PROBIOTICS for you and your chickens

[vmdanielsen]

Quote:
Sometimes, I strain them out and sometimes I put them back in. They are not fussy. It will work either way. Have fun with and experiment! Let us know how it turns out. You are very lucky to have goat milk kefir! I hope that you are enjoying it!!
Ginny

 

[Germaine_11.20]

Quote:
Sometimes, I strain them out and sometimes I put them back in. They are not fussy. It will work either way. Have fun with and experiment! Let us know how it turns out. You are very lucky to have goat milk kefir! I hope that you are enjoying it!!
Ginny

Thank you Ginny,

Actually... I don't like the goat milk kefir, but my hubby loves it. So I make it for him. To me it tastes like an old billy goat (sorry) I don't like goat cheese either.

But I love the whole milk and tolerate the skim (healthier)

The skim seems the most trouble with all those little curds whereas the others just mix well. It is fun though. I didn't know you could use cold milk from the fridge either--I have been warming my up a little.

I am fortunate though to have a health food store close to work that offers raw unpasturized milk of all kinds including the goat. A little spendy but worth it.

 

[vmdanielsen]

Quote:
Sometimes, I strain them out and sometimes I put them back in. They are not fussy. It will work either way. Have fun with and experiment! Let us know how it turns out. You are very lucky to have goat milk kefir! I hope that you are enjoying it!!
Ginny

Thank you Ginny,

Actually... I don't like the goat milk kefir, but my hubby loves it. So I make it for him. To me it tastes like an old billy goat (sorry) I don't like goat cheese either.

But I love the whole milk and tolerate the skim (healthier)

The skim seems the most trouble with all those little curds whereas the others just mix well. It is fun though. I didn't know you could use cold milk from the fridge either--I have been warming my up a little.

I am fortunate though to have a health food store close to work that offers raw unpasturized milk of all kinds including the goat. A little spendy but worth it.

I agree that sometimes goat products can taste a little goaty. I use 1 or 2% cow milk right from the fridge. I have really grown to enjoy the kefir. Yesterday, I put a little syrup in it and darnk it. It was so delious. I normally only use fruit to sweeten. What a treat for me. Good thing I needed to make more kefir or I would have had more!!
Ginny

 

[Germaine_11.20]

Yes, I am starting to really enjoy it. Do you know if a kefir grain is bad if it floats? I stored some grains in the fridge (2 jars) and in one jar there was one grain that was floating. All the others in the other two jars sunk.

It was from the goat kefir and it had just a touch of orange on it so I didn't know if it was bad or not. I used it anyway after rinsing it off.

I started two more jars this morning of fresh kefir and the jar with the "floater" isn't doing much yet whereas the other jar is normal and all the grain rose to the top and I had to swish it around.

Any idea? Thanks!!

 

[vmdanielsen]

Quote:
I have no idea about the floating but the orange part would make me shy away from using it. I might of tossed it.....
ginny

 

[Germaine_11.20]

LOL I did think about it but I have two jars so I thought I would go ahead and try rather than throw out the good ones that were in with it.

It was just a touch of orange, but it floated. Does anyone here ever have floaters? Gosh I checked on them about an hour ago and although the "floater" one is much behind they are both so plumped up it is hard to believe.

I think the grains actually do better with a water rest once a week. It seems to kick their growth in.

 

[vmdanielsen]

Quote:
Do you just rinse it and let it rest in plain H2O?

 

[AlabamaChickenLady]

I have noticed that some of my grains seem to be puffed up. Take a good look at them. Mine had air sacks on them. Like air bubbles. I just used my fingers to pop the bubbles and problem solved. I think I got the air bubbles from stiring and shaking them around. But who knows.

 

[Germaine_11.20]

Quote:
Do you just rinse it and let it rest in plain H2O?

Hmmm I will have to check out that website Joe mentioned and read up somemore. I know the grains he sent me looked like cauliflower. Aren't they supposed to have air bubbles. So much I don't know...

Yes I put them in my plastic mesh strainer and gently rinse with water. I have well water and not city so I don't have to worry about chlorine. Then i place them in a glass quart jar and fill with more water until it is a little over half full and then I place a ziplock bag over the top and screw the lid on (so metal doesn't touch it) and just let it sit in the refrigerator. This last batch sat in there about 5-6 days and I didn't want to starve them so I made some more. Within a few hours the one jar was all stuck at the top and big! So I took a wooden spoon and stirred it up and left it.

The second jar with the floatie is only about half as developed but they are filling out too. I will check them tomorrow and see how the one jar is looking. The reason the floatie developed was because I didn't do anything to them for about 4-5 days. I thought they would be bad but they aren't. I didn't drink the kefir though,, the chickens got that.

 

[featherbaby]

Mine start at the bottom and when the milk is "done" they float to the top. I believe the orange tint is the "flower of kefir" and is perfectly fine. Mine have done that a few times when I left them longer than 24 hours before straining and putting new milk over them....and I'm still alive and kickin' (I don't kick as high as I used to, but that's because I'm gettin' old! Ha!)

All the instructions I read tell us not to wash the grains in water....especially chlorinated water. I occasionally rinse mine off while still in the strainer with a bit of fresh milk, but never with water.