What got me started thinking about growing grains was when I looked up online how long it would take to sprout some mung beans for a stir-fry. I found the Sprout People, and was amazed at the large number of kinds of seeds they had. The I was pushing my cart around Fred Meyer (aka Kroger) and noticed their bulk bins. Among the shelled nuts and granola and various flours were grains, beans and seeds. They had two kinds of wheat, barley, quinoa, millet, sesame and other grains. Hmmmm.... thinks I... I wonder if these would sprout? So I bagged up a couple of spoonfuls (very cheap) and took them home. About 95% of the seeds sprouted, the exceptions being the 'naked' ones (protective covering removed) like hulled millet. Next visit, I collected beans. All the types they had sprouted. Brown rice? Yes, it sprouts, too. Next thought... if they'll sprout, they should grow, right? Then I discovered that a local store (Shop n' Kart here in WA) carries practically the whole line of products from Bob's Red Mill: amaranth, hulless barley, quinoa, buckewheat, caraway, flax, lentils, rye, spelt, teff, triticale, four kinds of wheat, and lots of beans. Yes, I could just buy them, but... the idea of growing them interests me. I only have an acre of land, but the neighbor across the street has two acres, and she doesn't use most of it. And lawns aren't good for much. Vacant lots? A new obsession? Do you think? Sue

Go to the link below for more information. I've always used milk grains in cow, goat and coconut milk. Occasionally when I have an abundance of the grains I'll ferment grape juice or apple juice for something different. But using them in fruit juice will eventually kill them, so consider them expendable. I have a packet of water grains, but they ended up being one more good intention. Once you start these little projects (including sourdough starter, kombuchu, fermented foods....), they are like a pet that needs tending on a regular basis. Just how many jars of "stuff" can one refrigerator hold (LOL)? I don't have any experience using freeze-dried or dried grains. I located mine through a kefir group on-line and paid a small amount for about 2 T. of grains, + shipping. They were packed into a zip-lock bag with a small amount of milk in it, stuffed into a large plastic pill container, sent via U.S. Mail. The person I got mine from happened to own a dairy here in the state. The small health food store will occasionally give my name to someone wanting real grains and I'm happy to share them. It really is a person-to-person thing, which is why the commercial kefir has very little in common with kefir made from real grains. Commercial kefir is made with only a few strains of bacteria, not the real grains. I've used my same grains for over a decade. -Grainlady Here is a link that might be useful: Dom's Kefir In-site

