How To Make Kefir From Raw Milk. A Thorough Guide And Recipe To Benefit Your Health

Table Of Contents

What is kefir?

General info

Kefir is a probiotic drink with many kinds of bacterias and yeasts. It's most often made from either cow, goat, or sheep milk by adding kefir "grains" (see below). Many people also make water kefir with water and various kinds of sugar so it's kind of like Kombucha. All can be naturally carbonated like soda, and the probiotics in them are good for your health.

Kombucha is another subject, so I won't speak of that here.

Everything that follows are guidelines, not rules set in stone. I'll explain why as I get to each spot. But for the best results, follow everything exactly so you get a good baseline to understand how everything works. Once you're comfortable enough with that, go ahead and do some of the other stuff I mention if you want. I just want you to get comfortable with it first, and that will happen by following my ideal directions exactly.

I wrote the following directions in a way to help you avoid problems / prevent sickness, and getting the milk sour within 24 hours is your best defense. So please follow the directions as I say, until you're comfortable with it all, and then apply my other options if you want to have fun.

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What are kefir grains?

They are the "tool" you need to make kefir. If you're using healthy looking milk grains (such as the ones in my video instructions / images): they look kind of like white, gelatinous popcorn or cottage cheese.

They feel soft, but they don't break /rip apart unless you're aggressive with them. Good ones are very slimy, and they should always bounce back to their original size / shape if you squeezed them lightly.

They are the thing that ferments the natural sugars in the milk (lactose) so the milk turns sour, gives you a lot of probiotics, and makes the milk last WAAAAAY longer, even at room temperature so you don't get sick from it. Without them, the milk would go bad and make you sick if you drank it.

The state of these grains can change at various times. Sometimes good, sometimes bad. See section 4 for details on that.

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Where do kefir "grains" come from?

God. Don't believe there is one? Doesn't matter.

Recorded history from the public fool system is still nothing but "his - story"... I.E. "His - opinion" anyway, and looking anywhere else for this question is going to get you things based on hearsay evidence too. And yes, I know, me giving credit to God is hearsay evidence. But I've been through more than enough life threatening and non life threatening experiences to know damn well that there is one. If you knew of those things, you'd say there's NO way that stuff can happen, but they happened regardless.

For those not inclined to believe me on the above: I've heard stories that people found clear looking blobs in a river 800 trillion years ago, or whatever "TrUsT Me BrO!!1" number they could think of, and one day decided to toss them in some milk. I've also heard stories ranging from "it came from them thar hills!!", which is no different from claiming your ancestors came from pond scum and rocks (although "stardust" tends to be the dramatic way of selling you on it)... Again, that's all hearsay evidence too, so don't lie to yourself.

Point being... If you don't believe me, then arguing it is pointless. All that matters is that kefir grains exist, and they do stuff that's good for you. Religion doesn't matter here, though I still believe what I said.

On the topic of bullshit your rulers brainwash you with, don't forget the scamdemic: "TrUsT ThE sCiEnCe!!1", because "tEh WuRlD's DeAdLiEsT ViRuS iS TotAlLy FiXeD By A TiSsUe On YoUr FaCe WiTh YoUr 15th BoOsTeR, BeCaUsE TeH FiRsT OnE WoRkEd PeRfEcTlY!!!", right???... So put that fart blocker on and get boosted if you want. May God have mercy on you, and may your eyes be opened to the scam you fell for.

I'm a proud pureblood. I didn't get their fucking clot shot, didn't wear a mask, didn't lock down, I ignored the 6ft rule, and had cops kick me out. I got treated like absolute shit everywhere I went, and nobody wanted to see the proof on how they were wrong. Yet I'm still fine. So you make up your own mind on who you're going to believe: obvious hypocrites and liars, or someone who defied everything your corporate masters told you to do, and is better off because of it.

The world would be a much better place if people disobeyed obvious evil. I suggest you start NOW, because nothing will get better until you start taking your rights back. Starting with your health is one of the best ways to do so, as that is one of the first levers of power that crooks will use to manipulate you by... Then comes "dO iT FoR TeH KiDs!!!!1", yet at the same time promoting abortion up to the day of birth. So pull your head out of your ass, and stop believing everything your rulers tell you.

The truth is not afraid of competition. So challenge everything they say, and get them to prove their claims to you.

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How to make kefir grains?

I only make them from milk, so here's the gist, but the full directions are further below. Though if you want water kefir directions: go elsehwere.

