My family officially thinks I’m weird. Not that they didn’t before, but now that I have mysterious-looking jars surrounded by Christmas lights sitting on the counter 24/7, it’s official.
So what is the point of all this jar-hoarding? Well, for Christmas I was given a copy of Fermented by Jill Cicciarelli, which is a book all about making homemade probiotic foods and beverages. She has recipes for both water kefir and kombucha, which are fermented beverages, in her book, and I just had to try making them! Kombucha is a type of fermented tea and I will blog about it in a future post, but this post is focused on water kefir, which I am in love with!
What is Water Kefir?
Water kefir is essentially fermented sugar water. The ingredients are: mineral-rich water, mineral-rich sugar, and water kefir grains. Water kefir grains are little lumps of bacteria and yeasts that live happily together and eat sugar and minerals. Basically you put the grains in the sugar water and let them ferment at 70 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit (hence the Christmas lights) for 24 to 48 hours. The end result is a bit sweet (the bacteria and yeasts have eaten up most of the sugar), a bit sour, a bit funky, and full of beneficial probiotics. If you want a fizzy beverage, you can put the kefir into a jar or flip-top bottle with some fruit pieces (for extra sugar and flavor) and let the jar sit for 3-5 days or so, then chill it. The end result is fizzy, cold, healthy yumminess! I love plain water kefir over ice with sparkling water and lemon!
How to make water kefir
I always start with one quart of mineral-rich well water, because the bacteria and yeasts need minerals. Do not use city water that has chlorine in it!
Then I add 1/4 cup sugar. Don’t use regular cane sugar; it’s too purified. I use maple syrup, but unrefined cane sugar is good too. Mix the water and sugar together in a clean glass jar. Don’t ferment in metal (it will harm the grains), plastic (it has BPA), or ceramic if you are unsure about whether or not it contains lead.
Add in your kefir grains. Cover the jar with a coffee filter and rubber band (or hair tie, like me) and let ferment at 70 to 75 degrees for 24 to 48 hours. Taste the kefir after 24 hours. My kefir usually takes 2 days, but maybe that’s because our house is like a refridgerater. Finished kefir will taste less sweet, and kind of sour, like apple juice without apples, and it may smell yeasty. The kefir grains should let off bubbles while they ferment.
Once the kefir is done, you can chill and drink as is, or strain out he grains, throw in some cut-up fruit, seal tightly, and let ferment for another couple of days to make it fizzy. Chill the jar before opening. I put chopped-up apples in mine, and even Clint gulped it down! The grains will multiply as you make kefir, so you will have some to give to friends! I got my kefir grains on Amazon, and there are tons of sources that sell them cheaply.
Water kefir is actually really easy to make, and it’s a delicious, soda-like source of gut-friendly probiotics. There is no limit to flavors you can make with the second ferment, so go wild and have fun with water kefir!
