Easy Home-made Kefir

Add kefir grains to a clean pint sized glass jar. Make sure you do not use metal jars. Glass works best.

Pour 2 cups of milk into the jar. Make sure you have about 1 inch room left on top since fermentation will increase the volume. Mix kefir grains into the milk using a non-metal spoon. This is important - use only wooden or plastic spoons. Wooden chopsticks work too!

Cover the bottle with a breathable fabric or paper towel, secure it with a tie or a rubber-band, and let it sit in a warm, dark corner for 24 hours. If you can remember, give the mixture a gentle stir (using non-metal only), although it is not necessary. If you are using less milk, or more grains, or if the temperature in your home is higher, the fermentation may happen quicker. Ready yourself with the following: a glass or stainless container to gather the fermented kefir, a plastic colander, a plastic or wooden spoon to stir.

Check taste after 12-18 hours and decide if the time is right to harvest the kefir. The grains should look puffy and the milk may separate from the water content. You can leave the milk outside for as long as 72 hours, if you want it sour. If the fermentation is happening too rapidly, you can refrigerate the bottle to slow down the process, especially if you don't have time to filter it right away.

When ready, place a non-metal colander (I use a plastic one from Walmart) over a dish, and pour the contents of the bottle steadily into the colander while gently coaxing the grains to release the kefir.

Add the strained kefir grains to another clean glass bottle, add 2 cups of milk and the next batch of kefir is on its way! The kefir grains can rest in your refrigerator for several days if you cover it up with enough milk for the grains to feed. If you want to stop making kefir for a few weeks, freeze the grains in a bottle filled with filtered water.

Drink it plain or flavored (with honey, saffron strands, few drops of pure vanilla, cinnamon or nutmeg powder sprinkles), make a smoothie out of it, or use it anywhere you'd use buttermilk or yogurt like raita