Long story short: you add kefir grains + milk in a room temperature place around 70F, let it get sour, strain it, and add more fresh milk every day.

Do that consistently, and they will grow over time.

There might be a way to make them some other way, but I've been making my own kefir every week since 2005, and this is the only way I've ever seen them grow.

So I don't know if there is a way to make them from scratch the way you'd make spaghetti from scratch with flour, water, salt, and eggs...

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Do I need raw milk to make kefir?

Short answer: no. As long as you have milk from an animal (ideally from cow, sheep, goat, or buffalo), then you can make kefir with it. I'll bet milk from other animals will make it too, but I don't drink them since I stick to milk from Kosher animals. Not certified Kosher, since I don't care about that, but as a matter of preventing disease.

You can still get sick from the milk of Kosher animals, even if it's raw. I've been drinking raw milk every day since 2005, and there have been a whopping 2 times that the milk was bad. Everyone knew it, and it wasn't hard to fix.

Point being, the reason why I only drink milk from Kosher animals is because those that aren't have a much higher chance of carrying diseases. For example, pigs will eat piss, shit, barf, and dead rotting animals loaded with maggots and parasites.

I'm about to rant a little, but it's relative to the question above, so skip to the next if you want....

Here's a video of an elephant eating some poo straight out of another elephants butthole. Watch him dig for gold and toss it into his mouth at the end.

Here's another of a pig eating a dead rat.

And contrary to popular belief... Animals like monkeys are not vegetarians either. They eat bugs, other animals they can catch, and chimps are cannibals too. I would put another video here of a babboon eating a baby deer / antelope alive while it screams in pain, having it's guys ripped out... But you get the idea that reality is NOT a Disney cartoon with dancing animals.

Trying to be vegan was one of the dumbest things I've ever done. I tried for a short bit in 2004-5, and I have yet to this day, still NEVER seen a healthy vegan.

On a related note, earlier in my life when I had terrible health, I did a lot of herbal cleansing to rid me of a bunch of health problems. I used natural methods to kill off tons of parasites (liver flukes, and worms I saw in the toilet), and a whole lot of other things. After that, I was testing diets to see what worked best.

Now, most people don't mind the scent of their own farts or poo, but when I did that herbal cleansing: even I was repulsed by the spawn of Satan that came out of my own butthole.

Without going too indepth, these are the reasons why the only animals I eat are Kosher animals (again, I dont care about certification), but my life experience is enough for me to stay on this path. If you read around this site, you'd know that 95% of the shit sold in stores doesn't exist to me. It's all garbage, "geenwashed" organic candy that will still rot your teeth.

If you want to get better health: I suggest you start making some changes to what you put on and in your body, because otherwise you will be paying for it in the form of bad health. And if you don't have health, your productibility goes way down.

So your choices = let fear and pain be your teachers, or take my word for it and be better off (it's not like I'm trying to make your life harder).

And even you can't find, nor afford raw milk: fermenting it into kefir still makes it IMMENSELY better for you because you are adding beneficial bacteria, which will help you in many ways.

If you want a good head start on eating better: check out a cook book called Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon, as well as Nutrition and Physical Degeneration by Weston A Price. I would start with the cook book, as it quotes a lot of stuff from the other. Even so, I don't agree with everything in there, but it's a good head start.

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Where can I get raw milk?

RealMilk.com

FarmMatch.com

GetRawMilk.com

There are others if you do a basic internet search.

And many places usually only let you get it when you join something called a cow share or a goat share, etc.

The reason why is because in some places it's still illegal. So when you join one of those, you're not buying the milk. Instead, you own part of an animal, and you are paying the farmer to package and deliver you a product you already own a part of.

It's usually cheap, or free to join, but totally worth it (see below).

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Why would I want raw milk?

It's WAY better for your health, and highly likely to make you not have problems when drinking it.

Before I drank it raw, the pasteurized stuff would always give me a giant clump of mucus in the back of my throat that I'd be spitting up for hours. It also didn't feel good in my stomach, and made me fart a alot.

And the first time I tried ultra pasteurized milk: my lips, eyes, and the rest of my face got so swollen that I could barely breathe.

That was a good enough sign to me that that stuff = bad for you, and no amount of vegan protein, vitamins, and mineral pills ever filled the void.

One time, I even lived off the fanciest sounding supplements you could buy. I won't name it, but it was a really expensive protein powder with an over glorified way of convincing you why their product is the best thing since ever.

