A few weeks ago on Intstagram I shared that I have been making my own almond milk kefir and a few people asked me to write a post about how I make it.
I am a fan of eating probiotics because they do wonders for you gut. A few months ago I tried adding dairy based lactose-free kefir in to my diet and to be honest it constipated me in the worst way. Because of that I began to research dairy-free kefir alternatives and came across The Cultured Food Life blog which is a wealth of information.
I was and still am shocked at how easy it is to make kefir if you follow a few key steps and avoid using anything metal. When I first started making kefir my results were hit and miss and I couldn’t figure out why until I realized that I was either stirring the mixture with one of my metal chopsticks or using mason jars with metal lids…I later learned that using metal is a no no because the kefir culture reacts poorly to it.
In order to avoid metal lids I ordered THESE jars from The Jar Store (such good prices) and haven’t had a problem since, though I will say that pouring the kefir out of these jars can be a little messy (live and learn).
METHOD
(IMAGE 1) Pour 4 cups non-dairy milk (I use almond milk) into your glass vessel along with 1 packet of freeze dried Kefir starter (like THIS one) and 1 tsp of sugar. Since we are not using dairy based milk that contains sugars, you need to add some, but don’t worry about any extra carbs because the culture will eat the sugar. Stir using a wooden or plastic spoon.
(IMAGE 2) Place the lid on the vessel and allow it to sit on the counter for 12-24 hours until it looks like image 2. How long it takes for the kefir to mature will depend on how warm it is, etc. Once the kefir is done place it in the fridge.
(IMAGE 3) This is what the kefir looks like after it has been in the fridge for a day (it thoroughly disgusts my kids!).
(IMAGE 4) Stir-up the kefir and you are good to go. I use it mostly in smoothies, but have also used it in my homemade protein bars.
It is really simple to make more kefir. When you have about 1/2c of kefir remaining, add 1 tsp of sugar, 4 cups of non-dairy milk, and leave it out on the counter again. It will take a few hours more for the kefir to cure since it started out cold from having been in the refrigerator. I can make kefir this way 5-6 more times before starting the process all over again with a new packet of freeze dried starter.
I have used several brands of yogurt/kefir starter and they all have worked well.
I am interested in trying to make kefir with real kefir grains because once you have those you can use them indefinitely.
Happy culturing!
image above of different types of non-dairy kefir is from Cultured Food Life.
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SUN TEA
Sometime it feels like a childhood memory floods-in out of no where. We have been experiencing a beautiful albeit hot summer and as a result my mind got to wandering and daydreaming about iced tea. I haven’t had iced tea in a while due to the fact that I tend to be very sensitive to caffeine. Then…WHAM…memories of being a kid and making sun tea. My sister and I used to love to fill our mom’s big sun tea jar with water and tea bags. I figured, why wouldn’t it work with herbal tea bags?!?!
I spend the winter sipping Celestial Seasonings Country Peach Passion tea while dreaming about when peaches will be in season (apparently I do my fair share of daydreaming). Why not use the peach tea to make a wonderful summertime treat of Peach Sun Tea?
The great thing about sun tea is that you can make whatever flavor you like and you can steep it to your preferred strength. All it takes is a minute in the morning to fill your big glass jug with filtered water (I used an 8 cup Ball mason jar), then you drop in 4-6 tea bags, and place it out in the sun. Leave it out there all day if you’d like. We prepared ours before bringing my son to camp in the morning and came home to wonderful peach sun tea before dinnertime. My kids were amazed by how hot the tea was (we placed our jar in the backyard on the slate patio…the slate burns the heck out of our feet, so it is prime for making sun tea).
I have really been enjoying the tea on its own or sweetened with a little bit of stevia and have a feeling that it is going to be a staple for me throughout the summer. I look forward to making many different flavors of sun tea…Black Cherry Berry, Cranberry Apple Zinger, Tropic of Strawberry, Decaf Constant Comment (my Grammy’s favorite, so it will always be mine too), Decaf Green Tea…the list will go on and on.
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Filed under Drinks, Gluten Free, Recipes, Vegan, Vegetarian
Tagged as Black Cherry Berry tea, Celestial Seasonings, Cranberry Apple Zinger tea, Decaf Constant Comment tea, Decaf Green Tea, summer iced tea, sun tea, Tropic of Strawberry tea, vegan, vegetarian