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

In response to the original poster's statement: you do not *need* an enormous amount of protein to start your day. In fact, one does not require a large amount of protein per day at all. Rather, this is a gross exaggeration on the part of various "how to get fit" diet books. What you need to kick start your day is a lot of vitamins and micronutrients with some good sugars. To do this, I usually mix about 1/3 of a pineapple with 1/2 a mango in some orange juice, then embellish with a variety of other fruits or berries such as banana, cranberry, strawberry, raspberry, blueberry, kiwi, or really any fruit that would taste good with the pineapple/mango base. The fruits are a good kick start (especially the banana and pineapple) because they are natural "feel good" fruits that contain a little bit of caffeine (*dramatically* less than in coffee, and far far less than even in green tea, but present and functional!). They will literally make you feel awake, aware, and alert. If you are a busy-body and don't get around to lunch often, it's important to add some healthy fats in with this shake either in the form of a splash of olive oil, or more ideally, a heaped tablespoon of coconut milk (preferably with no preservatives, but that's a rare find these days). Mix this all up in a blender until smooth (or you could eat it all raw, but that takes a long time and you're looking for a quick fix). "But what about protein?" Well, first of all, fruit has more protein per calorie than meat or beans do. That's because a lot of what's in a fruit is water or calorie-free minerals and the like. As such, your body is packing on fewer pounds per unit of protein it is extracting. Secondly, you don't WANT a bunch of *excess* protein, because this negatively impacts your overall health and has been linked with heart disease, early stage diabetes, and a variety of dermatological pathologies, most notably acne and cellulite. Moreover, you can add a raw egg yolk or two (be sure to mix the min with a fork rather than the blender as the friction with the blades is sufficient to cause heat denaturation of the fragile amino acids in an egg yolk) to your drink. Egg yolks are loaded with natural amino acids as well as good HEALTHY cholesterol (as opposed to 7-ketocholesterol). On days when I do not work out and have a light schedule, I have found that this one meal keeps me full for basically the full day without making me feel bloated or 'stuffed.' For a creamy alternative to coconut milk or olive oil, try peeling and pitting an avocado and sticking it in with all the other fruit. It sounds gross, probably, since avocados have such a thick texture on their own, but blended in with fruit it makes the whole smoothie taste like you added a shot of cream or ice cream to thicken it, and is one of the most pleasant add-ons to a recipe I've ever tried! In closing, let me say that I have drawn all this information from an authoritative source which is available online at www.freeacnebook.com. The first link on the page takes you directly to the book which is a few hundred pages of information about dermatopathologies and their link to diet as well as an explanation of why the diet this book recommends will work. It is well-researched, and cites all the major assertions the author makes. As a research biologist, I loved that this work cited its sources, since many diets are content to say "The FDA said so," and leave it at that! Finally, I have been on this diet for around 2/3 of a year and have lost 60 pounds (I'm convinced I would have lost more if I had been more overweight, but I'm now at an ideal weight for my height, build, age, etc.). More importantly, my level of energy has increased, my attention span (which was not bad to begin with) has improved, my IQ is measurably higher, and I feel more alert and oriented than I ever have in my life. I should note that when I was younger I was an athlete, and I feel more fit than I did as an NCAA division 1 rower. As such, I can't see any draw backs to this diet, as it has done nothing but make me healthier, happier, and keener. It's done the same for friends and family who have tried it. Up to you what you want to do with it, but either way I applaud you on your decision to eschew grains or dairy as they are addictive, noxious substances that cause you to eat 10% extra calories, resulting in obesity or chronic health conditions. Sincerely, Dave Stratton

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

I don't think it's any less complicated, just another choice. I only use powdered milk and whey-based milk substitute products (since 1981) for drinking/cooking/baking and regularly make kefir with real kefir milk grains and powdered milk. The product I prefer using is Grandma's Country Cream non-fat dry milk (http://grandmascountryfoods.com/CountryCreamPowderedMilk/), which I purchase by the 25# bucket. For 25-years I made LOTS of yogurt using powdered milk products, but since making kefir, I only make yogurt a few times a year (at most) since kefir is better for you and is so much easier to make, and doesn't require special temperature controls and equipment. My "recipe": In a 1-quart jar add 2 cups of water and 4-5 tablespoons Grandma's Country Cream (add 1/8-1/4-cup half-and-half, if using it). Add lid and shake to mix. Add 1/4 to 1/3 c. milk kefir grains. Ferment to thickness desired. I've been using the same grains for somewhere around 13\-14\-years using powdered milk products. I generally make 1\-2 quarts a week since it's used in our daily breakfast smoothie, and kefir is also my substitute for buttermilk, cream cheese, sour cream, or plain yogurt. If I happen to have some half and half in the house, I'll add a little to the reconstituted powdered milk because the grains seem to get a little more active if there is some fat in the milk, at least occasionally. If I have PEAK or NIDO (whole milk powdered milk) in the house I might add some of it. What I've found beneficial is to use double\-strength milk (about twice as much powdered) so you have enough milk solids to create a nice thick curd. Otherwise you get a lot more whey than curd. When it comes to making yogurt, I'll add some unflavored gelatin to the mixture, and once again, use double\-strength powdered milk for more milk solids as an option (you can play around with the milk strength until you get the consistency you like). Other things you can add to make yogurt along with reconstituted powdered milk is canned evaporated milk. Adding powdered milk and/or gelatin is often used when using a low\-fat or fat\-free milk to increase the firmness of the texture, otherwise you will get a very soft curd. I'd also suggest a copy of "Cookin' With Powdered Milk" by Peggy Layton. Here's her recipe.... YOGURT FROM INSTANT MILK 2 c. powdered INSTANT milk 2 T. plain yogurt 3 c. lukewarm water Blend all ingredients in blender. Place in a bowl in a warm area (preferably 110\-120\-degrees F). Let stand undisturbed until set. The cooler the temperature the longer it takes to set. At 120\-degrees it can take about 4\-hours. Chill immediately. It will refrigerate for up to 4\-weeks. \[She also has a recipe using NON\-instant powdered milk if you use that.\] I purchase powdered coconut milk from Wilderness Family Naturals - http://www.wildernessfamilynaturals.com/category/coconut-products-milk-powder.php - and make coconut milk kefir with reconstituted powdered coconut milk using milk kefir grains. Really YUMMY stuff..... :-) I rest the milk kefir grains in reconstituted powdered cow's milk between uses in coconut milk. -Grainlady