Making Homemade Kefir
Last month, I shared a bit about my first couple of weeks on the Carnivore Diet. And I am still at it, except that I’m now technically “animal-based.” That is to say, I will include just a bit of honey and fruit as well. If you watched me eat 97% of the time, though, you’d just assume that the only food products I like come from cows.
Having red meat at every meal is really hard to complain about, and any cravings for sugar or processed foods are largely gone. That alone feels like a huge win in a Western world where most people (yes, I suspect most) are addicted to sugar (if you think you might not be, try giving up all sugar for 30 days and you’ll find out if you are). I’m also noticing that I’m a lot less likely to reach for a glass of bourbon (my one indulgence, besides coffee) these days.
That said, I knew something was missing. My diet has mostly been red meat, organs (primarily liver, bone marrow, and bone broth), eggs, and raw dairy. I remembered listening to a Huberman Lab podcast a while back on gut health, however, and hearing about the importance of fermented foods.
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It turns out, according to a study that Huberman cites, the diversity of gut microbiota is minimally influenced by dietary fiber (which many people assume is essential for overall health). Instead, the research indicates that a diet rich in fermented foods moves the needle far more on this front.
I’d forgotten about this nugget of information until I heard Dr. Paul Saladino talking on his podcast about kefir. If you aren’t familiar, kefir (I pronounce it KUH-fear, but I’ve also heard it pronounced KEE-fur and KEH-fur) is fermented milk. Because of the live cultures kefir contains, it is an amazing dietary addition for gut health.
The only problem is that kefir from the grocery store is made with pasteurized milk. There is nothing inherently wrong with pasteurized dairy products, but you lose the vast majority of the nutritional value. You can see the difference clearly:
So, ever the experimenter, I decided to figure out how to make my own kefir with raw goat milk that I get from a nearby farm.
Turns out, getting ahold of kefir grains is very easy. I ordered some on Amazon, as well as the Kefirko starter kit. If I were to do it over, I’d probably just get these Kefir Caps for my existing Mason jars to keep it simple. Here’s how it works.
“Reviving” Kefir Grains
I don’t fully understand how science behind this, but I guess when the kefir grains are sent to you, they are in some kind of dormant state. It is your job to “revive” them.
This process involves soaking the grains in milk (just as you would when actually making kefir) for a period of time. I chose to use pasteurized whole milk from the grocery store for this process so I wasn’t wasting my more expensive raw milk.
The suggested time for reviving the grains is 36 hours at room temperature. The instructions also indicated that this process may need to be repeated up to four times, which I did. That determination is based on how much of the milk is being fermented. Ultimately, you want all of it to ferment, and it will begin to do so more quickly with each round.
The Active Period
The first step to actually making kefir is nearly identical to reviving the grains. I put two cups of raw goat milk and one tablespoon of kefir grains into the Kefirko.
I left the jar out on the counter to ferment with a small crack in the top for airflow. Our kitchen is usually about 71º, so just about perfect for this process.
I checked in after 24 hours and, unsurprisingly, it didn’t smell very good. But as I understand it, that is just how making kefir goes. Fermented milk just has a tangy sort of pungent smell.
The Second Ferment
Once the first fermentation is finished, you have options: you can drink it straight away or you can do a “second ferment.” The second ferment simply involves removing the kefir from the grains and storing it in the refrigerator for another 24 hours. I’m not clear at a molecular level what is happening at this point. I’m just trusting the process.
The Kefirko makes it pretty easy to strain out the kefir while keeping the grains in the jar. I put the kefir into the fridge and let it go.
First Tasting
The following day, I opened up my first jar of homemade kefir. I’ve had store-bought kefir before and the most noticeable difference is the smell. Plain kefir from the grocery store smells somewhere between nothing at all and plain yogurt.
Homemade kefir, on the other hand, smells a bit… sour. Not exactly what I want to smell in my dairy products. That said, I’ve read enough now to know that this is pretty normal, especially after 48 hours of fermentation time.
The other difference is that my kefir was a lot more liquidy than store-bought kefir I’d had before. I thought that was a user error, but turns out that goat’s milk can yield a more liquid product. I’d only ever had cow kefir, so I think I’m good there, too.
The hard part about my first tasting is that I don’t really know what homemade kefir is supposed to taste like. I do know, based on my research, that it will probably test less smooth and uniform than store-bought kefir.
First impressions from my first batch were: “Hm. This really isn’t bad, but I sure hope this is what homemade kefir is supposed to taste like. Otherwise, I’m going to be very sick tonight.”
I’d probably describe the taste as “a bit tart, and a little sour” but certainly nothing repulsive.
Final Thoughts
Considering I’ve been making daily homemade kefir for about two weeks now, and I haven’t gotten sick, I think it’s fair to say I’ve about figured it out.
I only make about a cup of kefir in each batch. I take a swig at lunchtime to help with digestion, and then finish it after dinner. Then I put the new kefir, which has been fermenting on the counter, in the fridge to be used the next day. All in, I’m probably spending five minutes a day making this. Not a bad tradeoff for much improved gut health.
I plan on making homemade kefir for the foreseeable future. It’s easy, tastes good enough, and is a cool way to incorporate fermented foods into my diet.
Have you ever had or made kefir? Any suggestions for making this better? Send me your thoughts at michael@theothermichaeljordan.com. I hope to hear from you.
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