Day 7

The addition of more milk resulted in a slightly less acidic fermented kefir today.  Different from yesterday are a few factors.  First of all, I used 16 oz of milk vs. 12 oz of milk.  Also, I was able to use the fine mesh strainer for this batch as well.  This prevented any clumps containing curd / kefir grains from entering into the batch, unlike yesterdays.

This means that this batch fermented slightly slower than the previous one.  I also kept the temperature of the room between 60-63 degrees F.  Although liquid whey did form on the bottom in large quantities, there was a less uniform separation throughout. 

The curd on top was also very creamy in today's batch vs. yesterdays, which was rather dry in texture.  As I scooped a spoon through the curd, whey immediately filled the gaps where the curd had been.  By this point, the kefir has been able to greatly ferment the 16 oz of milk. 

After straining off the newest batch of milk, I was still unsatisfied with the smell.  HOWEVER, as the batches were fermenting prior to curd / whey separation, the aroma did have the illusion of yogurt again.  It wasn't until I removed the covering at the second 24-hour mark, that I noticed it still wasn't the aroma I am waiting for. 

The curd / kefir grains that remained in the strainer after removing the milk, were breifly rinsed with fresh milk.  I did this by leaving them in the strainer and poured a cup of fresh milk over them.  Then I returned them to a clean jar and added only 8 oz of milk.  I wont be trying to wait exactly 24 hours any more, as I will be consuming the kefir from here on out according to taste and texture.  I will try various stages of fermentation and keep you posted.  My immediate goals are to make the grains odorless to semi-sweet.  I will be using less milk to better control the process without wasting anything in the mean time.

After straining the last batch, I added about 4-5 dashes of ground cinnamon and gently swirled the jar.  I will wait 12 - 24 hours for this batch, while periodically checking on it as it ferments.  Once the process is down, and I am getting the aroma and texture I desire, I will purchase some bottles and different small neck jars with corked airlocks.

What Is Milk Kefir? (Part 1 - LACTOBACILLI)

Now that we have taken a look at how milk kefir grains made their way out of the Caucasus Mountains to the rest of the world, let's take a look at what makes up a milk kefir grain.  Although not every single batch of milk kefir will have all of these organisms in them, the following are some of the organisms that have been commonly found diligently working within the grains.  The following list of Lactobacilli bacterium originate from a list at Dom's Kefir, located HERE.

LACTOBACILLI

Lb. acidophilus
Lb. brevis
Lb. casei
Lb. casei rhamnosus (Lactobacillus GG)
Lb. paracasei subsp. paracasei 
Lb. fermentum
Lb. cellobiosus
Lb. delbrueckii subspecies bulgaricus 
Lb. delbrueckii subsp. lactis
Lb. fructivorans
Lb. helveticus subsp. lactis
Lb. hilgardii 
Lb. helveticus 
Lb. kefiri
Lb. kefiranofaciens subsp. kefirgranum 
Lb. kefiranofaciens subsp. kefiranofaciens
Lb. parakefiri 
Lb. plantarum

Lb. acidophilus (meaning acid-loving milk-bacterium) is a species in the genus Lactobacillus. L. acidophilus is a homo-fermentative species, fermenting sugars into lactic acid, which grows readily at rather low pH values (below pH 5.0) and has an optimum growth temperature of 37 °C (98.6 °F)[citation needed]. L. acidophilus occurs naturally in the human and animal gastrointestinal tract, mouth, and vagina.[1] Some strains of L. acidophilus may be considered to have probiotic characteristics.[2] These strains are commercially used in many dairy products, sometimes together with S. salivarius ssp. thermophilus and Lactobacillus delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus in the production of acidophilus-type yogurt.

L. acidophilus is part of the normal vaginal flora.[3] The acid produced by L. acidophilus in the vagina may help to control the growth of the fungus Candida albicans, thus helping to prevent vaginal yeast infections. The same beneficial effect has been observed in cases of oral or gastrointestinal Candidiasis infections. Certain spermicides and contraceptive creams can kill L. acidophilus in the vagina, clearing the path to possible yeast infections.
http://www.curetoothdecay.com/Tooth_Decay/germs_cavities.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lactobacillus_acidophilus

Lb. brevis is a species of lactic acid bacteria. It can be found in many different environments and in fermented foods such as sauerkraut and pickles. It is also one of the most common causes of beer spoilage. Ingestion has been shown to improve human immune function, and it has been patented several times.

