• It’s high in protein, b12, niacin, calcium, vitamin K2, biotin, active enzymes, and folic acid
• The longer you ferment, the tangier the taste and the more folic acid you get
• Colonizes your gut, which is important because when you stop eating yogurt, the benefits stop, too…whereas with kefir, the good bacteria is still there!
• Boosts the immune system
• Inhibits growth of certain tumors
• Antimicrobial, which helps prevent gastrointestinal disorders and infections
• Soothing to the gut lining because of lactic acid 

While store-bought kefir boasts 10 strains of bacteria plus two of their own exclusive probiotics per cup, homemade gives you 30+ live and active cultures! I say 30+ because fewer than half of the microbes involved are known or named, according to the book The Art of Fermentation.

Ingredients:

 1 tbsp kefir grains

2 cups milk, preferably non-homogenized

What You’ll Need:

Glass Jar 

Colander/Strainer

Large Bowl, just big enough for strainer to fit on–I prefer one with a lip so it can pour

Bottles or glass jars to store kefir in

Funnel

Towel or Flour Sack

Rubberband

Wooden Spoon

Directions:

1. Place kefir grains in glass jar, covering with milk
2. Cover glass jar with a towel or flour sack, securing with a rubber band
3. Set on counter for 12-24 hours (the warmer the temperature, the less time it takes). Once the milk has kind of curdled on top and smells kind of sweet, it’s ready
4. Remove lid and stir gently with a wooden spoon, until it’s just mixed together
5. Pour contents into colander that’s fitted over a bowl. You’ll have to push the grains around to get all the kefir milk to go through the strainer
6. Fit the funnel over your bottle, and pour the kefir into the bottles. Cap and store in the fridge
7. The kefir grains can be placed back into the larger jar, covered with milk and started again. There’s no need to rinse the grains!

You can enjoy kefir in smoothies, plain, over cereal, and in place of yogurt in recipes. It’s a tangy, acquired taste, but so good for you! I don’t normally sweeten mine…except for adding some pureed fruit once in a while! During the warmer months, I’m literally changing the milk morning and night. If you want to slow down the production of kefir, you can put it in the fridge. Don’t wait too long though, or your grains will starve and die. Boo:(

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