Kefir is a thickened probiotic drink which contains 10 live and active cultures. This drink is a cousin of yogurt, and is very nourishing. Kefir can be made using a variety of different milks and drinks including: powdered milk, skim milk, 1% milk, 2% milk, whole milk, goat milk, sheep milk, rice milk, soy milk, coconut milk, fruit juice, and ginger beer. I have found this drink at any grocery store. They can also be bought in a freeze dried version found at health food stores such as New Frontiers. You can also buy it in a freeze dried version to make your own kefir grains. Kefir may taste sour buy itself, but is good when added to cereals, fruit salad or shakes.
To make Kefir at home:
Buy one small plain organic kefir to use as a starter. Mix 1/4 C of kefir with one quart of milk and let it sit on the counter for 48 hours (kefir does not require any special heating or cooling like yogurt). Keep refrigerated. The cultures will still continue to grow during refrigeration, but the process will be slowed. Kefir will stay good in your refrigerator for several weeks. When you are ready to make a second batch of kefir, simply save 1/4 C of kefir from your previous batch and repeat the fermentation process. You can use starters from a previous batch up to 5 or 6 times before needing to buy a new kefir from the store and beginning the process again.
