The link below is just one of the many on-line sources for real kefir grains. You'll find others if you do a search.

If you have a "friendly" health food store near you, you might post a message on a community board (if they have one) requesting some kefir grains.

-Grainlady

Here is a link that might be useful: Your Kefir Grains Source

Many places have laws against selling raw milk. You may have to look for raw "pet milk," which is a way that some farmers get around the law. I don't know how it is in California.

Sally

Thank you grainlady

Sally, I don't think police can do anything about private sales. But I will look for 'pet milk'.
If there are any local farmers willing to sell raw milk or "pet milk", private message me.

Raw dairy is legal in Cal. but is very hard to find sources. I heard that Henry's and Jimbo's in San Diego county carry raw milks. You can try to find a CSA (farmer's co-op) nearby. Some of those carry dairy products.

You can buy raw cheeses (including goat cheese) here: US Wellness Meats.

You can buy kefir grains here.

If regular cow dairy bothers you, you might also try grass-fed cow dairy products (and grass-fed beef). Grass-fed/finished beef is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), a proven cancer fighter, as well as vitamins A and E, branch-chain amino acids, digestive enzymes and essential nutrients that are known for their antioxidant properties.
These benefits are passed along to you. Also, pastured beef usually do not need antibiotics and growth hormones. Look for grass-finished beef - not grass-fed - grain-finished, to get these benefits.

Here are some sources of raw cow's milk:

Abundant Harvest Organics

Claravale Dairy

Organic Pastures

Be aware that many states have outlawed raw dairy products, and it may be a matter of little time before California follows suit. I hope not - we should have the freedom to eat natural foods.

Well, I'm a couple days late: Organic Pastures Milk Recalled.

Looks like we are on the road to banning all raw dairy in California. A CSA, Rawesome foods in Venice, was raided and shut down in August.

Maybe I'll have to move somewhere I can live next to farms and ranches.

Did you happen to check the Weston A. Price - "Where Can I Find Real Milk Products" link for a source for milk in your area? -Grainlady

Here is a link that might be useful: Real Milk

Thanks, I contacted some people who have kefir grains. Two people. It's around $2 to $15 to get them shipped to me. I am very eager, but willing to buy more from others on this forum who might have it.

Yes, I checked the Real Milk page but I am overwhelmed as there are so many sources and I do not know which counties/areas are near LAX. I am looking for more local sources as well. A professor of mine told me that there are many people in LA who raise goats, it's just that they do not advertise. So I will take the advice to post messages on health food stores and community board once I find it.

By the way, once I began consuming more goat milk, goat yogurt, raw goat cheese, and Lifeway kefir, people have been beginning to tell me how I my skin got better, softer, and how I somehow "changed" physically.

Hi, I have put the dehydrated milk kefir grains I have received into a cup of goat milk for 17 hours. I can smell it getting yeasty, and the bubbles form once in a while. They are in my kitchen cabinet, so they have been at room temperature for hours. I am so happy.

I heard that I should put them in fresh milk four times before beginning to drink them. But four cups of goat milk is too expensive to just throw away just because I activated kefir with them. What shall I do with them? Are they still drinkable, even if they taste bad? I am thinking of washing my face with the old milk or cooking pancakes with them.

Co-Opportunity on Broadway and 16th in Santa Monica has quarts of Stueve's Raw Goat Milk listed for sale.

I haven't been there to check it out, yet.

davimink-

Why not activate the kefir grains in regular milk since goat milk is so expensive, then switch.

BTW, when you get things going.... I "rest" my grains in the refrigerator in 1 cup of milk. When I take them out to make kefir I generally ferment 2-1/2 cups of milk in a quart jar (leaving quite a bit of headspace for the fermenting gases). But what about that 1-cup of milk the grains were resting in? I let the 1-cup of milk stand at room temperature, and there is enough good bacteria in the milk for it to make kefir even without the grains, if it's been resting for 5-days or more. I don't waste that milk either.

I usually make 2-3 consecutive batches (2-1/2 c.), and then rest my grains for up to one week. But you will find your own schedule and how much you need to ferment once your grains start to grow.

I have three kefir grains separated from my other grains I use for fermenting 1-1/2 cups of coconut milk (I use reconstituted powdered coconut milk from Wilderness Family Naturals to make coconut milk). Coconut Milk Kefir is wonderful with granola sprinkled on the top for breakfast, or as part of our morning smoothie blended with pineapple/orange juice. That's something you might try when your grains grow and you need to divide them and have extra grains.

I occasionally use a few extra grains to ferment grape juice. These grains won't continue to grow, but you can do several batches with them before they fizzle-out.

I use kefir as a substitute for buttermilk. I drain the curd to the consistency I need as a substitute for plain yogurt, sour cream or cream cheese.

Happy kefiring...

-Grainlady

Regular milk breaks me out, even though I heard fermented cow milk is okay for acne. I had mixed results with Lifeway kefir.

