Too Active!

[kagy]

Wow! A couple of days since receiving my new kefir from Yemoos, the first batch was as I expected, and the second was quite good. But the third, and now the forth batches are nearly all kefir culture with a bit of whey. In fact I did two jars last night, about eight hours apart. 24 hours after the first jar was initiated, I looked at them both, and both were almost solid kefir culture!

I know about using too much culture, so try to use about a tablespoon for each cup of milk, and am adding two cups milk to each jar.

What I'd like to end up with is a milk-type consistency. Is this what I'm shooting for? I'm not too fond of eating the culture. And drinking whey is too sour. I suppose I can bottle much earlier, but why is my culture so active? It's winter!

[AlexP]

Once milk kefir gets really active, 1 tablespoon can ferment about 4 cups of milk. So you may need to use less grains or more milk. Most people like to end up with kefir thats a little thicker than milk with a little whey, but not too much whey. Mix it all together after you strain and it should come out quite nicely. If its still too active for you, try fermenting for 2 or 3 days at room temperature once in a while. It will help calm the yeast.

Alex

[kagy]

Thanks Alex. With a bit of practice I've discovered that this culture requires some close watching and precise timing - for me, anyway! In my kitchen, it goes from the phase where it is still liquid, with some grains floating on top, to a relative solid, in the blink of an eye! That's when I like to strain it, right at that point. Much longer and it develops too much whey for my taste.