Multiplying grains

[mac]

I've had my grains for 12 days and I have an entire quart jar full of kefir grains right now. They seem to be multiplying rapidly. I used Yemoos special sugar blend for the first two batches and have since been using organic white cane sugar. Is this type of growth normal and can I slow it down any?

[AlexP]

It sounds like your grains are happy. Water kefir grain growth can vary greatly. Sometimes they grow like crazy and then suddenly slow down. I've noticed that many times with a environmental change they can grow rapidly and then slow down. If you are using just white cane sugar right now, I would expect them to slow down very soon and possibly completely stop. You may want to add some mineral support (such as molasses or a nutrient rich sugar) soon to keep them going. Usually the best ferments are ones with fast growth, so you generally don't want to purposely slow it down. You can always store the grains as backup, share the grains, eat them, give them to dogs or chickens or even compost them.

Alex