Hi all. Just starting to experiment with making water kefir,
(keh-feer) aka japanese water crystals, and many other names.I got dehydrated grains mail-order and will see how that goes. Looks good. I've being making and enjoying kombucha for awhile now (years?) but this will be new territory for me.


One thing I read/hear about the water kefir is what a good replacement it is for all sorts of "sodas". And that you can approach the flavours and bubble feel of cola, cream soda, etc. etc. I'm not so interested in that,but I do like the idea of a lemony ginger drink that is different than kombucha.

Also, using coconut water as a base for a delicious probiotic water kefir drink sounds grand--it being very hot right now, where I am.

*****Note--water kefir is not to be confused with kefir made from milk--which is another beast entirely. :-) It occurred to me the WK might be just the thing to help people to stay OFF the chemical, mineral-depleting and acidifying sodas.

This site has a good FAQ, and just for interest, there's this: http://www.yemoos.com/faqwaintro.html


excerpt:
What other uses does water kefir have?

Kefir and its grains are valuable for far more than just a beverage! It can be used to fertilize and
nurture house plants, flowers, your lawn, or your garden. The bacteria and acidic nature can be very
beneficial for plants.

Did you know its essential to have bacteria in your dirt to convert nitrogen to an edible source for your plants? Kefir can also easily serve as a great starter for breads and pizzas!

Use it in place of a sourdough starter or yeast packet. Kefir can also be used in your hair as a
clarifying conditioner and ph stabilizer (soap is very alkaline and can dry the skin and scalp, while
kefir is acidic).

It can also serve as a nice ingredient in exfoliants and lotions. Kefir can also be made into delicious popsicles. Kefir can also be used in place of vinegar (often with a more beneficial affect) in many cases such as to soak grains, soften rice, add to soups and stocks (to help extract the nutrients from the bones) or use in place of some of the salt in making fermented vegetables
such as sauerkraut (though its more common to use milk kefir's whey in this situation).

Did you know that US EPA's proposed enhanced biological treatment (to clean up toxic waste in California)
uses cheese whey (something milk kefir can also produce) and molasses as a food source for natural microbes that live in the soil and ground water (go figure!). These microbes can then break down the contaminants in soil into carbon dioxide, water and salt.


Replenishing the inner flora is an important part of re-feeding and re-mineralizing process.


Chiron