Making Water Kefir

Everyone is talking about probiotics.  And with good reason!  Probiotics are good for us.  We depend on the beneficial microorganisms in our gut to help us digest food.  Popular name brand yogurt commercials tell us that yogurt helps regulate our digestive system and even is an important part of our immune system!  Healthy gut flora can prevent more dangerous strains of bacteria and viruses from multiplying and causing illness.  I’m sure you have all heard of yogurt as being probiotic.  Today I will discuss another one - water kefir.  Water kefir also serves other purposes - it contains vitamins and minerals, and since it tastes very similar to soda, it is a healthy way to satisfy your craving without all of the unhealthy ingredients of soda.

Water kefir is made by culturing water with water kefir grains - not grains like wheat or oats, but some sort of colony of beneficial bacteria and yeast that resemble small grains. There is also milk kefir (commonly just called kefir), which is made with similar grains put in milk.  I’ll discuss that at another time, but I wanted to mention them so you won’t be confused.

When you make water kefir, you get an effervescent drink that can be flavored with citrus, ginger, or vanilla, just like your favorite sodas. But instead of being full of sugar, high fructose corn syrup, and other nasty things, it is filled with probiotics. Soda that makes you healthier! The culture feeds off the sugar, so the resulting drink isn’t too sweet or sugary, and the process by which they do this creates carbonation. The benefits go beyond the probiotic benefits. The resulting drink is high in various minerals such as calcium and magnesium, B-vitamins and more.

The steps to make basic water kefir seem pretty easy:

1. Dissolve sugar into water.
2. Add kefir grains and whatever fruit for flavoring (certain fruits are typically used, others are best avoided. I will post more on this as I learn more and experiment more)
3. Let sit in room temperature for no more than 12-48 hours, depending on your preference.
4. Strain the grains, save your drink, and start again!

I’ve been trying to make water kefir unsuccessfully for a while, and I have finally learned a few tricks.  I’ve gotten quite a few delicious batches now!  I wanted to share with you my tips so you can learn from my mistakes as well as my successes.

• Don’t use filtered water. Water kefir grains like the little bits of minerals that are found in spring water and well water.
• Do make sure to use dechlorinated water. If your water is chlorinated (most municipal water), you can get rid of the chlorine with a few different methods:

1. Leave the water out in a bowl, uncovered overnight. Chlorine will evaporate. This is the best option if you have time.
2. If you need the water in a rush, you can boil it and then let it cool back down.
3. I’ve also been told that you can aerate it in a blender, though I’ve not tried this method.

• Heat the water up so that the sugar can fully dissolve in the water. Be sure to cool it back down to room temperature before adding the kefir grains.
• Do not use metal utensils. Use wooden spoons and a plastic strainer.
• Use evaporated cane juice crystals, rapadura, or sucanant. Or any similar less refined sugar. There are minerals in this unrefined sugar that the kefir grains need. Molasses may work, but I haven’t tried it. Regular refined sugar does not work well.
• Kefir grains can multiply.  Make sure you keep a ratio of 1/4 cup grains to 1 quart water to 1/4 cup sugar.

My process lately is to follow all of the above steps, let it sit out for 48 hours, then strain, add a few drops of either lemon juice or vanilla extract, bottle, and stick in the fridge.  When you add vanilla, you get a “Cream Soda” and when you add lemon juice you get something that tastes similar to a popular citrus flavored soda.  I can’t wait to experiment with more flavors!

If you think you’d like to give this a try, you need to acquire some water kefir grains.  I’ve ordered from Cultures for Health and have been very satisfied.  They also have a variety of other cultures you can order - milk kefir, yogurt, and sourdough to name a few.  You can also visit the Nourished Kitchen’s culture exchange to see if anyone is offering any grains.

Soda made from real foods, instead of overly processed, additive-laden beverages.  Sign me up!  This post is submitted to Real Food Wednesdays.

Tags: Basics, blog carnivals, cultured, drinks, fermented, Real Food Wednesdays, topics