UPDATE; My Kefir Diary...to all the folk who have responded to me asking for advice, detail and brewing instructions.

[Poppy_the_cat]

I have say that I have had many wonderful responses from so many terrific people it has been truly wonderful.

Having experienced the improved benefits that I have myself from Kefir, I have wanted to share them with anybody who was curious enough and who has wanted to listen; because I have had such a big response I would not want to think that I had forgotten anybody, or neglected to reply? If this may be the case, I would ask you to contact me again and complain that I have forgotten you, so that I may put it right!

Thank you again to everybody because everybody's contribution helps us all to further travel down the path of Wellness.

Thank you

Poppy the 🐈

[geegee888]

My grains are growing nicely, Thankyou for sending info.💐💖💐

[Poppy_the_cat in reply to geegee888]

Now that is SPOOKY!!!!😨

I am preparing a Tuna/goats cheese/lettuce salad... Just before putting the paws in the water washing the green stuff as Bertie Wooster would say... I was wondering.."I wonder how Geegee is getting on..and seconds later the phone went shwwingg!!

Mais c'est Geegee!!

Ça va alors?!! As they say in French, "allors ca gaze!"...ooops, seem to have lost the cedilla off the c!

Which translates out to...firing on all cylinders!

Well done. Let me know how you brew/do....ha, ha, ha

Poppy the 🐈

[Poppy_the_cat in reply to Poppy_the_cat]

Forget BT or Virgin, eat your heart out Richard Branson, just GO Kefir !!

[geegee888 in reply to Poppy_the_cat]

I certainly shall,

I'm thinking vanilla extract and chocolate flavour for my first attempt.😬😬

[Poppy_the_cat in reply to geegee888]

Ooohhhh!!

[geegee888 in reply to Poppy_the_cat]

Hello again Poppy!!

I'm now strictly gluten free, but I may become dairy free too, however, is there a way I can get around this as I am looking forward to my kefir?

[Angel_of_the_North in reply to geegee888]

Kefir contain next to no lactose as it is all eaten by the little alien beings who make up the grains. It probably does contain casein, though. Some people find that thy no longer have a dairy sensitivity after eating/drinking kefr for a few months

[geegee888 in reply to Angel_of_the_North]

That sounds good to me,

my aliens are growing as we speak!!

I'm not sure if I have a sensitivity, although a runny nose in the morning and sometimes I cough for the first hour or so may indicate something not quite right

[Poppy_the_cat in reply to geegee888]

It's sounds as though you do. I too have that cough. In an attempt to increase and vary my gut biome, seeing as I have been doing so well on my coconut water based Kefir I thought from what I had read that I would be brave enough to try the milk kefir as long as it was unpasteurised.

Well... I can't.

At least not yet. I have had bad stomach, stabbing pains and pretty swollen abdomen, not as severe as a gluten attack, but bad enough...with a hard persistent cough. So for now, I am sticking to to my coconut water kefir.

Poppy the 🐈

[geegee888 in reply to Poppy_the_cat]

Thankyou Poppy for your welcome advice, it's so reassuring.

It's quite worrysome when you don't know what's going on.🌻

[Poppy_the_cat in reply to geegee888]

It's very scary!

I got to the point last October before I started that I could no longer eat anything and I was even reacting to drinking a glass of water!!!!!! I thought that was it, I was going to die if I could not feed myself!

Poppy

[geegee888 in reply to Poppy_the_cat]

Do you follow a paleo diet?

[Poppy_the_cat in reply to geegee888]

Yes. This is why I chose to brew coconut water based Kefir. The two are very different and the grains are very specific and dedicated to each. My instructions are for coconut water based Kefir.

🙂

Poppy the 🐈

[geegee888 in reply to Poppy_the_cat]

Ok, I'll continue with my milk kefir for now, may require a few of your grains when I make water kefir, learning all the while.🌻💖🌻

[Nanaedake]

I'm planning to start taking Kefir. Have you any advice about where to start and where best to order from?

[ffranny in reply to Nanaedake]

Happy Kombucha on the web sell live Kefir grains, they have lots of advice too.

[Angel_of_the_North in reply to Nanaedake]

Just search ebay etc, there are plenty of sellers these days, unlike when I first started. Or you might want to do a web search for producers who donate to charity when you buy. It's very easy to make as long as you have some milk and a clean glass jar.

[Poppy_the_cat in reply to Nanaedake]

Hi, If you private message me I can send you my instructions which include visual photos to show the utensils you need and advice for where to buy them rather than wasting money on a ' kefir starter kit!!'

Poppy

[BadHare in reply to Poppy_the_cat]

Yemoos is my favourite resource website, though I bought my grains in the UK.

[Poppy_the_cat in reply to Nanaedake]

Don't buy any grains on the web, As I could send you some of mine for free!

Poppy

[BadHare in reply to Nanaedake]

I have dairy kefir, if you want some?

[Hay2016]

Hiya

My grains are fabulous. I’m loving water kefir. My hubby even has it. I use fig and raisin as fruit as had a bad brew with ginger. First was fabulous, second not so much.

Thank you do much for your instructions and advice.

If anyone does want some poppy-the-cat offspring let me know. I feel like the never ending porridge pot!!

I have paid it forward to people I know so they can brew too.

Hayley 😀

[Poppy_the_cat in reply to Hay2016]

Terrific!

I love it, I can't drink enough of it. The grains are edible too!

I can eat goat's yoghurt, so I add some of the grains to it with a little but naughty sprinkling of the organic coconut sugar and it tastes Yummy! Rather like rice pudding!!

Popps😼

[Hay2016 in reply to Poppy_the_cat]

I was very surprised how tough the grains were. They look very jelly like but arnt.

Yogurt sounds yum with the sugar.

[amasufindme in reply to Hay2016]

They are bouncy too! I usually end dispersing them over the kitchen floor...

[Poppy_the_cat in reply to amasufindme]

Yes and try and pick them up... Not!! Ha, ha ha🙄

[amasufindme]

I do ginger water kefir with a squige of lemon and got loads of grains going spare...

[Poppy_the_cat]

I add ginger to mine too...how much lemon and what taste does it give please? Interested to know. Thank you

[amasufindme in reply to Poppy_the_cat]

The fresh root ginger (I make up in a paste with a bit of spring water in a Nutri-bullet and then put into ice cube holders in the freezer so I can add to everything!!!) gets added in the second fermentation for 48 hours max and then its ready to drink ~750ml ... in a high ball glass of kefir with wedge of 1/4 fresh unwaxed lemon squeezed...might add a bit more lemon for the rest of the kefir. I like the lemon addition as it is refreshing and takes away any hint of yeastiness. I do push the fermentation to make sure the kefir has gobbled up all the sugar as I have SIBO and SIFO...it is a balancing act and I have to let my grains convalesce in the fridge for a few days on rotation...when I am not chasing them around the kitchen floor Obviously the AWOL ones get binned.

Does anyone know what the grains are made of besides aliens???

[Hay2016 in reply to amasufindme]

As a microbiologist I had to look it up. It’s a polysaccharide matrix that they live in. 😂

[amasufindme in reply to Hay2016]

Thank you Hay2016 - well that buggers up my low FODMAPs... perhaps I will go back to believing in little bouncy aliens

[Hay2016 in reply to amasufindme]

Aliens good. If you are eating the grains yes you’re consuming polysaccharide but if you’re only fermenting logic says the polysaccharide stays in the little glob of beauty.

[amasufindme in reply to Hay2016]

Indeed, but the things are multiplying a lot and I need to find a good home for the progeny...