You see, when I tried being vegan, I had what I like to call "starving full". It's where you eat, and eat, and eat, and eat, and eat, and you are never full, even though your belly is puffed out like you're fat. I was also very cold, all the time, especially my hand, feet, knees, and balls. And I'm a skinny dude, though ripped, so that looked weird (if you want to see me with my shirt off, go watch my musket video. The cross fade section in the black background is the best shot).

Point being, when I started drinking raw milk, the first thing I noticed was how relaxed I felt. And among eating other things in the various books I mention on this page: all of a sudden I felt satisfied. Surges of love, laughter, and peace flooded my body. Only some of those happened with raw milk, and other foods did the rest. But this was the satisfaction I had always been looking for, and I didn't have to eat a whole field of lentils that made me fart 24-7, and give me a puffy belly on top of it (which again, never worked).

Again, I've been drinking it raw every day since 2005, and... Every. Single. Place. That I have got raw milk from... Have all been raided by government goon squads with full auto weapons, or at the bare minimum, harassed by power tripping assholes that get you to screw yourself... This should make you wonder: who do they think they're going to catch on a farm, commiting the heinous crime of having raw milk? Will they catch a boogeyman from the middle east that the US government created as a tool to screw the public by getting the people to give up more tax money, and more rights, among other scams?

Unfortunately, all this is true. And many of those cocksuckers have been playing God since long before then, and they continue to do so up to this day.

It happens for a number of reasons, and sometimes it may be justified. But for the people I've bought from: it was no different from TV's high priests during the scamdemic telling you to wear a holy tissue on your face...

Because legend has it... That it hath been blessed by the high priests of "sCiEnCe!!!1!!evelen!!1 So GeT Ya 15th BoOsTa!!!!!1".

I suggest you, me, and everyone else start teaching people the truth, and disobey evil orders, just like I did. Grow a fucking pair of balls, learn your rights and how to enforce them, and clog the system legally if they come after you for it. I can tell you from experience, that 99% of crap from the government is bluff, and they use the media as a weapon to screw the people over through non stop lies. Mainstream media outlets are largely to blame, and every 2nd commercial on them is some new drug. So it's obvious they've been bought out from telling the truth.

Raw milk was literally one of the things that saved me from death. I won't go too much into it here, but at one point while vegan, I was severely underweight. It also helped me gain 1 lb a day in 3 weeks. Nothing else worked, other than raw animal products like raw milk, raw eggs, etc. I actually gained more than this, I just didn't start weighing myself until I started feeling the results coming consistently. I wasn't exercising at all either. Just eating and resting.

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Is raw milk dangerous?

If you read the stuff above where I gave a teeny tiny overview of health problems I used to have, did some herbal cleansing, then healed a ton of health problems... All those problems happened LONG before I ever drank raw milk.

You have a higher chance of getting sick from food sold in your local grocery store, or going to a restaurant, than from drinking raw milk.

In fact, the stuff that gave me the endless health problems I used to have were all caused by the modern day diet, and the lies that people tell themselves.

Even so, yeah, you can get sick from it, like I said above. You could also get in a car accident tomorrow. Or with all the Boeing airplane crashes today: an airplane might fall out of the sky and hit you.

So if you're worried, then get it from someone who's been making it for a long time. After watching other people drink it with no problems, you'll probably realize it's no different from any other part of daily life.

Health benefits of kefir

Long story short: probiotics. They make your digestion better, which improves your overall health in many ways.

And being able to make your own probiotics instead of buying refrigerated probiotic pills from the store is a total no brainer if you ask me (and yes, there are refrigerated versions of probiotics, and that makes no sense because they're going in your body anyway).

That's one reason why I've been making my own since 2005. By doing that, I get: probiotics, proteins, vitamins, and minerals all in one go, unlike useless powdered rocks in a pill form that get passed off as a health food.

Powdered rocks (vitamin pills) did nothing for me when I was younger and had a lot of health problems.

I used to eat powdered rock pills and powders which were marketed as the best thing since ever with all their super special proteins and blah blah blah... I even lived off them solely for a time, but they never healed the severe health problems I had back then. Whereas actual food did. Kefir was one of those things, particularly from raw milk.

The day I started drinking raw milk was the day I started growing again, and a whole bunch of other problems healed. Powdered rocks did nothing for me, but with raw milk I'd feel it in my bones, muscles, and energy every day. Therefore, I've been making it ever since.

