Raw Kefir

      Since I make kombucha, it only seems natural that I would make kefir as well right? Well, I think so. I bought starter and raw Jersey milk from the Cordata branch of the Community Co-op and dove in. My first batch, pictured above turned out perfectly! It was so exciting! Second batch was fine. My third batch turned out horribly because I didn’t put enough starter in when I doubled the “recipe”. That was a $6 mistake I’m trying to avoid again.

      But why take all the trouble to make kefir anyway? It’s available at stores. Plus, isn’t it just runny yogurt. Nope. Kefir is actually better for you than yogurt. It contains more “probiotics” and nutrients than yogurt. Especially if it is raw. You can’t buy raw kefir in our health food stores. I’m not even sure if there is a company that makes and sells raw kefir.

      From what I’ve been reading in the last few months I’ve been learning that raw is usually the best option. Cooked things loose a lot of nutrients. I am also learning that you should eat like your ancestors, but that’s another blog post – after I do more research.

      Don’t freak out when I mention raw. Doctors have been telling us to eat more raw fruits and veggies for quite a while(Often only one of the few truly intellegent things they say). I’m not giving up making chicken soup. I have some broth in the fridge right now. But I want to start incorporating more raw things in my diet. With truly raw things comes so many more nutrients. This applies to kefir. Most milk is pasteurized in the United States. In some states it’s actually illegal to sell raw milk and raw milk products. When I get around to doing a post on milk and pasteurization, you’ll be shocked that it’s used at all. It doesn’t do good things to the milk.

      Anyway, since most milk is pasteurized, most milk products are as well. So that kefir in the dairy section is pasteurized. It’s not as alive as it should be. Sure it’s had beneficial bacteria added to it, and it’s alive-ish. But it’s missing so much more. All of the digestive enzymes, that are in the milk to make it easier for baby cows – and now us – to digest it, are killed off in the process.

      Buying raw milk and kefir starter is the only thing that makes sense to me. Then I get all the nutrients and enzymes and the beneficial bacteria, and none of the negatives I’ll tell you about later. Think phlegm. Bleh. Puss. Eek!
      So once again, I’m making something for us, that is much better than anything I could find in the store. It’s better for the environment because raw milk has to be from graded dairies where cows must have access to grass – the way they were meant to live. No nasty mega dairy with sad sick cows and nutritionally inferior milk. It’s wonderful! One more step forward for this Modern Hippy!