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

marita...my understanding of what you should receive when you purchase the grains online is a dried product that takes approx 7 days to fully rejuvenate. There are exact inst. on the net for how to reconstitute dry grains. I haven't heard of anyone sending out wet/slime grains :) There are no grains per se in my kefir since the weather has gotten cooler. But...today just to help out with your research I let a jar of kefir set out in a warmer place and it has indeed formed a large mass of grains floating on a bunch of clear whey. So it is indeed temp related. I had another jar of fresh milk and 2 tsp of grains sitting in a cool place in the kitchen since this AM and it has become my usual jar of soft yogurty type stuff with no separation and it is ready to go into the fridge to be used in a smoothy in the AM. All temp and time related. As I said...at cool temps it is highly unlikely that you are going to get any distinct grains/curds. It will all be soft cheesy stuff. If I were to put mine in a strainer most of it would stay in the strainer just as yogurt does. When it was hotter weather it drained out a lot of white and clear together and left drier distinct curds...again it is all temp related. I would not give up on what you have. It tastes pleasant...it smells pleasant. When the temps change so will your kefir. I hope you cont. to enjoy. I have now shared my grains and they are living in Montgomery AL and Lexington VA !! It is a wondrous process. c Oh..ps about resting the grains. I take 2 tsp every AM of the current kefir that I am going to eat and place it in a jar of fresh cold 2 % milk and leave it in a cool place for 12 hrs and then place it in the fridge over night...Next AM take out 2 tsp and place in cold milk and leave out....then in fridge and repeat. As far as rest...well they are in new milk every day and they are at a pretty cool temp and the source has been in the fridge all night fully fermented but very cool and waiting /resting. As my grains seem so happy I am not going to change anything. If your grains are happy and taste good I would say " yes" to the process you are following.

Oh, my, what a challenge you have ahead! It sounds like you may be headed in a positive direction - let's hope so..... --You may find potential problems with real kefir grains as well, which is what I use, since it's a "natural" food. Check with your physician/s - although it's unlikely they know anything about real kefir grains and will assume the worst without any real information on the subject. You can read more (and more, and more.....;-) at Dom's Kefir Insite at the link below. There is a Nutritional and Chemical Composition chart at Dom's web site: http://users.sa.chariot.net.au/~dna/kefir-composition.htm --I consider commercial kefir products/drinks little more than "junk food" which has little in common with the real thing - other than the name). Real kefir grains also have more strains of bacteria and work in a synergy that can't be duplicated in commercial food production where only certain strains are added. There are probably things in real kefir grains not yet identified scientifically for how it works. For generations, kefir grains were shared from one person to the next, instead of being commercialized like yogurt was, because it's more than just a few strains of bacteria. --Be sure to start slowly because the whey in homemade kefir can have a cleansing effect. --Yogourmet Kefir Starter (powder) has a few strains of bacteria and that may be another option for you and will certainly help keep the cost down over the commercial product. You can use 1/4-1/3 cup from the first batch (and consecutive batches) to use as a starter for another batch. You can usually get 3-4 quarts from one packet of the kefir starter using this method. These laboratory-developed bacteria die out and you need to renew it periodically, while real kefir grains continue to grow and make more grains. Yogurmet Kefir Starter was how I got started with kefir until I found a source for real grains. --Kefir is much easier to make than yogurt, and even more important, it's much better for you and easier to digest than yogurt. The curd is smaller and more delicate than yogurt curds, but there are many other reasons kefir is superior to yogurt. To make kefir: Place the gelatinous "grains" (which look a little like small cauliflowers and are the source for bacteria) into milk (or coconut milk for a nice treat occasionally) - you can also get water kefir grains (see: Cultures For Health - http://www.culturesforhealth.com/). I use 2-3 cups milk in a quart jar (you need to leave some head-space for the fermenting gases), 1/4-1/3 c. grains, put the plastic lid on tightly (which increases the effervescence) and ferment 12-24-hours. Less time when the ambient temperature is warm, and more time when the ambient temperature is cooler - or until it's the consistency you like/want. I personally prefer the long, cool fermentation in the cooler months, but I make it all year. I've used my grains for over 10-years and they continue to grow and make more because it's a living food. When they reach about the size of a quarter, I pull them apart into 2-3 pieces. I make 1-2 quarts per week: -consume some daily in our morning smoothie -use the liquid kefir as a substitute for buttermilk -use the whey from drained kefir curd in lemonade or limeade + water or coconut water, and maybe some chia seeds (better for you than sports drinks, quenching thirst and replacing electrolites) -use the drained curd as a substitute for plain yogurt, sour cream or cream cheese --You may want to switch to PLAIN Stonyfield Farm Yogurt because they use six live, active cultures in their yogurt, while others only use two strains. When I make yogurt, which isn't very often these days since using kefir grains, I use plain whole milk Stonyfield Farm Yogurt as the starter because of the additional strains of bacteria in it. I'll place 1-T. in each space of an ice cube tray and freeze it, pop the yogurt "cubes" out of the tray and store them in the freezer to use when I make yogurt (thaw overnight in the refrigerator before using as a starter for homemade yogurt). I usually use 3 T. yogurt for 1-quart liquid. So you can make your own yogurt using Stonyfield Farm Yogurt as the starter to save money. --Another source for good bacteria is in other live-cultured and lacto-fermented foods like sauerkraut (and other fermented fruits/vegetables). Make your own. Don't kill the bacteria in fermented by heat processing it by canning it. It's best eaten fresh and raw. Freeze it if you can't get it used in 2-3 weeks. --Don't forget to add PREbiotics to your diet. "While probiotic-foods contain live bacteria, prebiotic foods feed the good bacteria already living in your digestive system. You can find prebiotics in foods such as asparagus, Jerusalem artichokes, bananas, oatmeal, red wine, honey, maple syrup, and legumes. Consider eating prebiotic foods on their own or with probiotic foods to perhaps give the probiotics a boost." I add 100% pure Inulin Powder (NOW brand) to beverages, foods and baked goods as a prebiotic that helps stimulate the growth of friendly intestinal bacteria. --I'd also suggest sprouting legumes to help make them easier to digest. Pre-digested foods make a lot of sense after a coarse of destructive antibiotics. Some sources for more information: Wild Fermentation - by Sandor Ellix Katz http://www.wildfermentation.com/ Jordan Rubin - Garden of Life (supplements & information) http://www.healthfoodemporium.com/garden-of-life/jordan-rubin.php -Grainlady Here is a link that might be useful: Dom's Kefir Insite

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