Congratulations, it sounds like you have the real deal, but they must be very small kefir grains, which will continue to grow the more frequently you make kefir with them. As they grow they will become a gelatinous (rubbery) "glob" that looks a little like a cauliflower. The grains grow for a never-ending source of kefir grains, which is the beauty of kefir grains over making yogurt. Kefir is also healthier for you than yogurt. You don't say how many grains you have - would they fill a teaspoon, tablespoon, or 1/4 cup...? The ratio of grains to the amount of milk you are fermenting will also determine how long you need to ferment your grains in the milk to make kefir. I use approx. 1/3-1/2 c. of grains to 2-3 cups of milk in a quart jar. When they get as large as a quarter, I'll pull them apart into 2-3 pieces. Sometimes they will separate themselves at the weakest point the larger they get. Just make sure you wash AND rinse your hands thoroughly before you handle your grains. Any remaining soap residue on your clean hands can transfer to and affect your grains. The more frequently you make kefir, the quicker your grains grow. So if you only have a small amount of grains (say enough to fill a teaspoon or tablespoon, you will want to use a small amount of milk - up to 1 cup until you get some growth, then use more milk. I usually make 2, sometimes 3, consecutive batches (make a batch, take the grains out and immediately start the next batch), then rest my grains in 1-cup of milk in a pint jar in the refrigerator until I need to make kefir again (within 7-10 days). I make this much once or twice a week, depending on my needs. The one cup of milk I rested the grains in will have enough good bacteria in it from the grains that it will also make kefir sitting at room temperature, even after the grains are removed. The grains float to the top of the kefir and I use a plastic slotted spoon to gently scoop them out. That will help to keep the curd (the solid part) whole. This is important if I want to drain the whey out of the curd and use the curd as a substitute in a recipe for sour cream or cream cheese. If you shake the kefir, the curds will break down and you will have a liquid, which I use as a substitute in recipes calling for buttermilk. Once the curd is liquified, it will remain a liquid. Kefir curds are smaller than yogurt curds (which makes kefir easier to digest than yogurt), and the curds are more delicate than yogurt curds and easily destroyed (mixing, shaking, etc.) Only ferment it to the point you like the results (thickness or taste). The longer you ferment it, the more tart the kefir will be. The warmer the ambient temperature, the quicker the kefir will ferment and the more tart it will be. I might ferment it for 8-12 hours in the summer when the ambient temperature is much warmer, but 18-24 hours (or longer) in the winter. I personally like the kefir best made in the winter in my cold kitchen (which is a little cooler than your temperatures), because it is less tart and smoother. I use kefir every morning in a smoothie (1 part kefir to 2 parts fruit juice - orange/pineapple is a favorite, but we use a variety of 100% fruit juices), plus some flaxmeal, hi-maize resistant starch, and a powdered supplement we take, and I mix it in a Hamilton Beach Drink (Malt) Mixer. When I get extra grains, I also ferment coconut milk (especially good by itself, topped with homemade granola for breakfast or snack, or mixed with orange/pineapple juice for our morning smoothie). I buy coconut milk powder (Wilderness Family Naturals - on line at http://www.wildernessfamilynaturals.com) and reconstitute it in water like making powdered milk, but you can use coconut milk in a can as well. I'll make one to two cups of coconut milk at a time using 2-4 marble-size kefir grains. I rest the grains in cows milk between batches, but continue to use these grains for coconut milk. I'll also take some of my extra grains and ferment grape juice. The grains won't continue to grow, so after a few batches of grape juice they will fizzle-out. I'm going to assume you read Dom's Kefir Insite web site. It's the best one for information about kefir. You will get your own rhythm for fermenting kefir. The more you make it, the quicker your grains will grow. But you will also need to find ways to use it. I was an avid yogurt maker for 30-years until I got my kefir grains (about 10-years ago). Now I make kefir all the time and only make yogurt a few times a year. The link below will give you some ideas what to do with the whey if you drain your curd. Along with lacto fermentation of vegetables and soaking grains using whey, I use it in the summer to make whey lemonade, which is a wonderful thirst quencher when working outdoors. Better than sports drinks! -Grainlady Here is a link that might be useful: Prairie Homestead - 16-ways to use whey

Water kefir notes Probiotics, think of yogurt but not dairy. So it's very good for you like any other fermented type food, sauerkraut, miso, kimchi, etc, 2. Easy to make, won't fail or go bad. 3. Put them in soup, smoothies, etc. helps with pets digestion as well. cause it's sugar water, so anything you want to cook with that calls for liquid and sugar are ok. Experiment. 4. Make a beauty mask out fit 5. Add it with any flavor of juice concentrate, bottle it you got Italian soda! But the fizz last much longer cause it keep producing it. Ball quart jar is perfect. 1/4 cup -1/3 cup sugar. 1. Fancy version: mineral water, organic brown sugar, a touch of molasses, with organic lemon slice/ ginger / raisin, etc 2. Daily version, fridge filtered water or tap water sit 24 hours, regular brown sugar, that's it. Cover with a piece of paper towel tight with rubber band 3. When it double, filter the grains out and rinse it with filtered water, repeat process. Put water kefir in a glass bottle, with a screw-on lid, let it sit on the counter for 24 hours, then flavor it ( individual AW plastic bottle root beer is perfect, it's the strongest flavor and the color matched! that's what my husband bring to work everyday) put It keeps a longtime. Next time when you have children over, instead of giving them store bought soda, have them try this instead. SASBE self addressed stamped bubble envelope or SASE( Self addressed stamped envelope) It's a common lingo in seeds exchange forum. In this case, if it has to go through post office machine, it won't hurt them. Unlike seeds; will be crushed This post was edited by itsy_ant on Sat, Aug 3, 13 at 20:41