I am gone from my computer for the next two weeks so the post you will be seeing are pre-scheduled.
Last week I shared about the wonders of Kombucha. This week I want to share with you another amazing probiotic drink, Water Kefir. Many people have heard of dairy kefir before but water kefir is a little less well known mostly because it is not as widely sold in health food stores as it’s dairy counter part. I have been brewing water and dairy kefir for about a year and half now. I enjoy both for different purposes but water kefir is my favorite. It is a slightly sweet and carbonated fermented beverage . It is the perfect substitute for those who are trying to kick the soda pop habit. I’ve found that water kefir is generally sweeter than kombucha particaly because it has a much shorter brewing period of 12 to 36 hours. The water kefir grains feed off a sugar water and converts it into the amazing probiodic drink that it is. You can feed it plain white sugar but your grains won’t be as healthy because there is a lack of minerals. Most people prefer to use sucanat which is a non refined, mineral rich sugar, similar in taste e to brown sugar. Your grains will take on a slight light brown color because of the darker color of the sucanat. If you and your family are new to lacto-fermented beverages and are used to drinking soda you may want to start with using organic evaporated cane juice and then switch over time to using sucanat. A shorter brewing time of a 24 hours or less is advised as well . Doing this will result in a sweeter water kefir, while the probiotic levels will be lower it will help your family slowly adjust to a less sugary drink than soda pop.
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| Water Kefir Grains |
Important note to keep in mind, if you are fermenting multiple cultured foods you need to keep several feet in between them. Here I thought that I could keep my jars of happily brewing water keifr, dairy kefir, sourdough and kombucha all in corner together but you can’t. Over time the cultures will cross contaminate each other, weakening the individual cultures. I tend to keep my in separate corners of the kitchen or in another room altogether.
Water Kefir
1 gallon of water
1 cup sucanat
¼ cup rehydrated water kefir grains
1 rinsed egg shell, pastured
1 gallon sized glass jar
Cloth towel or napkin
Rubber band or twine
Directions:
Bring two cups of water to boil. Turn of the heat and add sucanat, stirring until completely dissolved. Pour into the gallon jar and let cool completely. One the sucanat water is cool add remaining water and water kefir grains. Add the egg shell. (This is to increase the minerals.) Cover with cloth and secure in place with rubber band or twine. Place in a dark location for 24 to 36 hours. After the brewing time is complete remove the grains and either use them to start a second batch or store in a glass container in the fridge.
Now is the part where you get to flavor your water kefir. I like to pour the water kefir into quart jars or old 16 oz komucha/water kefir bottles from the store. Then I flavor each bottle individually. That way I can experiment with different flavors and not worry about wasting a whole gallon on a flavor I didn’t like.
Here are some of the flavors I have enjoyed the most:
Blueberry: For every quart add 10 blueberries
Jamaica (Hibiscus): For every quart add four dried flowers
Strawberry: Four strawberries for every quart
Cream Soda: I TBS vanilla for every quart
You might want to try buying water kefir grains from Cultures for Health. http://www.culturesforhealth.com/
They have a good deal on their grains!
Shanon, I’m so sorry! I ment to respond to your comment a long time ago and then forgot! I hope this answer isn’t too late or that you found the answer to your question on another site. You do not want to use honey because it has it’s own bactiria that will weaken the water kefir grains over time. The egg shell is to add minerals. I hope this helps!!
I just received some water kefir in the mail – I’m new to fermenting. A couple of questions: could one use honey instead of sugar? Also, why do you add the flavoring after it has brewed – could it be added at the same time? Third, what purpose do the egg shells serve. I know you’re away, so no rush to answer. I appreciate your time. –S