I always have 2 quart jars working, helpfully labeled 1 and 2.
Jar 1 is the initial kefir ferment & Jar 2 is the 2nd ferment. Here's a pic of the kefir "grains" at the bottom of Jar 1:
I put "grains" in quotes because kefir is not a grain like wheat or rice is. Grain just refers to the size and shape of them. Kefir is actually a clump of yeast and bacteria that feed on sugar. A list of the most common species of bacteria and yeast in water kefir grains can be found here:
When it's time to cycle my kefir, I take the fermenting cap off of Jar 2, put another lid on it, then stick it in the fridge. More in a moment about what I do with it.
I then pour the contents of Jar 1 through a mesh strainer into another jar, which will become my new Jar 2. Here are the kefir grains draining in the strainer:
Meanwhile, I rinse the previous jar 1 out and then put in 1 tsp of brown sugar and 2 Tbsp of plain white granulated sugar. The brown sugar is there because it still has some molasses in it - that's why it's brown - and thus has some extra minerals in it that white sugar doesn't have. And the kefir like the minerals.
I dump the drained kefir grains into jar 1 and fill it with water then stir it up until the sugar dissolves. Then I put the fermenting cap on it and set it and the new jar 2 in my fermentation station.
There they will stay for 3 days until the kefir have eaten the vast majority of the sugar in Jar 1 and it's time to cycle them again.
Meanwhile, Jar 2 begins its 2nd ferment. During this stage, the bits of kefir that made it through the strainer (basically bits that hadn't yet clumped together into "grains") eat up the remaining little bits of sugar in the water.
Theoretically, I could just have Jar 1 sit for 5-6 days and end up with the same result, but that's not good for the health of the grains themselves. Some of them would starve to death and the population would shrink. I've already got my grains on a subsistence diet - the usual amount of sugar per quart of water is 1/4 cup, but I use just a little over half that amount (1/4 cup is 3 Tbsp) - because I don't really want my colony to get so big that I can't keep up with their kefir water production! I am monitoring the amount of grains I have and if they start to diminish, I will feed them more.
What do I do with the resulting kefir water after the 2nd ferment?
- I use it to hydrate the chia and flax seeds I use in my morning smoothie.
- I use it to fill my smoothie cup to the fill line after I've put all the other stuff into the cup.
- If I end up with too much of it after all, I can use it instead of plain water to "rinse out" my smoothie cup after I drink it and drink that. (I do this so as not to waste all the good stuff that sticks to the side of the cup when I drink the smoothie.)
- I plan to begin using it for the initial soak of my sprouting seeds and beans.
- I use it in cooking. Tonight, I used it instead of plain water to "rinse out" a can of cream of mushroom soup I put in with my pork roast.
- I'm sure I will find more uses for it. As I do, I'll post them to the blog.
Some people put the 2nd ferment into a tightly sealed jar or bottle and create a fizzy soda-like drink. Usually when people do that, they add some sort of flavoring to the kefir water before beginning the 2nd ferment, such as lemon, mixed berries, ginger, or whatever. I don't do that mostly because I have a SodaStream to make fizzy water when I want it. Maybe I'll try it sometime, but for now I can't be bothered. 💁
Current research shows many benefits to including probiotics into your diet to improve your gut biome. Since doing this, I have found my digestion has improved, my "daily constitutional" has become more regular, and my overall health has improved. Sure, I have a head cold right now, but it's not nearly as bad as what Brianne had last week and not as bad as what I usually come down with. Is this because of the probiotics? No way to tell for sure, but it certainly doesn't hurt!
To finish up, I'll include this link to a list of 9 evidence-based health benefits of kefir: https://authoritynutrition.com/9-health-benefits-of-kefir/
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