Large Grains

[Pielcafe]

I recently received 2 large 1" grains from a friend and have put them in a large mason jar, 1/2 filled with milk. Now I wait. However, I heard I can make the large grains smaller which will help things along. How do I do that? Cut them in 1/2?

Also, since tonight will officially be 24 hours of my first jar, can I strain in a cheese cloth? Will it make yogurt? Cheese? When I use a regular strainer do I shake up the clear and milky parts together and drink? Does it need to be refrigerated and how long will it be good for?

Are there good kefir recipe sites?

I'm a newbie so apologies for all the questions. Just excited to try this all out!

[aryaya]

Yup! Just cut them with scissors - you can cut them down as small as you like. I did that once when they were all ribbony and weird to help them out.

So when you strain the kefir you can drink it like that (all parts mixed except the grains of course), or you have to use something very very fine (like tons of layers of cheesecloth, or a coffee filter) if you want to achieve something thicker like cream cheese - and it will taste stronger too.

You want to fridge your kefir. You can do your kefir cheese in the fridge too if you want it more mild. It is good indefinitely but the flavor is best within a week.

Try pinterest or yemoos for kefir recipes, or youtube!