I have made milk kefir in the past but always ended up killing my grains. The raw milk was too pricey to have on hand to make kefir all the time. Then I found out about water kefir through some lovely ladies online. One of them sent me some water kefir grains for me to get started. Here's what happened.
First batch - i used a pinch of baking soda and 1/4 cup organic cane sugar along with almost a quart of spring water and 1/3 cup kefir grains. The water still seemed really sweet to me and i wasn't sure if it was working.
Second batch - pretty much same as the first.
Third batch - I used some unsulfured raisins, 1/4 cup sugar (heaping) and 1/3 cup kefir grains. This time I saw major changes. It was a slightly sweet, fermented taste. The liquid was cloudy in a different way than it was before....can't really explain it. I added 1 - 2 teaspoons vanilla extract and it tasted kind of like a flat cream soda.
Fourth batch - I made the same as the above and did a second ferment with blueberries. That means I strained the grains and took them out. I then added a handful of frozen blueberries we had picked over the summer, put the lid on and let it sit out 24 more hours. This one to me tastes kind of like a wine cooler but not as strong. IT was a tad fizzy.
Fifth batch - I put in sugar, raisins and two peeled lemon wedges. I let this ferment only 24 hours. It was more fizzy than the others and the taste to me was pretty good.
So there you have it. Those are my findings so far. Unsulfered fruit is great for making the first ferment really awesome.
You can find more out about water kefir with the video link below.
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