If you're interested in more on that, consider the Weston A price foundation, Weston's book Nutrition and Physical Degeneration, and a cookbook called Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon.

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Steps to make it / before you start...

Read ALL of these directions before starting. I have a video down below that is meant to be good enough for most people, but the details here are important too, and I kept some of these details out in an effort to keep the video under 10 minutes. I also have a PDF instructions so you can remember how to when offline, but they aren't as good as what's on this page.

These directions are also from the point of view that you bought your kefir grains from me, and are making it with raw milk. You don't need raw milk to make it (pasteurized will work too), but the little details I say on this page are much more important if you are making it with raw milk, to keep it safe, etc.

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What you're likely to notice when you first get your grains

After your grains have not been fed for a few days at room temperature (during shipping), you can get a couple “problems”. They can get more sour than usual, especially if they shipped very warm (typical in hot months). When that happens, they might smell like “paint” / "acetone" and / or alcohol when you get them.

That is fine since yeasts naturally make alcohol (which contains some acetone), and the bacteria make lactic acid (acids). Certain kinds of acids and alcohols are put into paint too, hence the familiar smell. Except with these it’s not toxic, and it won't get you drunk. It’s all natural too, and there is even such as thing a "milk paint" in case you didn't know.

So no need to worry. You can eat it, but don’t do that yet (read on).

If the grains are left out for long enough without food: the color might also go yellow a little due to being exposed to open air, or not having been fed lately. This also happens when you store them in a jar in the fridge, and the existing milk adhering to the grains drained to the bottom of the jar (so it’s just a little oxidation). A week can do that easily.

Again, all of these things are fine, your grains are not broken or bad, and they will return to their perfect state if you follow the directions below.

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Items you'll need

Most importantly... DO NOT USE METAL FOR ANYTHING THAT FOLLOWS (watch the video that follows for why).

But first, you'll need some kefir grains.

Then, some cow / goat / sheep, or buffalo milk (ideally whole, but 2% will work). Pasteurized will work fine too, I just always do it raw. I don't suggest using skim, because the grains will eventually get more rough, and start feeling the way they do before going bad due to neglect. At that point, there is a noticeable difference when touching them, and having the fat clearly makes them feel better. There's more detail for that in section 4, from the Kefir grains are orangey? spot, and the places it refers to.

DO NOT USE non dairy "MiLk" like soy, almond, etc. either. If you do, the grains are probably going to turn more into water kefir grains, and I have little experience with those.

You also need a plastic strainer, and a glass or plastic bowl with a pour spout. The video below shows good and bad examples of both.

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Freshen up your grains

It won't hurt if you skip this freshening up spot... Because the grains will always reach back to their original state, but I suggest you don't skip it, because doing it will make it taste and feel better in your mouth overall. The purpose of this is to normalize the cultures back to their original state, so the flavor isn't off for your next batch. Because during shipment, open air is denied to them since they're in a closed package. Yeasts, which are natural to kefir grains, well they make some alcohol from the natural sugars in the milk, especially when open air is denied to it. This means that during shipment, once you get the grains, they may smell a little like alcohol, acetone, or awkward when you open them up the first time. Like I said above, nothing is wrong with them. It's natural. That only happens because of the shipping.

Now GO WASH YOUR HANDS!!! Scrub under your nails too (better yet: clip them, then scrub). Don't be an uncultured swine that adds cross contamination from the filth under your dirty nails.

Then lightly strain whatever excess kefir and whey is currently adhering to the grains. No need to squeeze them out. Just let a bit of it drain through your fingers so it's only lightly coating them.

Then put the grains in a clean glass jar, and cover them with enough milk so it's just above the top of the grains.

Put a loose lid on top right after that, so gas can escape, but bugs cant get in. An old t-shirt with a rubber band to secure it is perfect. Personally, I use these cheap towels from Walmart called Flour Sack towels. I got 10 of them for like $5-10, and they're perfect for making cheese, or turning this kefir more into thicker yogurt (which are separate topics, so I won't go there now).

DO NOT USE METAL (short answer = metal lids will likely rust, see section 4 later on for details).

Keep it like this at room temperature (ideally between 70-75 F), and stir it lightly 2-3 times a day with a wooden or plastic spoon.

If you stir hard and fast it might tear them, which will make it more of a pain to strain out, since they might slip through the holes. That doesn’t ruin their ability to ferment the milk though, it's just a minor inconvenience.