L. brevis is one of the major Lactobacillus species found in tibicos grains (aka water kefir grains), and has been identified as the species responsible for the production of the polysaccharide (dextran) that forms the grains.[1] Major metabolites of L. brevis include lactic acid and ethanol. Strains of L. brevis and L. hilgardii have been found to produce the biogenic amines tyramine and phenylethylamine.
http://bioweb.usu.edu/emlab/current%20news.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lactobacillus_brevis

Lb. casei is a species of genus Lactobacillus found in the human intestine and mouth. As a lactic acid producer, it has been found to assist in the propagation of desirable bacteria. This particular species of lactobacillus is documented to have a wide pH and temperature range, and complements the growth of L. acidophilus, a producer of the enzyme amylase (a carbohydrate-digesting enzyme). It is known[by whom?] to improve digestion and reduce lactose intolerance and constipation.

The most common application of L. casei is industrial, specifically for dairy production. However, a team of scientists from Simón Bolívar University in Caracas, Venezuela found that, by using Lactobacillus casei bacteria in the natural fermentation of beans, the beans contained lower amounts of the compounds causing flatulence upon digestion.

Lactobacillus casei is typically the dominant species of non-starter lactic acid bacteria (NSLAB) present in ripening Cheddar cheese, and, recently, the complete genome sequence of L. casei ATCC 334 has become available. L. casei is also the dominant species in naturally fermented Sicilian green olives.[1]

A commercial beverage containing L. casei strain Shirota has been shown to inhibit the growth of H. pylori in a test tube. But, when the same beverage was consumed by humans in a small trial, H. pylori colonization decreased only slightly, and the trend was not statistically significant.[2] Some L. casei are considered as probiotic and may be effective in alleviation of gastrointestinal pathogenic bacterial diseases. According to World Health Organization, those properties have to be demonstrated on each specific strain—including human clinical studies—to be valid.[3]

Among the best-documented, probiotics L.casei, L. casei DN-114001, and L. casei Shirota have been extensively studied and are widely available as functional foods (see Actimel, Yakult).

In the past few years, there have been many studies in the decolorization of azo dyes by lactic acid bacteria such as L. casei TISTR 1500, L. paracasei, Oenococcus oeni. With the azoreductase activity, mono-, di- azo bonds are degraded completely, and generate other aromatic compounds as intermediates.[4]
^{http://bioweb.usu.edu/emlab/current%20news.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lactobacillus_casei}

Lb. casei rhamnosus (Lactobacillus GG)  is a name given in honor its discoverers, Drs. Sherwood Gorbach and Barry Golden who isolated the bacterium in 1985. Lactobacillus GG does survive and grow in the acidic environment of the digestive tract. Once there, it shows an exceptional ability to adhere to the intestinal mucosa and proliferate.
According to the November 1999 Journal of Pediatrics, when it was given to children who were taking antibiotics for minor bacterial infections, Lactobacillus GG reduced the number and severity of the bouts of diarrhea, including those hospitalized with rotavirus. It has also been successful in eradicating Clostridium difficile in patients with relapsing colitis. During research experiments,Lactobacillus GG demonstrated the ability to inhibit chemically induced intestinal tumors, as well as binding to some chemical carcinogens.

Lactobacillus GG and Bifidobacterium lactis were found to produce significant improvement of atopic eczema in children with food allergies. Lactobacillus GG along with other lactic acid bacteria, including strains of Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus bulgaricus, Bifidobaterium longum and Streptococcus thermophilus, have also demonstrated antioxidative ability, especially the chelation of metal ions, particularly iron and copper.
http://bio-nin.com/Chinese/Probiotic%20Organisms-Lactoc.htm

