Our family has had issues with dairy and I have a few children that are allergic so I am sure it has something to do with that so I let my grains die and didn't continue taking them.
A few months ago, I had a friend tell me she was doing water kefir. I had never heard of that and so she shared with me how she does it and told me that she really likes it.
She gave me a jar of grains and I started making my own Kefir water.
Kefir is a fermented drink similar to Rejuvelac using barley or wheat. It is a way to get your friendly bacteria back into your system similar to what is in yogurt but without the wheat or dairy that rejuvelac and dairy kefir use. If you have grain allergies, I wouldn't suggest rejuvelac. I have made it many times and I think it does help but I don't do well with wheat so I usually use barley when I make it.
It tastes similar to the kefir but is a bit more work in my opinion and costs more as you need to get organic grains to make it and then after the grains are used, you need more. The only thing you need for the water kefir is a sugar of some type, even fruit juice would work.
If you want grains, visit your local health food store and I am sure they would be able to help you find some live grains. If not, you can buy them online for about $8. I just keep mine in the back of the fridge and pull them out every week or two and let them grow. They are a bit sluggish if they have been too cold or have been sitting without something to feed on for awhile so I have had to let them ferment for up to four days on the first batch.
The nice thing is that you can grow more and share those you have with others as needed.
I make mine fairly simple. I use a 1/2 gallon to a gallon size jar and pour about 1/3 cup sugar into the bottom of the jar. If I am using more grains, I will add more sugar. I put about a cup of hot water in the jar as well and let the sugar melt. Once it has melted into the water, I fill the jar up making the water about room temperature. If the water is too hot, it will kill the grains and if it is too cold, they won't grow until it is warmer so I would er on the side of too cold rather than too warm with the water.
Once the jar is full and the water is cool, pour your grains into the water. Cover the jar with cheese cloth. This keeps bugs out as it starts to ferment, it can attract fruit flies or moths. Let it ferment for two to three days. It should smell a little sour like bok choy, rejuvelac etc. It should always be clear and the grains are a clear to milky look but the water remains clear.
If it isn't fermenting enough, perhaps there isn't enough food (sugar) in the mix and you can add some dissolved sugar or some fruit juice to help it ferment more if needed.
Once it is fermented, pour it through the cheesecloth into a pitcher. Put the grains into more room temp sugar water if you want more drink or you can store them in a jar in the fridge. They need to be fed somewhat regularly so if you don't plan on making a drink for a few weeks, take them out and let them ferment on some sugar water for a few days just to keep them alive.
With the pitcher of fermented drink, I don't like to drink it straight so I add some tea bags. I have tried many different flavors and I have liked them all. The fermentation gives it a carbonated taste. The tea helps sweeten it more like an iced tea taste. I like the self plunging pitchers as I can place the tea bag at the bottom under the plunger and then pour in the kefir water and then I can just plunge it up and down before I pour a glass to get the benefits of the tea, otherwise, the tea flavor and benefits would be sitting at the bottom of the pitcher and I bet the flavor wouldn't be as good.
The pitchers can be purchased online or at survival stores as they usually sell them to mix powdered milk. I remove all strings and tabs off the tea bags. You could use a tea ball but I don't think you would want to keep that in the pitcher for a few days as I do the tea bags. Two tea bags flavors 1/2 gallon pitcher just fine.
I drink about an 8 oz glass a day and enjoy it more than I thought I would. I sometimes almost crave it. I have craved rejuvelac at times as well. I think my body knows it needs those helpful bacteria and there aren't many non-dairy ways to get it.
You can experiment with juices and more or less sugar. I don't do well on straight sugar so I tend to go less on that but you could try any sweet source, agave, honey, maple syrup etc and see how each works for you. Every person handles things differently so figure out what works best for you and try getting yourself some healthy bacteria going in your diet.Bok Choy is something I enjoy but when I tried to make it myself, it started molding so I think the instructions I used weren't the best. They made it sound so easy but I end up buying mine. I really like the spicy flavor of it and perhaps I will gain some courage to try and make it again.
I have a video that I share basically that same information as in the blog but here is the link to that on youtube.
Here is what the grains look like in the jar I keep in the fridge. They are milky but clear in color. They float up and down in the water as they grow but mostly stay on the bottom or top. They multiply each time you use them and I shared some with my sister a month or two ago and now I have a full jar again.
The longer they stay in the fridge, the longer you will need to ferment them and let them get strong and they may need a little more sugar the first time you ferment them after storing them for a long time.
If you have never tried any type of fermentation for healthy stomach bacteria before, I suggest you try Bok Choy as the cabbage is supposed to be healthy for your guts as well and you can purchase it at the grocery store in the produce isle usually. If you don't like that, you can make your own yogurt. Princess one used to make her own yogurt often. I tried it once and it came out like cheese but I didn't give it a second try. It is much healthier when you make it yourself and you can even use your powdered milk that way. You can add natural sweeteners other than sugar and also fruit that is fresh versus the yogurt you purchase with lots of sugar and bottled fruit etc.
My sister uses stevia and agave along with fig sugars to sweeten hers. I will have to do a post on that. We spend lots on yogurt each week so making our own would be good. I have never been a big yogurt eater as I tried the strong Greek yogurt when I was little and it wasn't until I was in Jr. High that I tried Yoplait with its large amounts of sugar that I started to like yogurt. That is probably why I haven't enjoyed making my own. I would probably have to add a cup of sugar to it for me to enjoy it. I'll have to give it a go and let you know.
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