Saturday, June 2, 2012

Kefir - the "champagne of milk"

Hello my friends,

I don't usually talk about food or recipes on my blog, as they are really not my forte... however I thought I would talk a little about this super food I have recently been exposed to ..."Kefir"

Have you heard about it?

I had not, until a friend, Belinda  (This is her jewelery site... she makes beautiful rosary bead necklaces amongst other things....her site is nothing to do with Kefir) put me on to it a some weeks ago.

Kefir is a one of the oldest cultured milks, having its origins in the Caucasian Mountains.

It is made into a thickened drinking form by soaking a starter, called "grains" (actually a mixture of casein and gelatinous colonies of micro-organisms that are grown together symbiotically), in milk (any kind) in a proportion of grains to milk 1:5.
The container with milk and starter is left at room temperature for about 18-24 hours. The milk slowly ferments and thickens into a rich, creamy non-alcoholic liquid.

It is then strained and the living kefir culture is kept for the next batch.
The strained liquid is a delicious drink ... with a consistency similar to that of 'drinking yoghurt'.

Kefir is purported to have a multitude of health benefits including...

. providing beneficial bacteria to our intestines which aid in the absorption of vitamins and minerals.
. Aids in digestion
. Improves immunity
. A wonderful calcium source
. Reduces cholesterol and helps alleviate allergies.
. It is believed to restore the intestinal flora of people recovering from a serious illness or being treated with antibiotics.

Here are a few photos of the Kefir making process which I use at home...

This is what the starter (grains) looks like... a bit like cottage cheese in consistency.

 As you can see here it is thickening up... soaking in milk 1:5

Straining.

Liquid for drinking, adding to cereal etc.

I really love the drink that is produced and I have two or three drinks a day... my calcium levels must have improved! 
I can't get any family members to try it yet .. still working on that!

I also make my own yoghurt... I love the fresh, clean taste of both of these home made products.... as there are no added sugars etc, both are a little more tart in taste than the commercial varieties.

There is a lot of information on the internet about kefir. I have no idea if it is really doing the things it says it can do... but I like the flavour and feel it must be doing some good! ( or will in time!)

Here are some links if you wish to read more about it.

The starter is available via the internet.


Goodnight for now,

4 comments:

Kefir company said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Kefir company said...

Hi Jenni, that's nice blog about the benefits of Kefir. You should have a look on our website www.buy-kefir.co.uk. Here you can find more information about Kefir but there are also some delicous recipes on the website.

If you or the readers of your blog have more questions about Kefir, please contact us at info@buy-kefir.co.uk

The Kefir Company

Moobie Grace said...

I may have to try this! I'm a kombucha (home brewed) girl...love that stuff!!

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