Lb. paracasei subsp. paracasei  Recent studies have shown that probiotics are beneficial in T-cell-mediated inflammatorydiseases. The molecular mechanism by which probiotics work remains elusive, but accumulating evidence indicates that probiotics can modulate immune cell responses. Since T cells express receptors for bacterial products or components, we examined whether different strains of lactobacilli directly regulate the functions of human T cells. CD4+ T cells were isolated from blood and intestinal lamina propria (LP) of normal individuals and patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Mononuclear cells were also isolated from Peyer's patches. Cells were activated with anti-CD3/CD2/CD28 in the presence or absence of Lactobacillus paracasei subsp. paracasei B21060, L. paracasei subsp. paracasei F19, or L. casei subsp. casei DG. Cell proliferation and death, Foxp3, intracellular pH, and cytokine production were evaluated by flow cytometry. We showed that L. paracasei subsp. paracasei B21060 but neither L. paracasei subsp. paracasei F19 nor L. casei subsp. casei DG inhibited blood CD4+ T-cell growth. This effect was associated with no change in cell survival, expression of Foxp3, or production of gamma interferon, interleukin-4 (IL-4), IL-5, and IL-10. L. paracasei subsp. paracasei B21060-mediated blockade of CD4+ T-cell proliferation required a viable bacterium and was associated with decreased MCT-1 expression and low intracellular pH. L. paracasei subsp. paracasei B21060 also inhibited the growth of Peyer's patch mononuclear cells, normal lymphocytes, and IBD CD4+ LP lymphocytes without affecting cytokine production. The data show that L. paracasei subsp. paracasei B21060 blocks T-cell growth, thus suggesting a mechanism by which these probiotics could interfere with T-cell-driven immune responses.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1865705/

Lb. fermentum is a Gram-positive species of bacterium in the genus Lactobacillus. It is associated with active dental caries lesions.[1] It is also commonly found in fermenting animal and plant material.[2] It has been found in sourdough.[3] A few strains are considered probiotic or "friendly" bacteria in animals [4] and at least one strain has been applied to treat urogenital infections in women.[5] Some strains of lactobacilli formerly classified as Lactobacillus fermentum (such as RC-14) have since been reclassified as Lactobacillus reuteri.[6] Commercialized strains of L. fermentum used as probiotics include PCC[7] and ME-3.[8]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lactobacillus_fermentum

Lb. cellobiosus is validly published, but the species is often neglected in taxonomic studies, due to its high similarity to Lactobacillus fermentum. In the present paper, literature data concerning the two species were reviewed. Phylogenetic placement of L. cellobiosus was obtained based on 16S rDNA sequences, and genetic similarity was further investigated by comparing partial recA gene sequences for the type strains of L. cellobiosus and L. fermentum. Based on the high identity values for 16S rDNA (99 %) and recA gene (98 %) sequences, the results of DNA-DNA hybridization assays and phenotypic traits available from the literature, it is proposed that L. cellobiosus be reclassified and, as a rule of priority, renamed as L. fermentum, the first described species.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15143028
http://www.sciencephoto.com/images/download_lo_res.html?id=662201569

Lb. delbrueckii subspecies bulgaricus  (until 1984 known as Lactobacillus bulgaricus) is one of several bacteria used for the production of yoghurt. It is also found in other naturally fermented products. First identified in 1905 by the Bulgarian doctor Stamen Grigorov The name L. bulgaricus is derived from the country Bulgaria where it was first used to preserve milk. The bacterium feeds on milk to produce lactic acid which is used to preserve milk. Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus, a starter for making yogurt and unlike other starters for making yogurt Lactobacilus acidophillus, Bifidobacterium etc.,Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus disappears from the intestine within two weeks after yogurt consumption is stopped. Because of the ability of yogurt-fermenting bacteria to break down milk sugar (or lactose), people intolerant to dairy products due to lactase enzyme deficiency can usually eat yogurt. Some strains of bulgaricus also produce antibiotics, which kill harmful bacteria. By manufacturing lactic acid (from lactose), bulgaricus provides a good environment for the resident bacteria such as acidophilus and the bifidobacteria.The bacteria is helpful to people suffering from lactose intolerance which occurs in individuals who lack the enzyme to break down lactose to simple sugars. It is a Gram-positive rod that may appear long and filamentous. It is also non-motile, and it does not form spores. This bacterium is regarded as aciduric or acidophilic, since it requires a low pH (around 5.4-4.6) to grow effectively.


The bacterium has complex nutritional requirements, including the inability to ferment any sugar except lactose[citation needed], from which it produces lactic acid, which gives yogurt its tart flavor and acts as a preservative. The bacterium also partially coagulates the milk proteins. While fermenting milk, it produces acetaldehyde, which is one of the main yogurt aroma components.


