water kefir revisited

If you have been my blogging friend through the years, you might recall that I like ferments, the preparing of them and the partaking of them. For several years I religiously brewed kombucha and would drink it often, for its supposedly health benefits and because I  enjoyed the beverage overall.

I never did get into purchasing kombucha at the store, thinking the high price just wasn't my way of doing things, especially since I had this live cultured scoby sitting in a large jar in my house! But in the log haul I realized I was the only one truly drinking kombucha in my household, though sometimes Charlotte's present violin teacher would drink a served fizzy glass when offered. I also came to the realization that I preferred eating my ferments over drinking them; I simply like drinking water more as a beverage.

  But where would one be without revisiting or reconsidering a previous idea? So it is with me deciding to try my hand once again to making a ferment to quench my thirst, yet this time with water kefir. Had I actually drank water kefir before? Yes, I was offered a glass by a friend back last summer. It was tasty and I left her home with a jar of offered kefir grains. But timing is everything and the time was not then. Until now...so I ordered a batch of water kefir grains from Yemoos. And I am happy to report I am on the second day of my 48 hour beginner ferment. I will definitely mix mine with an organic fruit juice and I will give it a second ferment. Stay tuned.

And...since I am talking about the drinking of ferments, I want to mention I do drink  Homemade Ginger Ale (sometimes referred to as Ginger Beer) during the summer season. I keep my gingerbug in the refrigerator all winter and it is revived in the springtime, usually requiring a second batch brewing  to get it to the desired fizzy stage. I find this ginger beverage gives a super quenching of thirst on a hot summer day. Very refreshing! And best of all my husband enjoys drinking it too, and so do others that visit my home.

                       Now for the results of my first water kefir ferment:

I  allowed the kefir grains to ferment for about two days,  strained the grains and poured the kefir water into  brown flip- top bottle with the addition of a small bit of tart cherry juice. I had read that depending on the temperature of where you placed the sealed bottle for a second ferment determined how long you should allow it to set before refrigeration.  Since I have a warm kitchen I allowed roughly 30 hours. I was surprisingly happy over the amount of fizz I was able to get for the very first time. It was delicious and refreshing and an extremely simple brew.