Kefir Time

When do you prefer to drink your kefir?

Evening

I for one have found a time of day that I find to be the best for kefir consumption.  For me, that time is in the evening and just before bed.  Why?  Well I really didnt intend for it to be that way, it just sort of happened.  Here's why...The first time I consumed a full cup of kefir I found myself extremely tired shortly after.  It was at a time that I had a very late and erratic sleeping schedule.  I felt a strong urge to brush my teeth and take a nap.  I found myself in a very deep and restful sleep within 30 minutes after consumption.  I hadn't felt that relaxed in a while.  I had the most vivid dreams as well.

A few more instances of drinking kefir too early in the day made me rethink when I consumed it.  I found myself more relaxed and easily drifted away from reality after drinking more than 6 oz at a time.  I also like to be in a relaxed state when I consume kefir, so that my digestive system is calm and ready to accommodate the new company. 

I finally purchased a 1/2 gallon air lock fermentation jar.  After I let my kefir ferment for a day or two with the grains, I pour the kefir into the air lock jar and add either nutmeg or Cinnamon.  After consuming about half of the batch from the previous day, the new kefir as added as well and mixed together.  This is more the traditional manner of consumption, allowing for additional fermentation to take place.  It has a better taste and is more effervescent.  It's very relaxing and seems to put me into a deep sleep, so unless I have the day off, the kefir is my late night indulgence.

WARNING...If your like me and like an effervescent kefir, be careful drinking large amounts of liquid whey followed by strong curd without diluting it in some milk first.  It can be pretty rough on your throat afterward if you drink too much.  I made this mistake recently while on vacation.  I had too much kefir and didnt want to waste it, it fermented for a long time.  I tried to drink it all, about 4-6 glasses.  I got through all of the liquid whey and most of the curd.  The 4-5 Ph level can be rough.  Best to mix it with some milk.  Also, don't drink that much kefir at one time, and especially after coming off of a water fast.  Don't do it!

In fact, I wouldn't drink kefir right after a water fast unless it's diluted with something like milk.  Your digestive system has been off, so take it easy.  I am beginning to really appreciate "juice fasting" much more now as it's healthier for you and allows you to still live a normal life while doing it.  You don't need as much rest nor recovery period.

Off Days

The exception
As I stated earlier, on Non-Work days, when you don't have to worry about being overly relaxed, or on work days when you want to relax, any time of day is perfect for kefir.  I usually start every day with a little water and 16 oz of tea.  I prefer to drink white tea most days but will also do various green or even infusions some days to avoid the caffeine.  I only drink loose leaf unless I don't have access to my teavanna tea maker.  When I brew my tea, I brew each batch 5 times.  This allows for 2-4 days of tea from one batch.  My morning starts like this...Some water, then 16 oz of freshly brewed tea (some days I will have 32 oz).  My tea is brewed in the following time intervals (5min, 7min, 9min, 11min, 15min).

On off days, when I will be around the house I consume kefir next.  You should never mix any dairy products with real tea as it binds the beneficial active ingredients rendering them useless to the body.  Instead, if you must add something to your tea, use a little citrus (lemon, lime, orange).  This is especially important if you need iron, as it prevents the tea from leaching iron from your body.  So...Once the tea has been consumed and some time has passed, I will have about 6 oz of fermented kefir.

I shake the air locked fermentation jar that the kefir and nutmeg/cinnamon has been in to thoroughly mix and pour into a cup.  I then add either a dash or two or nutmeg or additional cinnamon rotating every two days.  Then I am usually working on my computer for a while and sip on the 6 oz of kefir for about 30+ minutes or until it is gone.  So for my morning so far, I have some some plain water, 2-4 cups of fresh white tea (Preferred) and about 6 oz of kefir.  The kefir I consume is usually 2-3 days old and slightly effervescent at this point.

A good method to creating a highly nutritious kefir is to do the following. 
1-Start with 2 cups of milk every day (this will be added to your kefir grains)
2-Every day you will take half of the secondary fermented kefir under airlock and remove it from the jar (To be consumed sometime during the day)
3-After removing half of the kefir, the newest batch it strained from the grains and mixed with a specified root, flower, herb ect. to undergo secondary fermentation
4-Each day, you consume 2 cups, leaving 1 cup of 48 hour kefir to be mixed with 2 cups of fresh 24 hour kefir

Do this at least 5 days a week.  I recommend abstaining from kefir 1-2 days per week.  On fasting days, completely avoid kefir.  On days when kefir isn't consumed, limit the amount of milk added, or refrigerate if on a longer juice fast until you are finished.  After the fast has been properly broken, you may slowly consume small quantities of the kefir (Now fermented from 2-7 days).  Don't overdo any one sitting of it.  Drink only 2-4 oz at a time.  Slowly your body will readjust and be happy to receive the live bacteria after taking a nice break from digestion.

