Water Kefir

Water Kefir
Equipment needed – glass jar, spoon, plastic sieve, odd sock to cover jar or cloth and rubber band, measuring jug, bowl and brewing bottle with ceramic swing top lid.
 
Ingredients – 2 tablespoons of kefir grains, ½ cup of sugar (can use any sugar but ‘Rapadura sugar by biona organic from amazon is best) 1 litre of filtered/non chlorinated water, ½ lemon (cut it into slices but not all the way through) Optional dried fruit or ginger
 
Method – First Stage Fermentation
Dissolve the sugar in warm water and add to the rest of the water in the large jar. (If using tap water the chlorine will dissipate if you leave it overnight open to the air).
Add the kefir grains and the lemon and optional fruit or ginger.
Cover the jar with odd sock and leave in the kitchen for 24 to 72 hours. When ready you will see a few bubbles when you give it a shake. If you are not sure whether it is ready you can taste it. If still very sweet leave it for longer.
Strain off the liquid from grains and lemon through a sieve into a bowl or jug. You can reuse the grains and the lemon straight away in the next batch.
 
Second Stage Fermentation
Pour the kefir into your brewing bottle, leaving a couple of inches free at the top to allow for gas expansion. Leave out in the warmth for a further 24 to 48 hours.
Refrigerate when ready and enjoy! Will keep well for days.
Take care when opening bottles. Always apply pressure on the lid and open slowly. It will be under a lot of pressure because of the fizz!
The grains will multiply each time you use them. Give them to friends or compost them. You can keep them in some sugared water in the fridge when you go away for several weeks. If they run out of sugar they will die…..