Once 24 hours is up, lightly stir it your last time so it's all smooth again, then dump it in a strainer over a glass or plastic bowl with a pour spout, and "hop" the strainer up and down to let the kefir through (see the video below for how). I strongly suggest you don't stir or squeeze them while straining, as that's more likely to tear them up.

Doing the above for 1 day is fine, and should return the flavor / scent / color to normal, but there's no need to do it for more than 3 days. You can drink the resulting kefir every time too. Nothing's wrong with it, you just might not like it since it should be very thick and sour.

By doing the above, you will make future batches ferment, and taste better. Time, temperature, and type of milk used will also affect that. I’ll explain more in the following directions.

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How to make and store kefir from here on - VIDEO instructions

You can also watch the above on YouTube, Rumble, Bitchute, Odysee, or Brighteon.

Stats for nerds: I used to play the drums in 1996-1997, and again in 2001-2003, then stopped. Then in 2023 I learned Western music theory and how to make music with it by using a Digital Audio Workstation. So I wanted to apply what I learned. I could have bought music for this video, but taking the easy route is boring, since I wanted flexibility and more skills. The music in this video is my first song, done as a film score (one giant song for an entire movie, though in this case only about 10 minutes). It was made with Reaper DAW, cymbal samples, Tabla samples on an SFZ instrument, various Vital synths, a MIDI controller, and Edifier MR4 speakers. Since the main goal was to do the music for this as a film score, I wanted my instructions to be the main focus rather than some complex melody that shifts your attention to the melody. So in an attempt to keep it neutral sounding, while being able to manipulate emotions and your focus at important parts: I used Lydian F to carry you through the video peacefully with certain Tabla patterns to create "space". Then Phrygian F is used to accent the threatening "danger" spots, with an "inverted" Tabla pattern. The dark chorus synth with reverb and phaser helps do that too. Also, to help prevent the pad synth chords from flying all over the place in both modes: I inverted some of the high notes in the chords since I wanted it to stay more neutral. For my first song and 10 minute "film" score: I feel I hit my requirements, and I'll probably be making more music in the future.

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How to make and store kefir from here on - text instructions

If you did all the above in this 3rd section, you can skip the following. This subsection is only for people who didn't watch the video, and prefer written directions instead.

Anyways, I suggest you start making this on the night before, so it lands on a day you have no work. I usually do it on a weekend. This will give you the best results, since you'll be able to stir it, which will give you better results.

You can also use smaller / larger ratios than I show here (see section 4)... But for the best results, and to get you acquainted with a good starting point: don't go less than a 4:1 ratio.Such as 1/4 cup grains, to 8oz of milk, since 1/4 cup is 2oz by volume... You can get away with an 8:1 ratio like I show in the video, but it's not as effective. More importantly is if you're using raw milk, then getting it sour more quickly is extra important because that will prevent it from making you sick. Again, see section 4 for more details on this.

Now take 1/4 cup of grains, and loosely strain any excess kefir adhering to them. You don't have to drain it all. I usually do this with my CLEAN fingers and the glass jar I took it from. Your choice. Straining before starting is not required either, but if you want to help prevent yourself from making drinkable “cheese”, I suggest you do this, as it's very important if you ever choose to ferment at a higher temperature. That's because the excess sourness from the yellow whey, and kefir, will help curdle fresh milk instead of fermenting it first. Cheese (that tastes exactly like cheese) can be made with really super sour whey (the yellow part you’ll see when it ferments), but I won’t put directions here for that as it is quite lengthy, and another subject.

Add these grains to 8oz of milk in a glass jar, and let it sit for 24 hours in a 70-75 Fahrenheit place. Put a loose fitting lid on top, or something like a t-shirt / one of the flour sack towels I mentioned, and a rubber band around that so gas can escape, but bugs can't get in.

Before stirring, I suggest you "poke" downward with your spoon very lightly all around, until the part that floated to the top is broken and semi-dissolved into some of the whey below. Then start stirring lightly with a wooden or plastic spoon at least 2-3 times during this period, ideally spread evenly (like once every 8 hours). You will likely see it separating during this time between the whey (yellow) and curd (white). This is fine. Again, the goal of light stirring is to prevent the grains from breaking into smaller pieces, so it's easier to strain out.