It is often helpful to sufferers of lactose intolerance,[citation needed] whose digestive systems lack the enzymes to break down lactose to simpler sugars.http://users.sa.chariot.net.au/~dna/kefirpage.html#traditional-kefir 
http://bioweb.uwlax.edu/bio203/s2007/kahl_ambe/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lactobacillus_delbrueckii_subsp._bulgaricus

Lb. delbrueckii subsp. lactis AIMS: The aim of the present study was to assess the ability of a potentially probiotic strain to resist, in vitro, the effect of intestinal antimicrobial molecules.

METHODS AND RESULTS: Strain CIDCA 133 of Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp lactis was studied. Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp bulgaricus as well as other gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria were used for comparison purposes. The effect of different antimicrobial extracts was determined by diffusion assays, viable counts and growth kinetics. Human-defensins (h beta D1 and h beta D2) were also included in the study. Two types of cellular fractions from Caco-2 cells were tested: (i) cytosolic fractions, obtained by sonication of cultured human enterocytes and (ii) cationic fraction, obtained by batch extraction of the cytosolic fraction with a weak cation exchange resin. In addition, the effect of Caco-2-secreted factors was studied. Strain CIDCA 133 was neither inhibited by Caco-2 secreted, cytosolic nor cationic fractions. Of note, human-defensins were inactive against strain CIDCA 133. In contrast, a related lactobacilli: Lactobacilli delbrueckii subsp bulgaricus (strain CIDCA 331) and other species of gram-positive or gram-negative bacteria were strongly inhibited.

CONCLUSIONS: Strain CIDCA 133 is able to survive and grow in the presence of enterocyte-derived antimicrobial molecules. This ability is not a general property of lactobacilli.

SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: Results could provide a new insight into the mechanisms of the probiotic effect and encourage further studies on this field. Resistance to antimicrobial peptides can be relevant to understand the interaction of potentially probiotic strains with the host's immune system. This ability can be also relevant as a selection criterion for new probiotic strains.
http://www.magma.ca/~pavel/science/L_bulgaricus.htm
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20088979

Lb. fructivorans Associated with the spoilage of ketchup in counts of 10(5) CFU/g. The spoiled strain of this organism was discovered after isolation from saled dressing. Known for spoiling acidic or ethanol containing sources, such as mayonnaise, saled dressing, vinegar preserves, sake, desert wines and aperatifs.
https://helda.helsinki.fi/bitstream/handle/1975/554/tomato_ketchup_ocr.pdf?sequence=2

Lb. helveticus subsp. lactis  Lactobacillus helveticus is a lactic-acid producing rod shaped bacterium of the genus Lactobacillus. It is most commonly used in the production of American Swiss cheese and Emmental cheese but is also sometimes used in making other styles of cheese, such as Cheddar, Parmesan, romano, provolone, and mozzarella. The primary function of L. helveticus culture is to prevent bitterness and produce nutty flavors in the final cheese. In Swiss and Emmental cheese production, L. helveticus is used in conjunction with a Propionibacter culture, which is responsible for developing the holes (known as "eyes") through production of carbon dioxide gas.

Ingestion of powdered milk fermented with L. helveticus was shown to decrease blood pressure due to the presence of manufactured tripeptides that have ACE inhibitor activity. However, there have been several contradictory results in later studies.

The bacterium's specific name is an adjective derived from "Helvetia", the Latin name for the region occupied by the ancient Helvetii.
http://www.probiotic-cn.com/Lactobacillus_Helveticus.html

Lb. hilgardii  Conventional phenotypic methods lead to misidentification of the lactic acid bacteria Lactobacillus hilgardii and Lactobacillus brevis. Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) and repetitive element PCR (REP-PCR) techniques were developed for a molecular study of these two species. The taxonomic relationships were confirmed by analysis of the ribosomal operon. Amplified DNA fragments were chosen to isolate L. hilgardii-specific probes. In addition to rapid molecular methods for identification of L. hilgardii, these results convincingly proved that some strains first identified as L. brevis must be reclassified as L. hilgardii. The data clearly showed that these molecular methods are more efficient than phenotypic or biochemical studies for bacterial identification at the species level.
http://bioweb.usu.edu/emlab/current%20news.html
http://ijs.sgmjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/49/3/1075

Lb. helveticus  is a lactic-acid producing rod shaped bacterium of the genus Lactobacillus. It is most commonly used in the production of American Swiss cheese and Emmental cheese but is also sometimes used in making other styles of cheese, such as Cheddar, Parmesan, romano, provolone, and mozzarella. The primary function of L. helveticus culture is to prevent bitterness and produce nutty flavors in the final cheese. In Swiss and Emmental cheese production, L. helveticus is used in conjunction with a Propionibacter culture, which is responsible for developing the holes (known as "eyes") through production of carbon dioxide gas.

