Kefir is defined in Webster’s dictionary as …”a tart-tasting drink originally of the Caucasus, made from cow’s or sometimes goat’s milk to which the bacteria Streptococcus and Lactobacillus have been added.” What they don’t tell you is how good it is! Or how good for you it is. Or how versatile it is in the kitchen.
Kefir is made by putting kefir grains in milk. Kefir grains are a combination of yeast and bacteria. You can read a very good article about kefir at Cultures for Health.
I have started making kefir using Wardee’s instructions on Gnowfglins.
I made kefir and then drained the whey out of the kefir to make a soft cheese type substance. I am going to season the kefir cheese and make Wardee’s probiotic potato salad tonight I think….
The first picture is the liquidy kefir in a piece of clean cotton…. yes, the cotton has a little hole, it’s old! The second picture is the kefir after it has drained for about an hour. After that I hung the kefir in the cotton to allow it to finish draining, like you would for jelly. Finally, I chopped up fresh basil, thyme and added it to the kefir cheese along with some sea salt and freshly ground pepper. It could be used for a sandwich dressing as well as for potato salad. We really like it because we like the tangy flavor. I normally use sour cream in potato salad so it was very nice to make this kefir cheese myself and use it.
Don’t be afraid to try new things in the kitchen! You just might find out that what you thought was going to be difficult or even impossible is gratifying, good for your family and easy to do! I’m submitting this post in the Tuesday Twister at gnowfglins.com. Pop over to see what is twisting in other real food kitchens!
Hello and welcome! I'm Sylvia Britton, and I've been online since 1996 offering encouragement and help in the spirit of Titus 2 and Proverbs 31 at Christian Homekeeper. CHK is the original Homekeeping site on the internet
Terri
I use pasteurized milk from the store, Wardee uses raw goats milk.
I made strawberry kefir smoothies today and they were met with delight…. and a few turned up noses. lol 🙂 At least 3/5 of us like them very much!
Sylvia
I’ve made soft cheese from my goats’ milk and it sounds like much the same process. I found that we couldn’t use it fast enough! That may have been because some of the kids had an anti-goat bias~ I’ll have to look into making some kefir. Do you make it with regular store-bought milk, or do you have to use raw milk?
Hi!
I really love Kefir and your post and Wardee’s posts are reminding me to get more kefir grains. Mine died when I took a break and didn’t feed them enough and I never got more. I have also made cheese with regular yogurt but haven’t tried it with the kefir yet. It looks yummy! I love the idea of adding the fresh herbs.
Thank so much,
sarah
Kefir, kefir, kefir, one of these days I will get to that. Great post.
Yum! I do my yogurt into cheese regularly but haven’t tried kefir yet. I would imagine it is delicious!
That looks good!
It was! So tangy and delicious, try it!
Sylvia, I’m happy your family is enjoying kefir again and that you’re having fun experimenting with it. One way we’re drinking it lately – and everybody loves this – is to pour kefir (as is, not made into a soft cheese or anything) into a cup and then stir in a few spoonfuls of pureed fruit. Then it becomes a fruity-kefir drink and even the pickiest eaters enjoy it!
What a good idea! I don’t keep much fruit around so I can tell that if we are going to use this kefir as much as we should, I will need to have more fruit on hand!