FOOD Make your own probiotic drink

GRAINS OF TRUTH Kefir grains can be used to make a delicious probiotic milk drink at a fraction of the cost of shop-bought products.

The champagne of milk


Make your own probiotic drink

Growing
Hans Wieland

I’m going to deviate from gardening a little this week, but in a way it’s still about growing:  Growing your own live cultures and using them to make a delicious probiotic drink.
The new thing seems to be fermentation and I confess, I am addicted to it. I simply cannot live without it. Seriously.
Fermented foods might seem to be a new trend, but there is strong evidence that people were fermenting beverages in Babylon as far back as 3,000 BC. According to Sandor Katz (author of ‘The Art of Fermentation’), “Most food and fermentation processes are ancient rituals that humans have been performing since before the dawn of history.”
That the arrival of pickled foods on Irish restaurant menus coincides with a recession is an interesting fact. Fermented food is cheaper, as it can be preserved and stored without the need for refrigeration. The health benefits of the pro-biotic cultures that result from fermentation are also widely lauded. The flavours are delicious too.
My personal fermentation obsession is a fermented milk drink made with kefir grains – reusable culture that has a grain-like appearance. My addiction to this probiotic, cultured dairy beverage is so bad that I will bring the live cultures on extended travels or holidays to feed the habit and avoid withdrawal symptoms.

Benefits
As a living culture, kefir is a complex symbiosis of more than 30 micro-organisms, mainly lactic-acid bacteria and yeasts. Kefir can help to restore the intestinal flora of people who are recovering from a serious illness or being treated with antibiotics. It’s a remedy for digestive troubles and because the milk is fermented it is tolerated by people who are lactose intolerant. Kefir contains folic acid, calcium, iron, iodine and is full of Vitamins A, B1, B2, B6 and D. Fermentistas call it the ‘champagne of milks’, because of its alcohol content, which can be as high as 3 percent.
At home, we produce around three quarters of a litre each day and use it as a pro-biotic drink.
It is extremely easy to make (see box), as it requires no temperature control and everybody can make it at room temperature in the kitchen. During the fermentation process (converting lactose into lactic acid) the kefir grains multiply and begin an endlessly self-propagating process. You’ll end up with more grains than you need, and they’re a lovely thing to pass on to your friends. 

Milk Kefir
1 Put your grains (1-2 tablespoons) into a clean glass bottle or jar (1ltr is best)
2 Fill the container with milk (any organic milk will do) 2/3 full
3 Place in cupboard or other spot in the kitchen out of direct sunlight
4 Cover jar with a clean muslin
5 Let it sit for 24 hours or until it reaches sourness to your taste
6 When kefir is finished, strain grains (with a plastic strainer – it’s important not to use metal) from the milk.
7 Drink your kefir and reuse the grains. Go back to step 1.

Hans Wieland is training manager at The Organic Centre, Rossinver, Co Leitrim, which offers courses, training and information on organic growing and cooking, and runs an Eco Shop and an online gardening store. For more information or to download the centre’s free 2013 Course Programme and Seed Catalogue, visit www.theorganiccentre.ie.
Gardening questions or comments? Feel free to contact Hans at living@mayonews.ie.