Ingestion of powdered milk fermented with L. helveticus was shown to decrease blood pressure due to the presence of manufactured tripeptides that have ACE inhibitor activity.[1] However, there have been several contradictory results in later studies.[2][3][4]

The bacterium's specific name is an adjective derived from "Helvetia", the Latin name for the region occupied by the ancient Helvetii (and for modern Switzerland).
http://www2.unibas.it/parente/Starter/gruppi.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lactobacillus_helveticus

Lb. kefiri DSM 20587 cells were immobilized in calcium alginate and carrageenan. The immobilized cells were used as biocatalysts for the enantioselective reduction of the methyl ketone group of denbufylline to synthesize the enantiopure (R)-hydroxy metabolite: (−)-1,3-dibutyl-7-((2′R)-hydroxypropyl)-1H-purine-2,6(3H,7H)-dione (1). The experimental conditions for the biotransformation were optimized. As denbufylline is insoluble in aqueous media, the influence of cosolvents (dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO), acetonitrile) and different concentrations of each solvent in the reaction mixture on the yield and enantiomeric excess of the final biotransformation product was studied. The maximum biotransformation yield (96–98%) and highest enantioselectivity (96% ee) for the obtained metabolite were reached using DMSO as a cosolvent at a concentration of 7.5% (v/v) in the presence of L. kefiri immobilized either in calcium alginate or in carrageenan. The absolute configuration of the stereogenic center of 1 was determined by applying Mosher's method. Chirality 2009. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

http://www.science24.com/paper/7035

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/chir.20665/abstract

Lb. kefiranofaciens subsp. kefirgranum  Twelve strains of homofermentative lactobacilli and two strains of heterofermentative lactobacilli were isolated from kefir grains by using R-CW agar medium. The physiological and biochemical characteristics, DNA guanine-plus-cytosine contents, and levels of DNA-DNA relatedness of these isolates and previously described lactobacilli were compared. Our results indicated that two new species, Lactobacillus kefirgranum and Lactobacillus parakefir, could be distinguished. The type strain of L. kefirgranum sp. nov. is GCL 1701 (= JCM 8572), and the type strain of L. parakefir sp. nov. is GCL 1731 (= JCM 8573). http://ijs.sgmjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/44/3/435

Lb. kefiranofaciens subsp. kefiranofaciens  A new fermented milk was prepared by using capsular polysaccharide-producing Lactobacillus kefiranofaciens K1 isolated from kefir grains. Fermentation was carried out at 30°C for 18 h, when pH 4·5 was attained. The product had a ropy consistency and was resistant to syneresis. However, the product was given lower scores for acceptability by a consumer panel than a similar product made with Lb. delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus.

http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=5162608

Lb. parakefiri  Lactobacillus kefirgranum sp. nov. and Lactobacillus parakefir sp. nov., two new species from kefir grains
http://www.straininfo.net/publications/4894

Lb. plantarum is a widespread member of the genus Lactobacillus, commonly found in many fermented food products as well as anaerobic plant matter. It is also present in saliva (from which it was first isolated). It has the ability to liquefy gelatin.[1] L. plantarum has one of the largest genomes known among the lactic acid bacteria and is a very flexible and versatile species.
http://www.bacferm.com.au/silac/micro/micro.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lactobacillus_plantarum

Where Does Milk Kefir Come From?

Kefir is considered to be the oldest known fermented milk drink.  It's use has been well known for over 2,000 years in certain areas of the world.  One of the most documented areas of its historical importance stems from the Caucasus Mountains in Eurasia between the Black and Caspian sea.  Those who grew up in the area share a belief with each generation that the kefir grains were a sort of "manna" sent to them by God.  It's also believed that Mohammad, the prophet bestowed his blessings upon these grains, adding to their sacredness to the locals.

These sacred grains were not only a source of health and vitality to those who regularly consumed them, but also an indication of wealth.  Each particular tribe had a slight variation of the grains, which they held onto, passing down to each subsequent generation.  The tribes themselves would also trade grains amongst themselves, but NEVER to foreigners or those simply passing through.  In fact, this was sort of their "Best Kept Secret".  And it remained a secret from outsiders for most of history.