And just like the section for freshening your grains, it will get thick and sour by the end of those 24 hours. You can go longer for a more sour result (see section 4), but that's your choice. It's also okay if you miss a stir, it's just more likely to not turn out as smooth and silky as it can. Rather, it might turn out closer to cheese curd. Which is still drinkable, but it's a pain in the butt to strain. You can eat the chunks too (they'll still be soft), but if you do it this way, it's basically just real crappy cheese, not smooth and silky the way it should be.

Now strain your kefir from your grains, and store them separately in glass jars with PLASTIC lids in the coldest spot of your refrigerator, but don't let them freeze. I suggest 32-64oz Ball brand glass jars since they're cost effective. DO NOT USE METAL FOR ANYTHING (see section 4).

If for some reason you had no refrigerator, you can store your grains in milk at room temp the same way you've been using them, but you will eventually have to feed them again, or else they will start to go bad (see section 4 below).

It's now done, and if you made it according to the ideal directions (4:1 ratio, 24 hours minimum at 70-75F, stirred lightly at least 3 times 8 hours apart), then it should feel very thick, smooth, and silky...

You can now technically keep the kefir at room temperature too, but if you do, I suggest drinking it within a week (keep the lid on loosely, or cloth / rubber band to prevent bugs, and explosions due to a a tight lid).

But I don’t like doing that because it gets quite yeasty, and sour enough to need lots of sweet stuff to make it taste better. Although if you do this, and you know you won’t drink it all soon, you really ought to stir it at least once a day, because the cream will float to the top, yeast collects, and it gets more alcoholic unless you stay on top of stirring it every day. Personally, I don’t like that super sour flavor, but your choice... I’ve kept mine at room temp for up to 2 weeks before and it was still fine (no illness, no sore throat, etc).

From here on, I suggest you feed your grains with fresh milk at least once every 2 weeks, otherwise the “problems” in the freshening up your grains section might happen. Though to be fair, when I've gone once every 2 weeks, it's always fine, and there was no need to do that freshening up spot. Just drain the excess whey through your fingers, add milk, and go.

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How to drink it

Like a smoothie with fruit or honey is my preferred way.

I usually do the following: I take 4 raw eggs that had their shells scrubbed with soap and a wire mesh scrubber, make sure they had no cracks by lighting twisting the eggs under running water, then add those with about 1 lb of any kind of fruit I want into a blender. I puree that, and add it to about 3 cups of kefir. These ratios are increased / decreased as I desire.

I've been eating 4-16 raw eggs a day since 2005, and it did nothing but good to me. If you do this too: don't eat raw eggs with cracks in them already. Make sure you scrub them well with soap and water too, otherwise you're more likely to regret it (pain in your tongue, roof of your mouth, throat, ears, coughing, sneezing, etc).

Other times I'll pour off the excess whey from the kefir that floated to the top into another jar (save it, it's very thirst quenching), and use the resulting thick curd with whatever I want. I usually do that in place of cheeese, since making cheese from all this takes far more work than making kefir... Although that's largely due to my setup, which could be improved, but I don't always have space for it as I type this.

I also add unheated honey to the kefir, and drink it solely like that with no raw eggs.

If you add anything sweet to your kefir: I suggest you drink it the same day. Why?? Because the bacteria and yeasts in the kefir will feed off the sugars. Just don't store it like this in a completely airtight jar in a warm place for too long. That will increase the pressure, make it fizzy, and possibly explode due to the pressure if it's strong enough. 1 day usually isn't enough, and I've never had a problem with leaving the above smoothie in my car on hot summer days, and drinking it 1/2 way through... Just don't do it with pineapple, since the pineapple will eventually make it taste kinda bitter and nasty (so only use pineapple if you drink it right away... Papaya is another culprit).

So keep that in mind, have fun, and experiment however you want.

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Important details / Troubleshooting

DO NOT USE METAL TOOLS

Store everything in glass with a plastic lid.

Stir with wooden or plastic spoons.

Strain with wood or plastic strainers. I suggest you watch my video to see what kind of strainer is best, because real tight ones are a giant pain in the butt, especially if you use cow milk.

Why no metal??? I've made truly raw cheese with kefir plenty of times. There are many ways to make it... But one time I used a stainless steel pan, and let it sit in there for 3 days at room temperature. At the end of 3 days it all tasted like metal, so I threw it out since metal is toxic for you to eat. It also tastes fucking horrible, which alone should be enough to convince you.

The same also happened when fermenting just the cream with my kefir grains so I could make cultured butter. I even put the resulting sour cream in a Vitamix blender (which cost $500, and their advertising bragged about it being high quality, including the metal blades. It is and does have high quality components, but it was not immune to this). So I puréed the cream for a minute, and the same thing happened... Pure metal. Disgusting.

