Summer Kefir
Posted: Wed Jun 07, 2017 10:06 amKefir grains are easy to use until it gets really hot in the summer and then I notice it will separate into curds and whey before I get a chance to get the "kefir grains" out of that jar, so the grains end up fusing with the curds and it becomes difficult to tell them apart.
So at that point I switch to my summer method which is just taking a few tablespoons of the last finished batch of kefir and using it to culture a new batch of it in a fresh jar of milk. It works quite well all summer until it starts to cool back down in the fall, and then I bring the old kefir grains back out of the refrigerator and get them going again. To keep the old grains alive in the refrigerator, I keep changing the milk once a week.
I've also tried using store-bought kefir (such as Lifeway) and using it to culture milk at room temperature. It works fine. And it is a lot easier than messing with the grains. It doesn't work well when it cools down in the fall. It seems to prefer 80 degrees or even a little higher to grow robustly.
So at that point I switch to my summer method which is just taking a few tablespoons of the last finished batch of kefir and using it to culture a new batch of it in a fresh jar of milk. It works quite well all summer until it starts to cool back down in the fall, and then I bring the old kefir grains back out of the refrigerator and get them going again. To keep the old grains alive in the refrigerator, I keep changing the milk once a week.
I've also tried using store-bought kefir (such as Lifeway) and using it to culture milk at room temperature. It works fine. And it is a lot easier than messing with the grains. It doesn't work well when it cools down in the fall. It seems to prefer 80 degrees or even a little higher to grow robustly.