You may be wondering then...how do we have access to them today?  Did some scientist recreate them and share them with the world?  Of course not.  If someone was able to recreate them in some way shape or form, every man woman and child would be able to buy their product at the local grocery store.  And I assure you if they could recreate it for sale, it wouldn't be anything like the original, nor would it be able to reproduce itself for an unsaid period of time.  Take a look at most commercial probiotic cultures for sale  at your local stores.  Notice how they "Expire" around batch 6-7...

So, if scientist have not be able to even come close to recreating these magical "grains", then how have they come to be in the hands of those searching for better health?  You could say that nature always finds a way.  A woman by the name of Irina Sakharova may just have been the key.  She was the sister of the Blandov's brothers, who were cheese makers in Russia at the beginning of the 20th century.  The Russian Physicians' Society at the time really wanted to have access to these grains for study.  So what did they do?  They contracted these two cheese makers to get a hold of the grains.  What was their idea?  To use the looks of their charming sister.

Irina was to charm the Caucasian Prince Bek-Mirza Barchorov into letting her take some of their cherished kefir grains for herself.  The prince wanted Irina, but the idea of giving her grains was preposterous to him.  After refusing to become his bride, she was held captive.  In some time, the brothers that sent her on this impossible mission were at her rescue.  From here, the case was brought against the court with the additional help of the Physicians' society.

The Czar's court ordered reparations to Irina for the distress she was caused by the Prince.  After being offered riches in the form of local jewels and gold, which the Price had in possession Irina refused, She demanded that she receive kefir grains instead. 

Moscow 1908 - It was here for the first time in history, that these magical grains escaped the Caucasus Mountains with the help of Irina.  Once in Moscow, these grains were used for medicinal purposes to treat a number ailments including tuberculosis with tremendous success.

Irinas hard work was commended in 1973 at the age of 85, with a sort of thank you letter from the Minister of the Food Industry of the Former USSR.

And from the very strain she brought back, stems the grains we now find being cultivated all around the world.

Day 6 (Complete Curd & Whey Separation)

Here's a photo of the curd and whey separation on Day 6.  The night before, the whey had been accumulating on top and the curd on the bottom.  When I woke up this morning however, I discovered that the curd had finally floated to the top.  This batch was pretty thick still yesterday and wasn't finely strained before fermenting for the second 24 hours period.

Because of this, tiny bits of curd / kefir grains made their way into the batch.  The image shows that the process is definitely working now.  The only problem I have is the actual smell of the kefir and the curd / whey.  I had been using one brand of store bought milk when I started the process and switched when I ran low.  I had wanted to buy some milk in glass containers to reuse when I visit the raw milk farm.  I thought the milk in here would be just fine.  It wasn't.  I went to take a sip with something I was eating and almost threw up. 

Some people may not notice taste variations in their milk, but this was absurd.  I usually avoid Crowley milk because of this, but this was Byrne Dairy.  The weird thing is that I purchased another gallon of Byrne Dairy today and it is perfectly fine.  No distinctively bothersome odors as the glass approaches your face.  In fact, today's milk tasted great!  Although I'm only buying from the store until I'm ready to introduce the grains to Raw again.

So long story short, the milk I used the last few days has given the Kefir a strange smell.  Not appealing to me anyways, I just felt like I was drinking drugged cow milk mixed with blood and puss.  Since the grains are doing their job well, I fed them the new milk I purchased today.  The one WITHOUT any off smells to it.

HOWEVER...Because I was VERY curious what it may taste like.  I dipped a spoon into it.  I thought it would act like whipped cream and lend itself to an easy gentle pouring onto my spoon.  Nope, it was more like cream cheese instead.  I decided to pour the liquid whey off from the jar through a fine mesh strainer as the curd seemed to stay separated on top.  Then I scooped out the curd and put it into a small cup.  The curd didn't have too much of a taste.  I added some flavoring to give it a try.

After mixing a garlic & herb blend to it I gave it a try.  It was surprisingly good.  It needed flavoring for sure but it was something I could definitely eat again.  It was like a very dry cream cheese.  Or, if crumbled feta cheese was softer and more aerated, that's what it would be like.  It spread easy, but was rather dry.  I could have added liquid to make it creamy, but I didn't mind the consistency at all.  It was nice.  Although I do miss the overpowering yogurt scent I had created a few days earlier with a different brand of milk.  My hope is that after the yeasts readjust again, that almost bitter taste / smell will disappear.

