickl-it jars and raw cows milk.
So, here's how Brenda and I made the
Kefir:
Ingredients:
- Kefir grains (not processed)
- Milk (preferably raw)
- Pickl-it jar (1L size)
Directions:
- Pour 2 cups raw milk into the Pickl-it
- Add Kefir grains (Brenda and I did not rinse them, it sounds like people go either way on this)
- Wait 12-48 hours.
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| Pickl-it Jar with Kefir |
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| Why hello there, cupboard of fermenting things. |
