Kefir

[Cois]

This all reminds me of a culture growing scam when I was at varsity..... a pyramid scheme...

LOL my uncle fell of this.  Think it was called the cube scam

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kubus_scheme

[V12man]

LOL my uncle fell of this.  Think it was called the cube scam

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kubus_scheme

That's the one - created a sea of vrot smelling milk everywhere....

 

The gullibility of people always astounds me.... perhaps I am just a cynical old sod....

[Chro Mo]

That's the one - created a sea of vrot smelling milk everywhere....

 

The gullibility of people always astounds me.... perhaps I am just a cynical old sod....

Ja - I was a kid at the time.

 

I think they caught the head honcho with a boot full of cash at the end of it all.

[V12man]

Ja - I was a kid at the time.

 

I think they caught the head honcho with a boot full of cash at the end of it all.

And a warehouse full of dried milk culture....

[Cois]

 

Also, is it safe to get a Kefir plant sent to me by courier? How does it handle the trip? Any specific ways to pack it?

Did a bit of reading.  just give me a few weeks to build my culture, then I will send you some.  There is a very good instructional on the shipping of Kefir.

 

http://blog.cheesemaking.com/using-kefir-grains-and-shipping-them-to/

[nonky]

This all reminds me of a culture growing scam when I was at varsity..... a pyramid scheme...

 

 

KUBUS !!!!

[Davey_Jones]

I was told to use Woolies milk http://www.woolworths.co.za/store/prod/Food/Food/Dairy-Eggs-Milk/Milk/Fresh-Milk/Full-Cream-Fresh-Milk/Fresh-Full-Cream-Ayrshire-Milk-3L/_/A-6001009001733.  I was told that this will not kill the culture or rather harm the culture.  

I have a contact near Pretoria that can get raw milk.  Can ask my mom as well.  They stay near farms, and I know I can drive 30 km to get raw milk as well.  So I am in a very privileged position. 

 

I am not sure.  The culture needs to breath.  So I doubt that it will survive a trip.  Not sure how the guys in the US sends theirs around, but they use a culture starter.  So I do not know how it works...

Irene Dairy Farm does raw milk too.  http://www.irenefarm.co.za/thedairyshop/

 

I've done the Kefir thing before. Was pretty cool but becomes a bit of a mission washing and regrowing after a while. Especially when you forget about it.  It did work pretty well though in terms of stomach feeling better and led to better pooping habits I mean who doesn't want that?

[tombeej]

Any idea where I can get raw, unpasteurised milk? I'm in the Durban area, not too many Co Ops around here...

 

Also, is it safe to get a Kefir plant sent to me by courier? How does it handle the trip? Any specific ways to pack it?

 

Sorry for all the questions, just very interested in this product.

 

Shongweni Farmers Market on Saturday mornings. There's a stall there where you can get pure, raw milk.

 

Oh, and you can get Kefir from me if you like.

Edited December 7, 2015 by tombeej

[Cois]

Irene Dairy Farm does raw milk too.  http://www.irenefarm.co.za/thedairyshop/

 

I've done the Kefir thing before. Was pretty cool but becomes a bit of a mission washing and regrowing after a while. Especially when you forget about it.  It did work pretty well though in terms of stomach feeling better and led to better pooping habits I mean who doesn't want that?

I have one hope. That this will help my IBS.

Only reason I am getting this.  I found that I had a huge problem since getting my Nespresso machine.  Nothing beats a Late and I had a few of them, then started getting real sick.  And since cutting back on the milk, I have been getting better.  Still farting like a cow, but at least I am starting to feel better.  And the lack of cycling puts me back big time.

[tombeej]

Kefir - a "probiotic gem"

 

It's a 'super food'. An ancient practise, one sadly long forgotten in this age of industrially made, steralised, denatured, pasteurised supermarket food.

 

It's arguably the most powerful natural probiotic food known.

 

Remember, probiotics help to feed & nurture our absolutely critical gut flora in our intestines. So before we talk about Kefir, we need to know more about the role our gut flora plays in our lives:

 

Things You Had No Idea Gut Bacteria Could Do

 

16 Things That Affect Your Gut Bacteria

 

Putting Out the Fire: Gut Flora and the Inflammatory Cycle

[tombeej]

OK, now on to Kefir:

 

The 'grains' look like little white cauliflower heads in reality - nothing to do with the grains we know. 

 

One thing that's critical to know is how to store them.

• They don't mind being frozen, so if you've had enough of them just put the kefir in zip lock packets with a bit of milk to cover them and into the freezer. Next time you've been ill and had antibiotics (which kills the bad bacteria but also your critically essential gut flora), or feeling generally just run down, or maybe been on a bad food binge (Xmas holidays), pull out a packet and plop them into warm milk and they'll wake up again.
• When you've got them in milk, never, never, never, ever, ever, EVER let them come into contact with metal. You keep them in a large glass jar of milk, or a plastic container like a protein shaker. They start dying almost immediately when in contact with metal. In fact you'll even kill your kefir if you stir your milk with a metal spoon. If you're decanting over the sink and one of your little boytjies drops into the sink, you can pretty much watch it slowly start to wither and die in front of you. So it's only wood, glass or plastic containers and utensils.
• Always keep the lid slightly ajar because fermentation causes gas. If you seal the lid you're in for a messy explosion.
• The warmer the milk the faster they work. I keep mine in the fridge, slows them right down. It means I can have kefir once a week (which is all you need, really). Otherwise if you leave them out on a kitchen counter in summer, you'll have to drink it daily to keep up.
• The kefir 'grains' (heads) inevitably grow and then spontaneously split off. The more grains you have in your container, the faster the fermentation process. When you've got too many, put 3 or 4 heads at a time into zip lock plastic bags with a little covering of milk and into the freezer. You can then pass on to friends or family or sell them).

Edited December 7, 2015 by tombeej

[tombeej]

For those who want to know what Kefir is, here's some reading for you:

 

Article 1. 

 

Article 2.

 

This is a great article – very detailed. 

[tombeej]

This is what Kefir looks like (I call them 'my boytjies'. My missus thinks I'm a nut job).

 

[ichnusa]

looks like a Stans cauli flower

[G00SE]

I've been culturing kefir for 3 or 4 months now.

It is great for colon health as it has a fork load of probiotics in it.

I have found the woolies milk works the best out of the pastuerised milks, but ive used clover with no problem when I didn't have woolies milk.

It does become quite a mission to keep all the grains under control once they get going, these days I add 2 big table spoons to just over 1 l milk, and whatever is left over I give to my dog - she quite enjoys the grains

If anyone is keen in some grains, I can keep the excess, as when its nice and healthy I get about 1 big table spoon of new grains every 2 days.

 

You can also do a 2nd ferment once you strained the grains out - add some lime peels to the bottle and leave for another day before refridgerating - gives it a nice limey taste and also takes that extreme sour edge off.

 

I have also got a nice production run of Kombucha going which is awesome - but thats a whole other story...

[keithbe]

Isn't lactose free milk easier to get hold of?