After trying out the curd with moderate satisfaction, I also indulged in the whey liquid.  It's difficult to describe the taste of it at this point.  I can't say vinigery, as that doesn't do it justice.  I'd say bitter, or strong, but those don't say much either.  So until I can properly describe how it taste, I will say it's not worthy of consumption at this point.  I did however attempt to drink a bit of it.  I added some cranberry juice to a cup and tried to take it down.  It was difficult and I didn't get very far.  I believe I will discard that portion for now but I will save and finish the garlic curd spread for sure.

I also think that I may begin to lessen the fermentation time.  I have been doing a standard 24 hours with the grains and 24 hours without.  This may be too much now.  On the plus side, the 16 oz I used yesterday seems to have been a good amount for the grains.  It was still mostly liquid and strained easily.  First I strained it through a pasta strainer (large hole) and then I strained the liquid a second time through the fine mesh to get any extra clumps out. 

You'll notice that from day 3 to day 4 a very large increase in kefir grains / curds took place in the first fermentation jar.  Then they clumped together more losing more and more each consecutive day. 

I will try not to interrupt them at this point by separating them from any attached curd.  I will try and wait until they have grown considerably to do this.

Back on the shelf for yet another day.  Hoping that the yogurt smell will return soon.  The milk I used was a bad idea.  I thought that because I didn't want to drink it that my grains might.  I don't think it was their cup of tea either.  Lesson learned, don't switch your milk unless you have to, and don't feed the grains milk that smells like S%#t.

Milk Kefir Growth (Days1 - 7) YouTube Video

Day 5 (Need More Milk)

Again, the kefir fermented the 4th Batch of milk rather quickly in only 24 hours.  I had to stir the milk very well to make it liquid enough to strain.  I am no longer able to use the fine mesh strainer.  I will save that for water kefir grains.

As I need to go buy a larger diameter strainer for the milk kefir, I had to find something else.  Luckily we have several pasta strainers at the house.  They have a much larger hole opening but it seemed to work just fine.

It strained rather quickly as well.  Here is what remained after straining.  The clump seems to be doing well so far.  It doesn't smell sweet and aromatic like the batch that sat an extra 24 hours post kefir grain fermentation.

Some people will directly consume the liquid from the grains at 24 hours.  This isn't for me.  I prefer the kefir to have a sweet smell and a higher nutrition content.  Leaving the fermented milk to sit for at least another 24 hours at room temperature should do the trick.

As the milk had become very clumpy again in such a short period of time, I decided to up it again.  This time I refilled the jar with 16 oz of milk.

You can see just above the kefir level on the jar with the green cover that just from walking downstairs with it, it had stuck to the sides.  It was thick and had begun to separate a bit on top with whey liquid settling.

For reference (Blue cloth) contains the milk kefir grains with a fresh batch of milk.  (Green cloth) contains the milk kefir w/o grains for their second day of fermenting.

Day 4 (Beginning to Work)

Day 4 seems to have produced some promising results.  Batch number 2 at the 48 hour mark had the most amazing smell to it.  It was like a very sweet yogurt.  It reminded me of the Trix Yogurt or the Gogurt I used to eat growing up.  The smell was amazing.

Some interesting things have begun to occur with this batch as well.  For starters, BOTH jars had fermented to a point of becoming clumpy and very difficult to strain.

Here is a photo of Batch 2 after 48 hours of fermentation (24 hours with kefir grains & 24 hours without the grains).  Notice the thick layer on top.  The smell of this was fantastic.  It almost made me want to consume it.  But allas, I won't be doing that for a while yet.

Here is a closer view of Batch 2.  The entire thing was creamy throughout.  The top layer is more of a cream color compared the to rest which still maintained it's milk appearance in color.

It looked and smelled exactly like yogurt.  This is a sign that the kefir grains are gaining in both strength and numbers.  This also tells me that I will need to increase the amount of milk I have been providing for them to feed off.

Became rather surprised when I attempted to strain the milk from the jar with the kefir in it.  As you can see from the photo, this wasn't easy.  The entire jar had the consistency of very small curd cottage cheese, only a little runnier.  This presented a dilemma for me.  I needed to strain as much of it as I could so that I only had the clumpy mixture left over to add back.

