Cute Kefir Cheese

Kefir ready to drink or make cheese

Maybe it's the alcohol.  I'm loving all the kefir that has been turned out in this kitchen in the last week and a half.  I've consumed nearly all of it myself.  It can have up to 3% alcohol, but I'm sure mine is closer to .5%--just a little fizzy on the tongue.

Kefir cheese--about four hours of draining off the whey.

Making kefir cheese is one of the simplest Things I get to do today. Pour the kefir (grains removed and placed in a jar of plain milk for another brewing) into a cheese cloth and suspend it until it's reasonably dry--up to 8 hours. When I unwrapped the cheese cloth, all I could think was,  "That's the cutest little cheese I have ever seen."  Next I'll salt it and season it a bit and spread it on crackers or toast.  It's very similar in texture to fresh goat cheese (chèvre).




If you want some grains to start your own kefir, I'll have some to share soon.  Just comment on this post and we can get it going.

Animal or Vegetable?

A large grain is floating close to the
surface next to the tea bag.*

I'm making Kefir.  I bought "grains" and put them in milk.  Most folks know about kefir made with milk, but the water one was new to me. Curiosity put water kefir grains on my order list as well, and I soon found myself the proud mother of grains for milk and water.

  Back lit, the jar of solution shows many grains at the bottom.

One of the Things I get to do today is find out whether these little critters are animals or plants. My reading from the well-known source, Wikipedia, says they are a combination of yeast and bacteria. That makes them closer to animals, but still on the middle of the fence, I think. Either way the kefir milk and the kefir water are both delicious and fabulously good for the body. If you are thinking of getting a useful pet, I recommend you grow some these guys.








*Water Kefir Directions:
Add the grains to a cup of water, one tablespoon sugar and an herbal tea bag.
Cover with a breathable material like cheese cloth or a paper towel since the fermentation process, which takes two to three days at room temperature, requires air.
The resulting liquid smells like sourdough, is slightly sweet, a bit fizzy, and has a 1 or 2% alcohol content.  I ordered my grains from www.kefirlady.com.