Congratulations, and welcome to the world of kefir!!! The kind of milk you use is up to you. The grains I received were from a gal who's family ran a large dairy in Eastern Kansas, so they were grains that had only been used in raw milk. Since I do home food storage (I haven't purchased liquid commercial milk from a grocery store since 1981), I use reconstituted powdered milk - and have all the years I've made kefir (over a decade). No transition period.... Occasionally I'll have some 1/2 & 1/2 or whipping cream on hand and I'll add a little of it to the milk for a richer/thicker curd. I can also get a thicker curd by using more milk powder, but I think the grains "like" the additional fat provided by the 1/2 & 1/2 and whipping cream occasionally. I also use reconstituted powdered coconut milk for coconut kefir (you can also used canned coconut milk or make your own with unsweetened coconut and water - blended and strained). Occasionally when I get extra grains I'll make a batch or two with cider or 100% grape juice - but the grains don't thrive more than a few non-milk batches. I've also made it with raw goats milk, but not very often. It's not budget-friendly. Kefir can have a cleansing effect and your body will let you know how much is "enough", or too much. We only consume 2 servings of dairy each day, and the morning kefir counts as one of them. I use it in a smoothie-type mixture every morning. I also use it as a substitute for buttermilk in cooking/baking. Drain the curd and it's my substitute for plain yogurt, cream cheese, and sour cream - as needed. Where you will notice a difference in taste is when the temperature fluctuates. I personally prefer the more mild-tasting kefir fermented in cool winter temperatures (ambient temperature in our kitchen doesn't usually get above 64-degrees F in the winter), compared to the more sour/tart kefir made when the temperature is much warmer, but I use it all year and make it about every 4-5 days. It your kefir gets "gritty", that means the temperature is too warm for fermenting. The warmer the temperature, the faster it ferments. Sometimes in as little as 9-12-hours. My favorite is coconut milk kefir, but I only make it once a month, or so. It makes a nice add-in to orange or pineapple/orange juice, or used in desserts, and great topped with granola for breakfast or a snack. -Grainlady

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

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

I used to drink water kefir. I totally quit sugar so gave my grains away. They did help my husband with his digestion after his surgery to remove part of his pancreas. They make a delicious fizzy drink. You can add fruit juice to it. Like making your home grown soda pop. It really is delicious. After the water kefir is done working and you strain the grains out to do another batch just add some cranberry juice or apple juice to the strained out juice. You need to use unrefined sugars in it. it is supposed to eat up all the sugar but I just felt it did not and was really so sweet some thing had to be making it sweet. The grains are more clear than the milk kefir grains. Give it a try. I also used to just eat some of the grains instead of drinking the juice. Trying to avoid the sugar.