Toxic too (very bad for your brain), so don't do it.

The metal composition and length of time are factors in this problem, but it’s best to not risk it, as vinegar rusts metal, and I’ve seen acidic (lactic) bacteria rust those metal canning jar tops plenty of times too. Though to be fair, even plain water from my faucet for washing my dishes did that eventually.

To be safe: just don't use metal.

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Ferments > 24 hours

A longer time always makes the result more sour.

Occasionally, something comes up and I can’t stir, nor strain my grains within the time frame I said above, so I’ll let them sit at room temp for 3–4 days. That's fine. Nothing is wrong with them. Though you might get some of the "problems" mentioned on this page. Particularly the crappy cheese problems, since the curd will be a bit hard to separate from the grains.

When that happens, I always poke the top of the curd down very lightly all around to break it up, then slowly stir until it's as dissolved as I can get it. Then I strain it by hopping as I show in my video. But even then, it's never perfect. You'll often have to go through another ferment to make it less chunky.

Again, that's the sole reason why I suggest stirring it a few times very lightly during the first 24 hours, because that will prevent the chunks, and I like mine smooth and silky.

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Ferments < 24 hours

Less time makes it less sour.

There's nothing wrong with going less time either. As long as the milk was good beforehand, it'll be fine, and closer to what yogurt is like.

If it's nice and thick / silky: you can dump it in a flour sack towel, tie it up, hang it, drain some excess whey, and it'll be more like store bought yogurt. This is true whether sour or not.

Although, I prefer to have it refrigerated, wait a day or so until it separates, and pour off some excess whey since it's easier that way. That's much easier to do if you let it get sour, because then it separates more easily.

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Ferments at cooler temperatures between 60-70F

This will produce a much thicker kefir. Personally, I like this the best, as it tastes thicker, smoother / silkier, and more salty to me, but still sour.

I do not suggest you go lower, like into the 50F or less range. You can run into some problems there... But since this temperature is cooler, the lactic (souring) bacteria work slower. That means it will become more dangerous for you. Hence why I suggest getting it sour preferably within 24 hours.

You can use pasteurized milk with these grains too, so long as the milk was cooled down first (you don't want to kill the bacteria in the grains), but I say this because I only drink raw milk, and when raw milk is left at room temp for too long, nor without the acidity having built up to prevent illness: you’ll likely feel pain in your ears, throat, etc... I’ve done ferments at cool temps for 3-5 days or so at 40F, and those are generally the problems you get. SO DO NOT GO LOWER THAN 60F !!! I have given you all these directions while heavily leaning on the side of safety first.

So again, ideally stick to the 4:1 ratio, stir it 3 times within 24 hours, and keep the room it's fermenting in between 70-75F. I only mention this extra stuff because I want to give you options.

And if you used a real low temperature for an extended time anyway, and need to fix your grains: rinse them with filtered water very well until it runs clean. Expect to use about a gallon or more of clean filtered water. Then redo the section on freshen up your grains, and continue as normal. Just don't drink it until it's done. They are not ruined, as I've done this many times and they always get fixed.

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Fermenting at warmer temperatures between 75-85F +

Personally, 80F is usually the max I will ferment at, as the kefir will generally turn into tiny cheese curds if you go higher. You also have to stir it more often, because it will separate a lot faster.

Kefir made at this temperature will likely not be as smooth / silky and salty either. It's still drinkable and not going to hurt you, but it sucks.

And the way I see it: assuming it's all natural, if it tastes and feels better, it's probably better for you. So I think the activity of certain bacterias at certain temperatures might help to "unlock" certain nutrients that normally wouldn't be... That's just my guess though.

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Grain growth and fermenting speed

As you make more kefir, the grains will grow.

When you use more grains, the milk will ferment faster.

So you will have to figure out the speeds that are ideal for you, and aligned with your schedule. I usually time my ferments in a way that I'll be able to stir them once every 8 hours to prevent turning the milk into a bunch of tiny curds.

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Using more or less milk?

You can ferment more or less milk with more or less kefir grains, and it will still ferment. But the more milk you use, the more the grains have to ferment, so it will take longer.

Again, I wrote these directions in a way to help you avoid problems / prevent sickness, and getting the milk sour within 24 hours is your best defense. So please follow those directions until you're comfortable with them, and then apply my other options if you want to have fun.

