Water kefir is full of probiotics and is delicious and easy to make.
Dissolve the sugar in warm water. I like to heat mine on the stove, then add ice to cool it down so the kefir grains aren’t harmed by the heat.
Place your sugar water in your Fido or mason jar.
Fill to the shoulder of your glass jar with water.
Add your grains
Close your Fido or cover your mason jar with white lid (not metal lid and ring). Leave 48 hours.
After 48 hours, drain your grains (use for a new batch right away or store in your fridge, or freeze) out and top with 1-2 cups of juice. Let sit 48 hours, then consume. I like to refrigerate mine, but it’s up to you 🙂
Summer is upon us and peaches are everywhere you turn. Peaches are my daughter’s favorite fruit. We almost always enjoy a glass of water kefir in the morning I had this idea to make her a virgin Bellini. Traditional Bellinis are made from Champagne/Sparkling Wine and Peaches. This is a really refreshing, fun to serve beverage. Be sure to use the sweetest peaches that you can find to help balance out the tangy kefir. Using very cold kefir produces the best beverage.
Use an immersion blender or high powered blender like a VitaMix and puree the two peaches until they are very smooth.
Slowly pour the kefir into the peach puree and mix slowly with a spoon. Mixing quickly will produce more foam.
Carefully and slowly pour into a fluted glass (try not to create any more foam than you have to) and garnish with a slice of peach and a mint leaf.
*Only use if your peaches aren’t the sweetest and you need a little extra sweetness
Learn how to brew your own water kefir and make your own probiotic beverages at home!
I discovered a winning combo! Not only is this beverage divine (this might weird some of you out even more), but the pineapple and coconut were a delicious snack after I downed the water kefir. I’m serious! It’s like a happy to-go drink and snack all in one.
I kind of squeezed the pineapple chunks into the water kefir a bit to release the juices more.
Although you can totally leave it out at room temperature for a day or two, I preferred it chilled.
This is your most basic water kefir, which you can drink as is or turn into water kefir sodas.
Put grains and sweetener into the glass jar.
Fill with water up to the first line on the neck of the jar.
Cover with 1/2 of a coffee filter (or napkin) and secure with the metal jar ring.
Let ferment on the counter for 24 hours - 48 hours.
Strain grains out and start another batch of water kefir.
Drink water kefir or make it into soda. Store extra in the refrigerator.
Notes:
* Do not use honey or agave nectar for water kefir. The honey has antibacterial properties
that will eventually kill the grains. The grains do not grow well on agave nectar.
** Do not use reverse osmosis water or distilled water. The grains will eventually die using those.
How quickly the grains eat the sugar and reproduce depends on the temperature of your home. Don’t ferment for more than 48 hours.
If you want to take a break from making water kefir, or you are going on vacation, etc., you can put the grains in a glass canning jar with sweetener and water, tightly covered in the refrigerator, and they will keep that way for a while. Rinse them every week and add fresh water and sweetener if you aren’t using them.
A natural, probiotic soda.
Divide the water kefir equally between the glass bottles.
Fill the bottle with juice until it reaches two inches from the top.
Put in a warm place and let ferment until bubbles form around the edge and you hear a “pop” sound when you open the bottle (12-18 hours depending on the temperature inside your home).
Chill in the fridge before serving.
Lemonade with probiotics: Cheap, Sneaky Nutrition for Your Kids!
Place the water kefir grains and all but 1/2 cup of the water into a mason jar or other sealable non-plastic container and set aside.
Place the remaining 1/2 cup water and the 1/4 cup sucanant in a saucepan and heat just enough to get the sucanant to dissolve. Set aside until cool then pour into the mason jar with the water and kefir grains. Cap tightly and allow to sit at room temperature for 24-48 hours.
Congratulations, you have now made basic water kefir. That’s all there is to it! Now let’s made lemonade with it.
Strain out the grains using a plastic sieve and set the grains aside to be used again. Take the water kefir and mix it with the remaining 1 tsp sucanant, lemon juice and the fresh ginger and pour it into a Grolsch lock-top bottle or other airtight container and return to the counter for 24 hours at room temperature.
Transfer the bottles to the fridge and chill thoroughly.
When you open the lock bottles, do be advised that they are highly carbonated and can explosively overflow. It’s best to open the bottles outside or over the sink with a rag thrown over the top. This is especially important if you leave the bottles on the counter longer than 24 hours, as it becomes more carbonated the longer you leave it. This morning I lost half of each bottle to the carbonated explosion as I had let it go two days too long. Whoops!
Taste and add a little additional sucanat or stevia if needed, to get the sweetness adjusted to the level your family likes. It took a pinch of stevia to make it just right since I had let fermentation go on long enough to consume almost all of the sweetener.
This recipe uses a water kefir fermentation process to ferment hibiscus flower, a tasty and nutritious flower.
Combine the 1 cup of sugar and three cups of water. Allow the sugar to dissolve thoroughly in the water. Add water kefir grains.
Cover with a tea cloth and set it aside for 24 hours. After 24 hours, strain out the water kefir grains.
Put the sugar water in a 1/2 gallon jar with the 2 cups of water and hibiscus flowers.
Allow the mixture to sit for several days until it reaches your desired level of sweetness.
A regular favorite in our house, using a tea bag makes it easy to make several different flavors from one batch!
In a one gallon glass container place the kefir grains and rapadura or sucanat. Fill with water, stirring until most of the sugar is dissolved.
Add the finished water kefir and dates to mixture. Cover with a cloth and let ferment for 24-48 hours depending on the warmth of your kitchen. Try to keep out of direct light.
Roll up each tea bag and place one inside a swing-top bottle. Pour your kefir off of the grains and into a pitcher. Using the pitcher and a funnel, pour into the swing-top bottles on top of the tea bags. Close the tops.
Leave to ferment an additional 12-24 hours on the countertop to produce carbonation. You should see small bubbles forming on the sides of the bottle. Place in the refrigerator when finished. Drink within one week.