Fun with Fermentables: Water Kefir

Some chat with my fellow fermenter has inspired me to share our newest fermentation adventure: Water Kefir. Many of you may be familiar with milk kefir because it is sold at many co-ops and natural grocery stores these days. However, through a similar process you can come to make water kefir. 

Kefir is another type of SCOBY or Symbiotic Colony of Bacteria and Yeast. People usually talk about kefir "grains" which are actually just small lumps of SCOBY that multiply with time. 

Water kefir is another product with tons of antioxidants, vitamins,  and probiotics and other healthy benefits and many claim that the probiotics in water kefir may be more viable for long term digestive health. Who knows though, because of course, no research is being done on either beverage. 

Kefir is especially nice for those who need instant gratification. A batch is finished in 24 to 48 hours. 

A simple recipe. 

1) Place kefir grains, 1/4-1/2 cup of sugar in a clean 4 quart glass container.

2) Add water to almost full. Stir. 

3) Cover with a dish towel or other breathable fabric (be careful not to use one on which you have used a dryer sheet). Place in a shady, warm spot in your house. We use a shelf, next to our stove. 

4) In 24 hours, taste your kefir. If it is still very sweet, you may wait another day, if fermentation is obvious, you can strain out your grains and place the finished kefir inside mason jars. 

5) Wait 24 more hours at room temperature to develop a fizzy drink, or refrigerate immediately to preserve still kefir. 

As you get used to the taste, it is fun to play around with recipes. During steps one and two, you may add lemons, cut grapes, vanilla beans or infused vanilla sugar (avoid extracts because alcohol within may slow fermentation or harm the grains), ginger pieces and more. 

You may also add juice to the process at any point, but my advice is to do so when sealing the kefir because juice will stain the grains. Ours are now permanently pink. Bright pink. If you are not concerned about colored grains, as we are not, jump in! It's a lot of fun and near instant gratification and gives us something healthy to drink in between kombucha batches. 


Edit: Someone has asked where to obtain said mystery grains. The trouble with this is, like kombucha mothers, grains need to be obtained from other brewers and few sources sell them. I would be happy to mail you some for the cost of shipping. Or if you live in Buffalo, you can come get them! 

Fun with Fermentables: Kombucha time!

We're pretty big into fermenting our own fermentables. Live cultures, the likes of which can be found in yogurt and other such partially pre-digested things, are good for you all around. By helping with digestion, they assist in immune function, hormonal balance, certain allergies, and supposedly (though not in my experience) weight loss.

Mark and I ferment whatever we can. Our favorite books on it so far are Nourishing Traditions and Wild Fermentation. In our "Fun with Fermentables" series, we'll spend some time chatting about what we ferment, why its awesome, and how you could do it too, if you'd like. Recipe number one, Kombucha!!

kinda yucky....hence the face. 

Kombucha is fermented tea, originating from China or Russia-depending on who you listen to. Popularized by the likes of G.T. Dave's Synergy (which is pretty tasty), kombucha has grown in popularity.  Essentially, a SCOBY (symbiotic colony of yeast and bacteria) is plopped into some sugary tea, which the SCOBY then digests and turns into fizzy awesomeness. If a slimy mushroom sounds unattractive to you... well... you're right. But it is worth it in health benefits.


It's energizing, it's detoxifying. It's sometimes called things like "The Tea of Eternal Life", basically very dramatic. The finished product is rich in B vitamins and other antioxidants and tastes quite yummy, though it may take some getting used to. We affectionately call it "Booch" for short, and it has become a staple for our home.

All kombucha recipes are kind of inadequate in that the SCOBY ( usually called a Mother) you use will always be a different size or shape than the next SCOBY. (men, take note! its how you USE it!) The important thing is to pay attention. When your tea is no longer sweet, the tea is finished. Every tea batch also produces another mother, which can then quicken your brew time, or be used in a separate batch. This makes kombucha the food of friendship. Passing mothers along is a great way to make pals. We got ours from a chick with dreadlocks who works at our food co-op. I'm not even making that up. Now we have TONS and our original is about two inches thick.

booch in process.

Here's a recipe which you can modify. It's modded from Wild Fermentations, which is an excellent book.

Kombucha
1) Find a mother. If you want one of ours, and you live near by, or want one mailed to you, pop on over!
2) Steep tea of your choosing.  Red, white, green. Play on. Try not to use metal or plastic from this point on. 
3) Add 1-1/2 cups sugar, most of this is digested pretty much completely. Stir to dissolve, cool to room temp. 
4) Add some of your last batch of kombucha if you have it, but no worries. Then add the mother. Cover with cheese cloth. 
5) Let sit at room temp until it no longer tastes sweet. If it tastes bitter you used too much sugar or waited too long. Usually 1-2 weeks. 6) Put in bottles. Let sit at room temp so the fermentation creates bubbles. You can add a little juice for flavor. My favorite is grape. 
7) Refrigerate, drink in my honor! 


Pretty easy for a healthy boost. Brewing your own is cheaper than store bought and fun to watch. Enjoy!!