I’ve been making water kefir for the last three and a half years, and it has become a much-loved staple in our house.
Water kefir is a probiotic drink. Basically, fermented sugar water. What's so great about probiotics? According to the Harvard Medical School Family Health Guide, "clinical studies have established that probiotic therapy can help treat several gastrointestinal ills, delay the development of allergies in children, and treat and prevent vaginal and urinary infections in women. ...Gut-dwelling bacteria keep pathogens (harmful microorganisms) in check, aid digestion and nutrient absorption, and contribute to immune function."
Water kefir is a tasty way to add probiotics to your diet. It’s like drinking fruity soda, except it’s actually good for you! And it's even cheap to make. Way less expensive than yogurt or wine and with only a tiny fraction of alcohol (usually significantly less than 1% - source). It's also dairy-free, so it's great for those who are lactose-intolerant or allergic to milk.
During the 48-hour fermentation process, about 80% of the sugar gets consumed by the kefir "grains" (a mix of bacteria and yeasts), leaving only about 20% of the sugar in the final product in the form of straight fructose. (Source)
So how do you make water kefir? You just need water kefir grains, water, a brewing vessel (i.e. glass jar), a container or individual bottles for your finished product, and sugar. For detailed instructions, click here. Basically, though, you put sugar water and your kefir grains in a jar and let it sit on your counter for 48 hours. Then you strain off the water into another container or individual drinking bottles and let it sit for another 24 hours to build up natural carbonation. You can add flavorings either at the beginning or for the second 24-hour ferment, depending on the flavoring. (You don't want to damage your kefir grains.) I do all my flavorings in the second 24-hour ferment. Then I don’t have to worry about the effect on the grains.
Some of my favorite flavorings are: lime juice (tastes like limeade), ginger (tastes like ginger ale / ginger beer), watermelon, strawberry, cherry and blueberry. For lime, just squeeze a fresh lime directly into your kefir (for the second ferment, remember). For ginger, peel and chop/grate a few inches of fresh ginger root, steep it in boiling water, and use some of the ginger water in the kefir. For watermelon, I use a juicer to extract the juice out of fresh watermelon, though you could probably use a cheesecloth as a strainer. For strawberry, cherry and blueberry, I use frozen fruit. I cut the strawberries and cherries down to small enough pieces to fit through the mouths of my drinking bottles, and the blueberries are small enough to drop in whole.
I got my water kefir grains from my sister-in-law. If you're in Nashville and would like some grains, just let me know and I can hook you up. (They multiply if you keep them happy.) Otherwise, you can purchase them online from stores like Amazon or specialty sites. I bought my 2-liter brewing vessel and some 17-ounce drinking bottles at The Container Store. I use grolsch/wire-top/hermetic/EZ-cap bottles (they go by many names) to maintain the natural carbonation.
Have you ever tried water kefir? If you have any questions, leave me a comment.