To solve this problem, I used an additional 4 oz of milk to help with the straining.  First I poured the milk into the jar with the kefir and mixed it well.  Then I poured small amounts of the fluid into the strainer and moved it around to drain off as much liquid as possible.  Then I rinsed and dried the strainer after each pour.

Once I had strained as much liquid from the grains as I could, I cleaned out the jar they had been in previously and added the contents back.  What your seeing in this photo isn't an overgrowth of milk kefir grains from day 3 to day 4 alone.  It is also curd, which has fermented and attached itself to the existing kefir grains.

The grains themselves are still fairly small at this time and I don't want to interrupt the process too much.  I drained off all the liquid I could and put the entire contents back into the jar instead of trying to break it apart and separate it into curd and kefir grains.

Either way, they are working very hard to have completely thickened the milk in only 24 hours time.  Some changes now need to be made.

Here is what the contents now look like after they have been added back to the jar.  Looks just like cottage cheese to me.

After returning the kefir grains to a clean jar, I measured out 8 oz of milk.  This is double what I have been using.  I then measured out an additional 4 oz for a total of 12 oz added back to the kefir.  This will hopefully give me a slight buffer and prevent such overgrowth of curd from happening in the first jar.  I would love to see that happening in the second jar but not the jar with the milk kefir grains present.

As I had to add more milk to the contents of batch 3 to make it liquid enough to even pour, I disposed of the contents afterward.

I could have allowed them to ferment in the second jar with the addition of 4 oz fresh cold milk but decided at this point I would focus on the newest batch instead.

We can see now that the process is beginning to speed up.  I want to see now how the grains will perform with 12 oz of milk instead of only 4 oz.

My hope is that the first jar will remain fluid enough to pour nicely into the second jar for more fermentation after 24 hours.  I would like to separate some of the curd from the kefir grains fairly soon.  Hopefully the extra milk will help this to happen.  I have been agitating the grains and milk 2X during fermentation.  Once at the 8 hour mark and again once upon waking in the morning.

Milk Kefir Growth (Days 1 - 7) Images

Day 3 (Clean 2nd Fermentation Jar)

No curd or whey separation so far.  It can take several day or more for the whey to begin to separate between the 24 and 48 hour time frame. 

Once the milk kefir grains have grown more in size, they will have a stronger effect on the milk during the 1st 24 hours.

One of my fears was the notorious smell of rotting milk.  So far there hasn't been any offensive odors produced. 

I even took a close smell of the milk that had fermented for 48 hours before dumping it down the drain.  The only smell it gave off was that of Elmer's glue with an ever so subtle sour aroma.

Once the milk had been dumped into the sink, I noticed the beginnings of milk build up around the top of the 4 oz marker.  I also noticed that as I was dumping the milk, a thin film had started to develop on the bottom of the jar below the milk.

To rinse the jar out I simply used a small drop of joy, a scrub brush and some hot water.  As long as the jar is rinsed completely and then dried completely, neither the joy or tap water will have any negative effects on the fermentation process.  I will be cleaning the 2nd fermentation jar (The one without the kefir grains) on a daily basis prior to introducing the next batch.

Once the 2nd jar had been cleaned and dried, I was ready to again transfer the milk containing the kefir grains.  Before the grains are strained, the milk and grains are gently swirled until the milk has been properly mixed throughout.

Here is an image of the grains that made it onto the strainer during the pour.  There again appears to be a lot more of them today that yesterday.  They seem to be doing well so far. 

A large portion of them still remain in the jar during the pour.  Several also cling to the side of the jar during the process.

To get any of the extra kefir grains that make their way to the side of the jar, I simply use a plastic knife to push them back down to the bottom.  I have not cleaned this jar yet as I want to allow the kefir to grow more before I do so.  The small amount of milk stains at the 4 oz level on this jar aren't bothering me yet.  Cleaning the jar out to replace the grains in at this time would be more of a visual cleaning that one with a purpose.

Here is an image of the kefir grains on Day 3.  You can still see a small amount of milk remaining in the jar each time.  A few of the grains have begun to clump together into thicker groupings.

Back on the shelf until tomorrow.  I hope to start seeing some curd and whey separation by the end of the week.  Only time will tell...