Will have BEST luck is start early in spring after danger of frost has passsed.

jenn, I wouldn't bother to reduce the milk or the amount, I think it's fine, but I don't think it would hurt to swap some milk with butter either. I often switch skim and whole milk, use milk instead of cream, evaporated milk in place of regular milk, etc. I do get a better texture in things like cream soups or ice cream with the higher fat alternatives, but in candy and baked goods I use whatever I have on hand. Things like Ann T's scones are better with cream, of course, but they are entirely acceptable with milk too. I think your cookies will be fine but I also don't think more butter is ever a bad thing. (grin) Annie

I wouldn't add any sugar or butter, although I understand the grains like a little milk fat. Meanwhile, mine are happy fermenting in fat-free reconstituted powdered milk. I do occasionally add a bit of half and half if I happen to have some around after I read that information. Raw goat milk probably has the fat in it since I doubt it's been processed through a separator. If I have some milk in the refrigerator I think is about to "turn" on me, that's when I make a point of making kefir. It's going to sour anyway during the fermentation stage. I try to use the freshest milk I have when I rest them in the refrigerator, especially if I know it's going to be several days, or up to a week, before I make kefir again. What will help your grains grow is making consecutive batches - non-stop kefiring. Once your grains are acclimated, you can add them to milk and ferment for 6-8 hours and then take the grains out and add them to another batch. Leave the first batch sit for 12-24 hours TOTAL (until you achieve the thickness you like). There is more than enough good bacteria in the first batch to make nice thick kefir even without the grains in it. If you do that for a several days you should see enough growth to divide the grains within a week or two. You may also need to put the grains in more than one cup of milk as they grow. I use 2-1/2 c. of milk per quart jar + 1/4 - 1/3 c. kefir grains. What is the temperature where you are placing your kefir for fermenting? As our home gets colder (mid- to lower-60-degrees F), it takes the kefir longer to ferment, but it's also sweeter-tasting and less tart than in the summer when the house is much warmer. The kefir also ferments much quicker in the warmer temperatures. If the fermenting temperature is too warm, the kefir gets very grainy and separates, instead of a nice smooth curd. I divide the grains when they get to the size of a quarter. How to: with clean fingers (make sure there isn't any soap residue on your hands after washing them), pull them apart into 2 or 3 portions. They easily pull apart where they are the weakest. -Grainlady

Summersrhythm, Houses built before refrigeration/electricity often had an unheated room off the basement in which perishable food items were stored to keep them cold and hydrated since these cellars were humid as well as cold. Iceboxes were kept in the kitchen for perishables like fresh meat, eggs and milk to keep at hand for ready availability. Root/fruit cellars were used for storage of perishables that had a longer shelf life but needed cold, but not as cold as an icebox. Foods were stored in them such as: apples, potatoes, carrots, cabbage, winter squash, cheese, cured meats, and bad little boys...just kidding! Put a couple bushels of local, fresh picked McIntosh or Cortland apples in a root cellar at harvest time. Leave then there until they have turned fully ripe when they actually have a glow and feel like they have been rubbed with olive oil. This could be as late as December/January. They're slippery! Now, make applesauce from them, no sugar needed, just a little nutmeg and/or cinnamon. Freeze or can the sauce. You NEVER tasted a better, super healthy, more delicious applesauce in your life!