KEFIR

Jan 13

Hey there

My name is April and welcome to episode 5 of the tide creek farm podcast. Today I’m gonna chat with you about RAW MILK, specifically raw milk kefir.

Kefir --- Also known as Kephir, Is an ancient fermented cultured drink that is one of the most powerful natural probiotics in the world.

It is also often referred to as the “Champagne of yogurts,” with a slight carbonation and texture between that of a yogurt and buttermilk.

Before we get into WHAT kefir is you’ll want to know WHY this drink is amazing.

Kefir is LOADED with good bacteria AND probiotic microbes. When I say loaded I mean LOADED. Natural Yogurt which is a very common food we consume here in the US contains about 10million CFU’s per cup.

(CFU are the unit of measurement for Probiotics)

Kefir on the other hand has over 16 BILLION CFUs in the same amount.

That's like comparing Joe Rogan yearly income to Jeff Bezos. Both are still amazing but if I got to pick which one to take myself…. Well I’d be Mr. Bezo and I think along the same lines with Kefir. If I’m going to be consuming the same amount of calories I might as well make the most out of it.

BONUS Kefir also takes a lot less time, energy, and equipment to make than yogurt.

Kefir protects against infection because of the built-in antibodies. It protects against the hardening of arteries, AND there are anti-cancer effects to boot.

It requires very little effort from your body to extract the nutrition from it because it’s been predigested by the culture or what we also call grains, so this stuff is very VERY good to take when you are feeling ill, or having a hard time eating foods that provide you with enough energy.

Kefir creates a clean clear mucus that coats the lining of the digestive tract creating a safe nesting environment for beneficial bacteria to settle and colonize. So even after your body has digested the main part of the meal it will still be working in your favor for a long time afterwards.

Ok SOOO who should and shouldn’t drink kefir?

I would say everyone should at least TRY it See how you personally feel consuming it. Because of the predigestion folks who are lactose intolerant are often found to be able to enjoy kefir. So don’t let that hold you back from getting the health benefits of this drink

STILL DON’T HAVE YOU CONVINCED? That’s ok. You can make kefir with all sorts of milks, even coconut milk, and hemp milk. There are even kefir grains that work in water!!!! I’m not too versed on the subject of these but you can explore more on your own. JUST KNOW that just because raw milk kefir may not be the right thing for you, there are more ways to get some of the benefits of this great product.

SO back to who should be using kefir.

I’ve made a short list out of my studies for you. Maybe you are suffering or know of someone who is suffering from some of these ailments.

Kefir will eliminate constipation and helps to control diarrhea! In a nutshell it helps your gut realign itself and enhances digestion.
It can reduce allergies. Raw MILK alone will help immensely with allergies in children but the kefir really kicks it up a notch and has shown noticeable changes in adults too
It can help cure acne. This one I personally have experienced. I have had acne my whole life and ever since I started drinking kefir daily I have nowhere NEAR the breakouts that I use to have.
Ever had a yeast infection and had your doctor give you some pills and tell you to pick up some natural yogurt? Try kefir instead!!! That big jump in probios can really whip a yeast infection’s butt and get you back up and running faster in a natural healthy way that doesn’t just bandaid the problem, it really gets in there and beats the crap out of that extra yeast in our system.
Speaking of our system, Kefir is also known to just be a consistent support to our immune system. This is something that we all should be doing these days. It’s our responsibility to take care of our bodies and offer it the best possible fuel to keep it in tip top shape so when the time comes that we have to face an overload of viruses, bacteria, and stress we already have a badass antibody military ready to whoop some ass.
How about high blood sugar! Oh man do I ever fight with this one. After years of drinking and indulging in sugar I sit on the border of being a diabetic. BUT since I’ve been drinking kefir daily I’m now consistently below 100 on my fasting blood sugar test. Even better, I don't crave as much sugar or bread as I once did. .
When we’re able to help our bodies and deliver wholesome food to it, our overall STRESS LEVELS go down. Kefir does this for us. Not only does it help to lower your blood pressure it can help in an overall feeling of wellbeing.

That’s a lot of stuff for a little cup of fermented milk! BUT there’s MORE and LOT more!

SO why are you just now hearing about this stuff? Well even though kefir dates back thousands of years it was held a secret in the North Caucasus of Russia. Here is the story that you can find at the Raw Milk Institute’s website. I put it in the show notes for ya.

CUT FROM RAMI WEBSITE.
Russian immunologist Dr. Ilya Ilyich Metchnikoff (who received the Nobel Prize for his work on immunity in 1908) became interested in learning about the causes of the exceptional longevity of the people in the Caucasus region. He came to the conclusion that soured milk, including milk kefir, was one of the keys to longevity and well-being. Following the publication of his book, The Prolongation of Life, in 1907, the All Russian Physicians’ Society became determined to use milk kefir as a medicinal treatment for their patients.

The Blandov brothers, from a Moscow Dairy, were commissioned by the All Russian Physicians’ Society to obtain kefir grains from the tribes in the Caucasus mountains. However, the tribes refused to sell any kefir grains to the Blandov brothers. Undaunted, the brothers came up with a scheme to obtain the kefir grains: they would send a beautiful woman to the court of tribal Prince Bek-Mirza Barchorov, and with her allure she would obtain the kefir grains. Irina Sakharova, an employee of the Blandov brothers, was chosen for this important mission

Although Irina succeeded in attracting the interest of Prince Barcharov, he refused to give her any kefir grains. Irina departed from the Prince, but tribesmen were sent to capture her with the intention of forcing her to marry the Prince. The Blandov brothers mounted a rescue of Irina before the forced marriage could take place.

