Raw Milk Kefir

Recipes from the 86 Acres Farmhouse Kitchen

Raw Milk Kefir

A probiotic fermented drink with tremendous health benefits; tastes like a tangy drinkable yogurt, sometimes with a fizz. Kefir is made from "grains," living cultures that roughly resemble rice pudding.

What You Need:

~ 2 teaspoons kefir grains*
~ 1 qt raw milk
Quart jar with lid
Fine mesh strainer
Bowl that fits under strainer
Wooden spoon or spatula

Note: Amounts are approximate...generally, the more kefir grains you have in your milk, the faster it will culture.

What to Do:

Place kefir grains in jar and add milk to fill, leaving about 1 inch headspace at the top. Put the lid on.
Leave the jar in a warm place for 12-24 hours. Aim for keeping it somewhere between 68 and 82° F. Cooler temperatures will take longer but are fine; higher than 85° F may kill the kefir grains.
Start checking for doneness at 12 hours. You’ll know it’s done when the milk has thickened and it has a tangy aroma.
Set the strainer over the bowl and pour the cultured milk through. If necessary, use the spoon/spatula to gently sift the grains around and force the thickened liquid through.
Your grains will be left in the strainer, and the kefir in the bowl is ready to go. Drink as is and refrigerate, or you can leave it on the counter for a secondary fermentation (be sure to loosen the lid to let air out!)
Repeat the instructions to immediately start your next batch of kefir. You can keep the grains in the fridge for a day or two, but not much longer or they may starve without fresh milk. Move them to the freezer if you need longer storage. If you want to slow down the cycle, try moving the unstrained kefir to the fridge after it has cultured on the counter.
The finished kefir can be kept room temperature for a day or two, or in the fridge for about 2 weeks. If left at room temperature, it will ferment a bit, and you should open the lid once a day to allow air bubbles to escape.

Notes

This is the kefir-making method we use at 86 Acres, but we're not experts by any means--there's a lot of different opinions out there. For more details about the culturing process and the health benefits of kefir, a useful website is culturesforhealth.com (go to Learn > Milk Kefir).

*Need grains? We usually have extra and are happy to share, ask at the farm or text us ahead of time.

Put your grains in the jar and fill with milk.

Leave the jar in a warm place.

Wait for it to get nice and thick with a tangy aroma.

Pour the cultured mixture through the strainer...

....sifting it with a spatula so the liquid goes through.

Voilà! Now your delicious kefir drink is in the bowl, and your kefir grains are in the strainer, ready to make another batch.

"I will provide grass in the fields for your cattle, and you will eat and be satisfied." Deuteronomy 11:15