I've used all kinds of milk products (powdered whole milk, powdered non-fat dry milk, whey-based milk substitute, raw goat milk, homogenized goat milk, homogenized cow milk, low-fat, 2%, whole....) for making kefir. I've been making kefir for around 7-years. I have some fermenting on my kitchen counter as I type, and made 2-cups of it yesterday. What I find is that the lower the fat, the more whey you get, instead of curd. But whey is good too. I use the whey for making whey lemonade, which is one of the most refreshing drinks when it's hot outside. I'm on the fence when it comes to homogenized and raw milk products - even though I'm a big fan of "Nourishing Traditions". I think getting the beneficial bacteria from kefir outweighs WHAT you make it in. I didn't have a problem with raw goat milk, other than I was afraid I'd contract some horrible bacteria from the family's filthy kitchen than I was about using raw dairy products. The "odd" taste must be what they are feeding the goats. To make kefir easy-to-swallow, which even my picky hubby likes, we use it as a morning smoothie. I use a Hamilton Beach Malt-Maker for mixing. The stainless steel cup for the malt-maker has 3 markings on the side. I put kefir up to the first mark (2/3-cup), 100% fruit juice of choice (grape, orange, pomegranate/blueberry is a favorite....and the strong flavor of it would probably mask any "farm" flavor of the goat milk), to the top mark (about 1-1/3-cup - so a 1:2 ratio (or to taste). We also add flaxmeal and a supplement powder, and give it a whirr... If that doesn't work, how about making water kefir - which takes different kefir grains than dairy kefir? Or fermenting fruit juice with the kefir grains? How about taking the drained kefir cheese and adding strong flavors (spices, onion, horseradish) and making a vegetable dip out of it. Mix kefir cheese with guacamole.... Go to Dom's Kefir Insite for more information. -Grainlady Here is a link that might be useful: Fermented Treasures

Ohhh, I was just going to use that crust from Ohiomom's cranberry-pear pie...it was so good! Now I am thinking that ginger snap crust sounds too good to pass up!! Alas, I'm just not that hungry today so I am going to make the pie tomorrow. Maybe that will give me time to find a good crust recipe and to chill it...mmm, I did go out and buy ground ginger for those gingerbread men last week...so I'm ready for trying a new crust! Wheeeeeeeeee, this is fun!

Hi Sara, Wouldn't the goat's milk cloud your M&P?

You need real milk kefir grains to make REAL kefir at home, OR, the not-so-real powdered kefir starter which has little to do with real kefir grains - the powdered starters contain only a few of the good bacteria that makes kefir. Only real grains can be used over and over. These grains (which look like little gelatinous cauliflowers) will grow, and you divide them when they get about the size of a quarter, so you should have a never-ending source of them for life. Mine are about 15-years old and still going strong. The commercial product you purchased from the store isn't going to work because it probably has a sweetener and/or other ingredients. Homemade kefir is plain, not sweetened and flavored like the stuff from the store. You can add sweeteners and flavors after it's fermented, but not while the grains are in the milk. As an alternative to making kefir, you can use plain yogurt (I'd suggest Stonyfield Farm Yogurt because it not only contains the 2 strains of bacteria in most yogurt products, Stonyfield has 6 varieties of live, active cultures) and make goat yogurt. Keep in mind, yogurt and kefir are worlds apart. Kefir (made with real kefir grains) is actually much better for you than yogurt. Kefir has a smaller curd than yogurt, so it's easier to digest, especially for children. Yogurt is more difficult to make than kefir, when it comes to scalding the milk, the temperature window for adding the starter/culture, and the temperature for incubation. When making kefir I add 2 to 2-1/2 cups of milk (from a number of sources, including goat milk, but I mostly use powdered milk and coconut milk - also powdered and rehydrated) to a quart jar (usually cold from the refrigerator)and add kefir grains. Place a plastic lid on the jar and allow to ferment for 12-24 hours (the ambient temperature will determine how long - warmer temperatures ferment faster). That's it! After it's fermented, I remove the grains and either start another batch or rest them in 1-cup of milk in the refrigerator in a pint jar with a lid on tight until needed. I use kefir as a substitute for buttermilk, sour cream, cream cheese, and plain yogurt. I can drain the whey from the curd and make "cheese" like making yogurt cheese. Just drain it to the consistency you need. Once you have shaken or stirred the kefir curd, it will quickly become a liquid and you will have to use it as a liquid. It won't get thick again. The curd is more delicate than yogurt, plus, most commercial yogurt products, and some homemade recipes, include thickeners. Try to find some kefir grains from a person who already has them in use. If you can't find them, purchase them through Cultures for Health (http://www.culturesforhealth.com/). You will also find a wealth of information on the subject at the web site. Last point..... If you decide to purchase powdered kefir starter (which is how I first made kefir before locating real grains), you can save back 1/4-1/2 cup of the batch of kefir to culture another quart of milk. But since it's not real kefir grains, you can only do that for 2-3 quarts, but at least you get more bang-for-your-buck if using the powdered starter.