A heaping tablespoon of milk kefir grains will culture a cup of milk in about a day, depending on the ambient temperature. The grains will grow and divide when regularly refreshed with more milk. Kefir can be used in many ways. It can be drunk as is or used in a smoothie with fruit. It can replace buttermilk in recipes and the curds, with salt added, can replace ricotta cheese and when pressed in cheese cloth can replace feta.
Kefir has many nutrients and is easily digested. The grains break down proteins into peptides and can make lactose tolerable even for those who couldn't drink milk. Kefir contains Vitamin K2, known to improve bone density and remove calcium from tissues, as well as B12 for metabolism. Some others of its benefits have not been scientifically proven, but studies are underway.
Kefir is best known for its benefits for digestion, with probiotics that can form colonies in the gut and inhibit the growth of toxins--provided the diet contains enough fiber to support probiotics--important for IBS sufferers. Try a kefir smoothie with fruit, l-glutamine, powdered inulin, and stevia without erythritol, like Herbal Select from Guelph. And, of course, kefir contains minerals like calcium, potassium, and magnesium. See Wikipedia for more information.
Photos of grains and some plastic tools for use in culturing kefir are shown, but the tools are not included. Glass and plastic tools are best used in the culturing process.
