1 TBSP Milk Kefir Grains and eBook "Milk Kefir Unleashed by Thomas Egbert" - Fresh Live Active Probiotic Starter Cultures - Fusion Teas

I am learning about fermenting and experimented with brine solution based approaches to pickles, of course, and later fruits and other vegetables. I was interested in Kefir and purchased these grains. They arrived in the heat of the summer here on the east coast, earlier than I expected so I was on travel at the time. I asked my family to just stick the box in the fridge. Apparently, after reading the guidance from the seller, this is not necessary. Never the less, following the instructions in the box, I fed the grains with some whole milk from the supermarket, not organic, just generic whole milk and dumped a few cups on the grains in a mason jar sitting in a kitchen cupboard. Within about three days, the it was obvious the liquids and solids were separating. This is the proverbial curds and whey, which up until that point were meaningless terms to me. Using a cheap plastic filter on Amazon, I filtered out the grains and tossed the liquid. Another two cups of whole milk and two days later the same thing occurred. Except this time, instead of discarding the liquid after screening out the grains, I tasted it. Wow!!! I only had tried store bought Kefir in the past and I was amazed at the depth of flavor, slight effervescence, and was sold on this approach. More importantly, I was waiting for some kind of gastro-intestinal train wreck, but nothing! (Ask me what happens if you ingest three tablespoons of allulose. Not good and I have the stereotypical iron stomach.)So net is after little over a month of using this product, it's faithfully converting store bought whole milk to a more and more delightful and complex liquid that I keep stored in my fridge. Does it have a zillion beneficial bacterial with Latin names? Who knows?! All I can report it is this: (1) the product works as described and the instructions are good. (2) I don't get sick after consuming (3) Every two to three days it's ready for filtering and re-feeding.I should add quickly that I travel a lot so I store the grains in the fridge until I return and they get back to work almost immediately when returned to their nice warm cupboard. So this product does what it says, is super simple and I'm pleased to recommend it.

I received my grains in excellent shape. Plump, healthy, happy grains. I didnt have regular milk in my fridge as Im allergic and lactose intollerant, but I had some evaporated whole milk in the pantry and some lactose free milk in my fridge. I was worried about leaving my grains unfed until I could go to the store, which would be a day or 2, so I decided to use the evaporated milk and then got worried it would be far to much for the grains and decided to thin it with the lactose free milk. Well the next morning I got up and went straight to the pantry which remains at a pretty constant 70 degrees. I saw curds and whey, so kefir was a success! I went ahead and poured it through a fine mesh nylon strainer (purchased off Amazon) into a bowl using a silicone spatula to swish and rub the kefir through the strainer, tapping at the end to get the heavier cream through leaving the grains behind. Kefir success with my very first batch and there was never a need to throw a single ounce away. My grains have made a fresh batch of kefir everyday since I received them a month ago. My allergy to milk and lactose intollerance, havent been a problem consuming kefir. Which was my hope!!! What a blessing and a joy to have something rich and creamy again. Since Im allergic to oats, almond, rice, soy and coconut, (Hard to believe isnt it? For me to. Ugh) and 20+ food allergies and cross reactivities, my life has been hell. That doesnt include my numerous health issues which are way to much to go into here. But I am feeling so much better. I think these grains may have saved my life. Not an exaggeration. I have continued to use evaporated milk and lactose free milk or organic whole grassfed milk and my stomach hasnt cussed me out even a little. Im putting on a little weight and the black circles under my eyes are filling back in, my sagging skin is looking younger and slowly getting its glow back. I think I might just live. *** So some things I've learned since getting my grains. Dont mix with honey. Honey is an antibacterial. It will kill off the bacteria your kefir just worked so hard to produce. Next, eat your grains when they've grown beyond what you need. DONT throw them away. Add them to your smoothie or just munch them down. The grains can actually survive your digestive system and travel to your intestin. I needed this terribly. It has resolved some pretty terrible health issues I was having. Big sigh of relief there. Also, I like how sweet and creamy the kefir is with the evaporated milk. Ive tried just lactose free milk and whole milk which produces a more tart product on their own. I read lactose free milk cant be used with milk kefir. Not true. Kefir eats sugar. Lactose is sugar, but if you've ever had lactose free milk, it is sweet. It works. However, I prefer the evaporated milk/whole milk 50/50 and I let it go to full curds and whey. I pour off the whey and use the curd. You can strain it just like you would fresh yogurt, cream cheese, and farmers cheese. Just plain milk kefir will produce a sour cream if you want that extra zing. It all depend on how long you strain it. Just use cheesecloth or a coffee filter for 1, 2 or 3 days for each as listed. I have no other option for these items due to my allergies, but the kefir used these ways are delicious. I mainly eat it in 2 ways though. I dont drink it as a beverage. I pour off the whey, push the curd through the strainer and its nice and thick like yogurt. I put that in a mason jar and let it chill or sit overnight in the fridge. I put about 8 ozs in a blender with my collagen, strawberry flavored meal replacement powder, frozen fruit: pineapple, mango, banana, raspberries or strawberries and whip it into ice cream. Fantastic! 2ndly I pour the thick kefir yogurt into a bowl and top it with homemade lemon curd and fresh fruit. Blueberries are my favorite. Delicious. I eat this as breakfast and the ice cream (meal replacement) for lunch or dinner. I try to eat veges and actual food at least once a day. If you are on your last leg, what do you have to lose? The grains are $15 and some animal milk of choice. Buy some and give it a try. If you drink it as a beverage, you will burp more and have some gas from it. If you add a little citrus zest to it before putting it in the fridge, it gets super fluffy like mousse and this is called a 2nd ferment. It is even more nutritious this way. Especially regarding B vitamins. Your body may need a little adjustment time. Just start slow. Im one month into using it and its the first time in almost 2yrs I feel like there may be an end to my pain and suffering. I think everyone in the world should be eating/drinking this miracle food. God bless and good luck! ***** So I thought I would update this post since I'm now 5 months into owning my kefir grains. They are going strong and so am I. After more than 2yrs, I was finally able to go back to work last month! I'm not 100% as I still have some issues, but I'm working on those slowly, trying alt natural options. My grains have been as large as a quarter or more. I've never seen any others like them. Once they're so big, I eat them. They love the pantry. I keep them in a pretty glass jar at a constant 70ish degrees and feed them every day. Even if I don't have time to strain them. I just pour a little fat free evap milk over the top to tide them over and they're happy as can be. You can do this for 4 or 5 days easy and the milk kefir is fine. Not much different than day 1 kefir. This also happens when I have let my grains grow to big and I have a ton of kefir and I'm playing catch up to eat it all. But seriously, the best part of all of this is I feel like a person again. Part of society. I hated being sick and stuck at home. I'm so happy I found milk kefir, I'll eat it for the rest of my life!