You will find the most helpful and complete information at Dom's Kefir In-site (link below). I've been making kefir for many years and use it on a daily basis in our morning smoothie, as a substitute for buttermilk, drained and used instead of plain yogurt, sour cream and cream cheese, so it's versatile. I'll be happy to answer any questions I can. It is a healthier choice than yogurt, plus it's much easier to make than yogurt. I use the whey for many things as well, including soaking grains, for lacto-fermentation, as a refreshing drink in the summer (whey lemonade).... Along with introducing kefir and possibly other fermented (pre-digested) foods to your diet (I agree with arley about "The Art of Fermentation" by Sandor Katz), you may also want to read "Wheat Belly" by William Davis, M.D. When it was mentioned here several times I checked it out from the library and it was a real eye opener. Especially for a person who goes by the name "grainlady". You can also find clips on YouTube to give you a general idea. It's really simple to make kefir once you get started. Just keep everything clean. Scald the jars you ferment in with boiling water, as well as any spoon/strainer used to remove the grains. I have a slotted spoon I use to "fish" the grains out of the kefir. They float to the top when the milk begins to ferment, and that's how you'll know it's working. I also give the jar a swirl a few times during fermentation to keep everything well mixed, but it's not completely necessary. I never wash my grains, but you occasionally find that information. I plop them into a cup of milk in a pint jar and refrigerate it between use. I leave the pint jar at room temperature (after I take the grains out and place them in the quart jar) and there is generally more than enough good bacteria in the milk to make curds and whey, so don't waste it. The cooler the temperature, the longer it will take to ferment, but the kefir will also be smoother and less tangy. I generally ferment 2-1/2 c. milk at a time (I use powdered milk - Grandma's Country Cream non-fat dry instant - because that's what I store and use). Occasionally I'll get raw goat's milk and I'll ferment it, or if there is some heavy cream or half-and-half available, I'll add a little to the powdered milk for a richer/thicker curd. I also ferment reconstituted powdered coconut milk (Wilderness Family) and that is one of my favorites. The grains won't grow in coconut milk, so I make sure I put them back into milk for storage and will use them in milk a few times before using a portion of my grains in coconut milk. If I have an abundance of grains I will ferment some grape juice just for something different. Good luck.... -Grainlady Here is a link that might be useful: Dom's Kefir Insite

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

When you have a digestive challenge you'll find soaking or sprouting grain before consumption will aid in easier digestion. Soaking/sprouting allows enzymes, lactobacilli and other helpful organisms to break down and neutralize phytic acid. The simple practice of soaking cracked or rolled cereal grains overnight with some whey, kefir, buttermilk or yogurt added to the soaking water will not only make the grains easier to digest, but it will improve their nutritional benefits. The soak neutralizes enzyme inhibitors. During the soaking and fermenting, gluten and other difficult-to-digest proteins are partially broken down into simpler components that are more available for absorption. Oats/oatmeal may be low in the hard-to-digest gluten protein, but oats contain more phytates than almost any other grain. So if you have digestive problems, pre-soaking all grains, especially oats, would be very important. Freshly-milled whole grain flour can be made into a gruel and the gruel used as a base for a smoothie, instead of a fruit/dairy-based smoothie. You can add all kinds of things to your gruel-based smoothie. If you don't have a grain mill for this process, you can use a coffee/spice mill for milling small amounts of grain into flour (barley, brown rice, wheat, kamut, spelt, rye, etc.) and mill it as needed because FRESH IS BEST. To make 2-cups of Gruel: (source: Nourishing Traditions - by Sally Fallon and Mary G. Enig, Ph.D.) 1/2 c. freshly ground organic flour from spelt, kamut, rye, barley, wheat, rice or oats 2 c. water plus 2 T. whey, yogurt, kefir or buttermilk 1/4 t. salt Mix flour with water mixture, cover and leave at room temperature for 12-24 hours. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Add salt, reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, about 10-minutes. Let cool slightly and serve with cream or butter and a small amount of a natural sweetener, such as raw honey. ------------------------------------------------------- Add ground flax seeds (flaxmeal) for more nutrition and fiber. Flax seeds are relatively low in phytic acid and when taken in small amounts do not require soaking. Mill them in a coffee/spice mill so you have the freshest source possible, plus they are less expensive. I'd also suggest adding chia seeds or chia seed gel (chia seeds mixed with water) to this gruel smoothie for additional fiber and nutrition and the great health benefits from this simple little seed. Chia seeds are easy to add to water or other beverages. A common drink used with them is called "fresca" - 1 glass of lemonade and 1 t. chia seeds - allow to sit for 10-minutes before drinking. I realize lemonade would be too acidic, but that's an example of how to add chia seeds to your diet - in any kind of beverage - just allow to sit for 10-minutes. Another add-in that would raise fiber AND aid in digestion is High Maize Resistant Starch. We add all three of these to our morning smoothie. Add water, juice, dairy, if necessary, to make the smoothie texture. --------------------------------------------------------- Have every tried crumbling baked goods in a bowl and pouring milk over it. Lots of people crumble cornbread and top if off with buttermilk and I thought it might work for wholegrain muffins or cake. This recipe is a nice wholegrain snack cake that might work crumbled. Just omit the topping and the nuts in the recipe. BANANA CRUNCH CAKE (Source: The Quaker Oats Wholegrain Cookbook) Crunch Topping: 3/4 c. Quaker Oats (Quick or Old-Fashioned, uncooked) 2 T. butter or margarine, melted 2 T. chopped nuts 1/2 t. cinnamon Cake: 1/2 c. butter or margarine 2/3 c. firmly packed brown sugar 1 c. mashed banana 2 eggs 1 t. vanilla 1 c. ground oat flour* 3/4 c. all-purpose flour (use whole wheat or spelt flour) 1 t. salt 1 t. soda 1/2 c. chopped nuts, if desired For crunch topping, combine all ingredients; mix well. For cake, beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy; blend in banana, eggs and vanilla. Gradually add combined dry ingredients, mixing well after each addition. Stir in nuts. Pour into greased 8-inch square baking pan; sprinkle with crunch topping evenly over batter. Bake in preheated moderate oven (350-degrees F) 40 to 45 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. *How to make your own ground oat flour: 1. Place 1 to 1-1/2 c. oats in blender or food processor. 2. Blend or process for about 60 seconds Yield: about 1 cup ground oat flour 3. Store in tightly covered container in cool dry place up to six months. ------------------------------------------------------- -Grainlady

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