In the spirit of getting healthy in 2015, we’d like to share another gut-healthy recipe with you. Mother Nature Nutrition’s consultant, Martha Berkesch, shared a few of her healthy dairy recipes at SHIFT’s Locavore Pantry event back in October.
Mother Nature Nutrition encourages gut health by offering healthier alternatives to dairy products that you can make at home in your kitchen.
I recently shared her yogurt recipe; here is another healthy dairy product recipe: kefir. Kefir is a sour-tasting, yogurt-like, drink made from cow’s milk fermented with bacteria.
Kefir is offered in grocery stores, but making it at home is way healthier.
The downfall of store bought kefir is that it can be high in sugar. The kefir made at home in rich in healthy bacteria and probiotics. And it’s easy, too. It just takes time and a few ingredients and supplies, and voila, you have homemade kefir.
Ingredients
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 tablespoon kefir grains or 1 package kefir powder
- Strainer (if using kefir grains)
- Quart-sized mason jar
- Pot
- Thermometer
- Cloth to cover
Instructions
- If using kefir grains, place them in a fine strainer and rinse with filtered water. Heat milk to room temperature. Place milk in a clean quart-sized mason jar. Add kefir grains to milk, stir well and cover loosely with a cloth. Place in a warm place for 12 hours to 2 days. Stir vigorously occasionally to redistribute the grains. Every time you store, taste the kefir and put in the fridge when it has reached your desired tartness. Pour the kefir through a strainer into another jar to remove the grains. Store the kefir in the refrigerator and use the grains to make another batch of kefir. To store the grains, rinse them well with water and place in a small jar with about 1/2 cup of filtered water. They will keep in the fridge for several weeks or the freezer for several months. If using kefir powder, follow instructions on the box. Kefir will be ready when it thickens, about 24 hours.