Traditional Kefir Practices

It's rumored that the byproduct of milk fermentation originating as batches of kefir came from Shepard’s in the northern Caucasus. The Shepard’s would carry with them leather pouches filled with fresh milk. Every now and then, the milk would be fermented by tiny microorganisms, which would create effervescent milk inside of the pouches. These leather pouches came to be the mode by which milk kefir was created. Commonly, sheep, goat and cow milk would be added to a leather pouch that contained kefir grains and then religiously hung by a doorway. Kefir grains need to be mixed evenly throughout the milk product over a period of a day or more to allow for a more even feeding. By locating these leather pouches near a door, anyone coming or going could give the pouch a quick shake to redistribute the lactose in the milk.

In parts of Iran, it’s said that sterile water was used to wash goat hides which were made into holding vessels for the kefir grains and their soon to be fermented drinks. A Sheep’s intestinal flora was then mixed with pasteurized milk and added to the pouch. A point was made to shake the pouch once an hour to redistribute the milk over the grains. After coagulation of the milk, ¾ of it was removed and fresh milk added.

Other traditional methods include a ratio of approximately 2-10 % by surface volume to be added to fresh raw milk inside of some sort of container.  I have also heard and read from various sources, that a ratio of 1:7 or 1:10 be used.  Due to the PH of the fermented mixture, the container had to be able to withstand acidic contents.  The common scare of the use of metal comes from it’s early reactions with the acidic nature of kefir.  Brass and the like were big no-no’s.  Modern stainless steel doesn’t seem to have any leeching effect when contact is made with the grains.

The chosen container for the kefir would be shaken at least twice during a 24 hour period.  Space was always allowed between the initial liquid used and the top of the container.  This would prevent overflow during the fermentation process, as gasses are released and if separation happens (curd and whey), a rise in volume could also cause a sealed container to break.

The container, no matter what it is would allow the kefir grains to be in the dark for the most part.  Even if it’s winter, and a traditional leather bag was brought outside to warm up on a sunny day, the kefir itself is in the dark.  Keeping the kefir out of direct sunlight is said to preserve the vitamin and mineral content and prevent them from degrading by exposure. 

Ideal fermentation temperatures for kefir are debatable, as kefir created at various temperatures will create different tasting kefir and slower or faster fermentation times. In general though, the first 24 hours is best for the grains to take a strong hold on the milk product. Various sites recommend a temperature of 68-77 degrees F, or 20-25 degrees C. That’s not to say that lower temperatures would not create a great fermentation. I ferment my grains between 60-65 degrees in a more or less controlled environment during the winter. Kefir fermenting above 104 degrees F, or 40 degrees C will most likely die off. On the other extreme, 39 degrees F or 4 degrees C will also cause the grains to stop working. As you can see, there is a lot of wiggle room for these magnificent creatures, so as long as you are within these numbers you should be fine.

After initial fermentation, several things could be done.  One method would be to take a portion of the 24 hour fermented mixture and use it in baking or to add to another food product.  Commonly in traditional practice however, the kefir was allowed to undergo a second fermentation without the presence of the grains.  For several more days, the beverage would be allowed to sour and increase in vitamins and minerals, with an exceptional increase in B vitamins.  The product would not only sour but also thicken.

A common practice for the second fermentation is to add additional herbs to the mix and let the bacteria further digest and leech important minerals and vitamins out of the herbs and into the kefir.  After a period of time, the kefir would then be consumed as a super food with unlimited health promoting properties, depending on the choice of additional elements added to undergo secondary fermentation.

Allowing kefir to ferment for various periods of time changes both the nutritional content and it’s effect on the consumer.  Folic acid for example which is well known for it’s aid in cell division and growth can be increased tremendously when allowed to ferment for longer.  The longer the milk is allowed to ferment, the lower the lactose present in the milk.  For those on a low carb, this means less sugar (less carbs).  A study done on rats shows that kefiran, produced by fermenting milk with kefir grains lowered their both their serum cholesterol levels and suppressed a blood pressure increase.

http://www.bigstockphoto.com/image-3303966/stock-photo-shepherd-in-the-caucasus

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

http://www.whats4eats.com/dairy

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.