When Irina presented her grievance before the Czar, Prince Barcharov was ordered to make retribution to Irina. Although she was offered gold and jewels, Irina refused. She could only be compensated for what she had endured in one way: with kefir grains. The Czar ordered Prince Barcharov to give Irina 10 pounds of kefir grains!

Once the Blandov brothers had the milk kefir grains, they began making kefir for the All Russian Physicians’ Society. Kefir was used in Russian hospitals to treat a wide variety of conditions including digestive disorders, cancer, artherosclerosis, and tuberculosis [5]. Even now, kefir is routinely used for hospital patients, infants, and infirm people in Eastern Europe [7].

By the 1930’s, kefir was being produced on a large scale to meet widespread public demand in Russia. It took several decades for the commercial process of making kefir on a large scale to be perfected. Milk kefir was introduced to the western world by the 1960’s.

It’s a really cool story you should totally check it out. I put the link in the shownotes.

So for 50 years now we’ve had access to this AMAZING food and yet it still lies in secret with most people.

I’m thinking that it’s a newer food to us and most people don’t hear anything about kefir until they are sick and someone else suggests it.

The trick though is to start taking this stuff before you get sick.

SO ya wanna know how to start? DRINK raw milk KEFIR!!! EVERYDAY.

Kefir was originally made using goat skinned bags hanging in the doorway of the home but don’t worry you can make it with just a few simple tools and skip the goat and bag all together.

Watch my Kefir video on YouTube to get going. It really a simple process. You take raw milk, add this culture called grains, shake it up, put on the counter, 12-24 hours later shake it up again, strain out the grains, start the process over, and drink up the strained-out kefir.

Kefir grains are a living culture and need to be fed at least every other day unless they are being stored for the long term. It’s hard to kill um BUT they will quit working if they get too warm or run out of food. When culturing try to keep them between the temps of 65-75 degrees Fahrenheit.

NOTE: When starting to consume kefir for the 1st time you’ll need to go slow and steady.

Try taking a shot glass full 2 times a day for a week and watch how your body reacts. Really the only side effect known is mild cramping and maybe loose stool. This can be entirely avoided by starting off with small amounts and working yourself up to where you want to be. I personally consume a quart of kefir a day but I started off with 2 tablespoons.

Let me know if you have any questions about kefir or raw milk in the comments. You can also check out this blog at our website at www.tidecreekfarms.com/kefir KEFIR

The show notes are packed full of references and my favorite kefir books.

Best of luck on your kefir journey, and have an absolutely wonderful day.

YOU TUBE VIDEO CLICK HERE

To get yourself going you’ll need

2 pint jars with lids

4 cups of raw milk

1 Tablespoon of kefir grains

A slotted spoon or colander*

A funnel *

(*optional)

Start.

1: Clean all jars and utensils using hot soapy water and rinse completely.

2: Place 1 Tablespoon kefir grains into a pint jar

3: Add 1 cup of raw milk to the grains.

4: Top with lid (tighten but don’t over do it)

5: Lightly shake the jar

6: Label the jar so your partner doesn’t freak out

7: Leave on the counter out of direct sunlight, for 12 to 24 hours (the longer the thicker & tangier it will get)

Continue:

1: Shakeup the jar

2: Place funnel and colander over clean pint jar

3: Pour thicken liquid through colander and into jar (THIS IS YOUR KEFIR TO USE)

4: Return the grains to the used jar, using the funnel so they don’t lose any

5: Pour 1 cup of milk over the grain

6: Secure a lid on the jar and shake it up

7: Place on the counter out of direct sunlight

8: ENJOY YOUR KEFIR or put in refrigerator

9: Repeat every 12 to 24 hours for best results.

Making kefir is a skill that is built through trial and error. Over time you’ll find your sweet spot and know what to look for as the kefir ferments.

STOP:

If you plan on leaving and cannot take your kefir with you (which should never happen) you’ll want to use this method to slow down the fermentation.

1: Place kefir grain in a clean pint jar

2: Fill with raw milk leaving 1 inch of headroom

3: Place a clean lid on the jar

4: Put it in the back of the refrigerator.

5: One week later stain out the kefir

6: Repeat steps 1-3 in STOP.

You can also place your gains in a small container without milk and into the freezer for 3 to 6 months. But you’ll need to restart them when you are ready to start using them again.

RESTART:

It should take about 2 days and 4 cups of raw milk to get your grains up and running again.

1: Place grains in clean jar

2: Pour 1 cup of raw milk in jar

3: Cap and slightly shake.

4: Place on the counter out of direct sunlight for 12 hours.

5: Shake jar

6: Strain out the keifer and replace the grains in the jar. (the keifer you strain out is still drinkable and usable but it won’t be the really good stuff we are looking for. I usually give it to the dogs. LOL)

7: Add 1 cup of raw milk and replace the lid.

8: Shake slightly

9: Place on counter out of direct sunlight for 12 hours

10: Repeat 5-9 two more times

Now your grains are ready to START making some really good wholesome kefir.