Milk Kefir

Milk kefir is originally from the Caucuses  and is sour and pungent. There it has been traditionally heralded as an elixer of long life and health. It seems that there’s wisdom in this tradition: milk kefir is rich in beneficial bacteria, phosphorus, vitamin K, biotin and folic acid – nutrients that are essential to health and well-being.  Milk kefir is strongly anti-inflammatory and may prove helpful in combating gastro-intestinal distress caused by infections from bacillus cereus. The appearance of these small colonies of bacteria and yeast vaguely resembles that of cottage cheese or even cauliflower.  Obscure and exotic as it may seem, milk kefir is neither difficult to acquire nor difficult to prepare. As with many traditional foods, its beauty lies in its simplicity. It’s easy to begin preparing kefir and incorporating it into your family’s dietary rotation. Once you’ve acquired a kefir grains, simply mix them in with milk – preferably raw – and allow it to culture at room temperature for 24 – 48 hours. As it cultures at room temperature, the beneficial strains of bacteria and benign natural yeasts will proliferate, metabolize the milk’s lactose and create a sour, thick beverage replete with vitamins, probiotics, kefiran and other nourishing components. The longer milk kefir cultures the more sour and folate-rich it becomes.

Milk kefir grains are a starter culture that can be used with soy or coconut milk if care is taken to occasionally revitalize them in dairy milk.  Coconut kefir in particular is quite thick, rich, and delicious.