Sunday and Kefir

Sunday was a busy day.  We picked up a commercial upright freezer from a friend who is moving cross country for just $75, I am so excited to have it!  My freezer that is paired with my fridge is always packed tight and it is like playing jenga to get anything out.

Then we went to church (late) and ate meatball oven dinner when we got home.  Meatball oven dinner has been a family favorite since I was a kid, since my mom was a kid.  And after 8 years of cooking for my hubby I finally made it for him and he loved it.  So I am happy.

Had a fun conversation with my fellow ward librarian Karen yesterday.  We talked about kefir which I mentioned on Saturday.  Here is a Wikipedia article that gives you the basic idea of what it is: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kefir  Most common is milk kefir, but I use water kefir because it is less maintenance for me.

So my method is this:  I keep 2 pitchers on my counter, one for the kefir and one for tap water set out for the chlorine to evaporate from.  This is important as the chlorine can kill the kefir grains.

Every couple days I get my jug and my Plastic Mesh Strainer (metal is hard on the grains, use glass, plastic and wood when you can), then I strain the grains out as I am pouring the water into my jug.

I then Rinse the gains a little with the prepared water, fill the culturing bottle with about 1 quart of the prepped water and add 1/4 c. organic sugar and a teaspoon of molasses stirring with a wooden spoon.

Then the coffee filter gets elastic-ed over the lid to keep dust and things out.  I set it in a shady place or in a cupboard then add some flavor to the finished kefir and put it in the fridge because I like it cold.

This site has a lot of info on Kefirs as well as sells the grains:  http://www.culturesforhealth.com/kefir

Why do I go to the trouble?  Because I have a bad case of Irritable Bowel Syndrome and nothing I had tried previously helped it.  My sister recommended kefir and I tried it.  For the first time since I was a child I was able to go days, weeks, and even months without and attack as long as I was drinking the kefir.  I will never go back to those painful days.

Off to figure out what to make for dinner and then to clean and organize my new freezer.  ;D