I drank a cup of milk that I used to 'activate' my grains, and used the rest to soak my peeled almonds (as I get reactions from almonds and realized that putting the almonds in yogurt gave me allergy-free almonds).
The milk sat in my cabinet for 24 hrs. They tasted yeasty but was tolerable with raw honey, turmeric, and vanilla goat yogurt. I feel absolutely fine and dandy even though it's been over a day. (:

I hope to get plenty of grains so I can begin making more products. And perhaps share this with my friends and teachers.

You can also mix your kefir with some kind of 100% fruit juice to make it more palatable (1 part kefir to 2 parts juice is a pretty good ratio to get started on). I use an inexpensive Hamilton Beech Malt Maker every morning for this task; plus I toss in a few other things like flaxmeal, hi-maize resistant starch, etc.... The last few mornings I've been mixing kefir with some excellent apple cider and a little cinnamon.

I soak all nuts in lightly salted water overnight, then dehydrate them until they are crispy dry. The soaking allows them to sprout, which increases the nutrition and makes them easier to digest. Check your local library for a copy of the book "Nourishing Traditions" by Sally Fallon and Mary Enig. It sounds like you would enjoy, and possibly benefit from, the techniques for food preparation found in this book.

I mill the wide assortment of grains I use for making cooked breakfast cereal and I soak them overnight in water plus whey from my kefir, or kefir itself. This way I get the highest benefits and best assimilation from the grain using this soaked grain method. That's just another place I use kefir.

-Grainlady

Oh, crust. Grainlady, I put my grains in not-so-fresh goat milk. Yesterday, I opened a new carton of (old) milk and submerged my grains 24 hours before actually tasting the milk from the carton myself. While waiting, I checked on the grains and saw that there were small curds forming at the top.

Then, when pouring milk into a bowl so I can drink, I saw that the milk straight from the carton was separating and tasting too goaty, and I thought, "This is the milk I put my grains in". I strained my grains and realized that they shrunk. They were not as full as gummy as they were. I tasted the milk that the grains were in, and it wasn't the yeasty sweet taste that I had the other night. It was bitter. I immediately bought a new carton of goat milk (which was fresh this time) and rinsed my grains in it, separating the curds from the grains and adding the latter to the new milk. I feel bad for not testing the milk before giving it to my grains.

I am not sure how my grains are doing at the moment, I heard they are supposed to be hardy so hopefully they will survive this.

Thank you, grainlady. I recently began soaking nuts. Even macademia, which I used to break out from, is better when I soak it in my milk (I drink it along with the macademia). I have no problem with walnuts, but almonds break me out. I soak my almonds from 8 to 24 hours, even longer sometimes in salt waters (and the brown coat peels off), and I still get headaches from almonds. Perhaps it is because all almonds are pasteurized to an extent.

Dave and Gina, I went to the Co-Opportunity on Broadway and 16th in Santa Monica today.

They do have raw goat's milk and cow's milk delivered about three times a week, and it sells out quickly.

Thank you petaloid, is this their site? http://www.coopportunity.com/

Unfortunately I have no car. I am still figuring out the bus system around my area.

By the way, I strained my grains. They are fatter than the time they shrunk, I think they are fine. I smelled the milk and it had that pleasantly sweet yeast smell to it (unlike my last batch where even the smell was slightly off-putting). I tasted the milk and even though it was not yeasty/sweet, it was not bitter and off putting. It was merely sour. I cooked the milk with turmeric and honey. Pleasantly sweet and sour. Hopefully I won't get sick from this.

Will adding a bit of sugar or butter into my grain milk help the grains grow? Or would it just cause the bad bacteria to take over?

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

No idea what the temperature is, but I wear a warm sweater around the house because it's cold.

The grains began to fizz yesterday after I wrote my last post. I checked on my grains and heard small noises, and realized that they were bubbling. I can hear it fizz as I lean my ear to it. It's still fizzling right now. This is so exciting!

Thanks, I'll keep your advice in mind, grainlady.

I swirl the kefir several times while it's fermenting to make sure the bacteria gets distributed throughout the milk (this is a good idea when you ferment a large amount of milk). After I swirl it I slowly open the jar lid to expel the alcohol gasses that are generated from the activity. If you open the lid quickly, it can "burp" kefir out of the jar if there's enough gasses accumulated. If you don't want the effervescence, just leave the lid on rather loosely and it will dissipate - keep it tightly closed to capture the gasses. That's why kefir is also called "Milk Champagne".

-Grainlady

I've done that too. It's hard NOT to pay attention to my kefir grains! I swirl the bottle gently to help the milk sugar distribute and feed the grains.

It is a good champagne. Hope I get enough so whenever I throw a small party or have friends over, I will have enough 'fizzy yogurt drinks' for them to try. Good thing I don't have to refridgerate kefir, as I am planning on taking them to school.

Here is my favorite simple recipe I drink with kefir at the moment.

Here is a link that might be useful: My favorite drink

I know you're making it yourself now, but I wanted to let you know that Rainbow Acres carries goat milk kefir, and also raw goat milk, which is more expensive than the same amount of kefir for some reason.