Non-Dairy Probiotic Beverage - Producing Water Kefir At Home

I have recently started checking into milk free options for probiotics (the good bacteria), and my searches brought me to "water kefir". If you are familiarized with milk kefir grains in any way, these are very much the same, except you would immerse them in water rather than a dairy product.

To get going, I got all my required items together which includes, a 2L glass container, some raw healthy sugar, some mineral water, and of course, water kefir grains. They are obtainable on Amazon however I bought mine on eBay. If you are unable to find the grains on those 2 sites, try looking for 'tibicos' instead because that is the name they are often referred to as. The grains took nearly a week to arrive and at that time I wasn't ready to use them so I preserved them in the refrigerator in a sugar solution. They are able to keep for a couple of weeks in the fridge in sugar water. They probably won't reproduce this way, however they should thrive. If you need additional time than 2 weeks you just have to replace the sugar-water solution.

Once I was prepared to make some water kefir I got out a conventional recipe and started brewing. It's ideal to keep the grains alone in a cloth bag that will permit the sugar solution to pass through but not allow it to blend with the other "contents" (for the simple reason that it's just hard to separate them later).

Regarding water, you may boil tap water to remove the chlorine (then let cool thoroughly), or purchase (or obtain) some mineral or spring water. Fill the 2L jar 3/4 of the way and add around 1/2 a cup of sugar. Also, add a cup of kefir grains to the cloth (or muslin) bag and be ready for them to increase in numbers so leave them some room!

You can add a tea-spoon of blackstrap molasses to include additional nutrients for the grains to feast on. Also, putting 1/2 teaspoon of aluminum free baking soda is often recommended. This may help avoid a film from being formed on the top of the water, as well as help enhance the grain growth.

Now, you can put in any flavoring by means of fruit, or lemon slices, a dried fig or two, a few raisins, ginger, etc.

Cover the jar loosely, and let it rest in a dark location (cover with a dish towel if necessary) to ferment and produce your water kefir. Stirring every 12-24 hours is beneficial. Try to avoid allowing anything metal to come in contact with the grains or the water (throughout or after the brewing procedure) as it can damage the healthy bacteria. Let it stand for 2-3 days, trying it once or twice a day. If it's too sugary, let it sit a bit longer, and if it has a vinegary flavor it may have stood too long.

Fill the rest of the jar with some 100% fruit juice if desired. The kefir water can be kept in the refrigerator for a few days to a week.

Learn more about kefir by viewing my latest posts: benefits of kefir and coconut kefir recipe.