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How to grow your grains real fast

If you feed 1/2 cup of grains fresh milk every day, and keep the ferment going every day with fresh milk for the next month: you should easily have enough to make about 32 ounces of kefir a day by the end.

You DO NOT need to clean the jar when you do this everyday either. Just use the same jar and scrape down the walls with a rubber spatula, or your CLEAN fingers. Make sure your nails are clipped and scrubbed clean too, as you don’t want to inoculate bad stuff in there. Also, make sure you don’t have kefir clinging to the outside, or the cloth / rubber band on the top, since you don't want bugs to arrive.

I've never had that problem, but it's a good precaution.

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Kefir grains are yellow or smell like paint / Acetone?

They’re fine. Go reread the part in section 3 for freshening them up though. Nothing is wrong with them.

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Kefir grains are Orangey?

Read the subsections below for How to store your grains and How often should you feed your grains?. You'll understand why it's there once you read them.

Though I admit this spot here is more for an SEO thing, people who use ctrl+F, or who only read the titles... But it just makes more sense to keep that info down below.

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How to store your grains

Ideally in a glass jar with a plastic lid, in the coldest spot of your refrigerator. Not metal, as those eventually rust. I've never frozen mine, but logic tells me don't do it since it might kill off some good bacteria.

When I've stored my grains at room temp, or when making real sour kefir whey (for making truly raw cheese, another topic for another time), keeping them at room temp for too long without any extra white part is far more likely to make the grains eventually turn orange-ish. Details in the section below... So I don't suggest storing them at room temp, unless they're given fresh milk at least every week.

I don't have an exact day number either, but I can say I've let them sit at room temp in milk for a week, and they were always fine, so long as they were covered with milk and lightly stirred once a day. Read the warning section below for details on that.

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How often should you feed your grains?

I suggest at least once a week, 2 weeks at the max. You can go for longer, but if you do you might have to “revive” them a bit as I said above in section 3 - Freshen up your grains. That time will depend on how bad you neglected them.

The easiest way to care for your grains is by doing what I suggest in my video above. Just make kefir at least once a week, and store them in a jar in the coldest spot in your fridge, with a plastic lid. Having air inside the jar is fine, so there's no need to store them in milk. But...

Warning: if you don’t feed your grains for too long, they will get hard, have a dull orange-ish color, and will crumble. They will smash if you squeeze them, and not return to their original shape like normal. It will take a while to get there. Sorry I don't have a time frame for that, but before they do, they always start feeling "rougher".

And by "rougher, I mean they just won't feel as smooth / flexible as they do when you give them whole milk.

That is especially true if they are being kept in nothing but whey, (meaning, there is no white part, just the yellow). Skim milk tends to make them feel similar, though not as fast. Whole milk is the safest option. And the reason you might do that is because you're preparing to make some cheese. I'll have a video on how to do that late 2024 to early 2025.

So if you ever want to make cheese with the cultures from your kefir grains, you CAN store them in whey for a bit, but I don't suggest going for more than a week. You really ought to feed them fresh milk right after it too. I've kept mine in a 1:1 yellow whey to grains ratio, for 3-5 days at a time around 80-90F+, and they were always fine, but I always fed them fresh milk at the end. They'd feel proper by the time my next batch of kefir was done.

I know I just said I did 3-5 days, but I also said a week before that. The difference between me and you, is that I probably have a lot more grains than you. So a 1:1 ratio at that high of a temp, is much more "stressful" to the grains (they make everything more sour, more quickly) than the 4:1 ratio I suggest when making kefir. And I'm just trying to show you that even when I stress mine out more than yours: they're still fine. Again, All these directions are just general guidelines. Your grains are going to grow, and as they do, they will make the same amount of milk ferment more quickly. So you will have to modify your timings, etc., as needed.

But, if you neglect them enough so they go orange / crumbly... Reviving them from that point can either take a very long time, or you might want to just get some new ones. I also don't know if you can revive them from that point for certain, but I have seen them go away without picking them out, though my best bet is that they eventually dissolved into the milk as I stirred it, and I drank it (that's most likely what happened).

I don’t have an exact number of days it takes to turn them into a dull orange because I take care of mine, but I have seen it happen, and I know it was more common when letting the grains stay in nothing but the whey for too long, and not having the white part available. I just forgot how long it took.

But it shouldn't hurt you even if you eat them.

So again, following what I do in my video is the easiest way I've found to take care of your grains.

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