Water Kefir (pronounced like: KA-FEAR) is amazing.  It is a probiotic drink that you can make at home.   Do you have stomach issues?   This could help.  It helped to control my GERD.  I went from 40mg of esomeprazole every day to 20mg every other day.   That is a significant improvement for someone like me.  The best news is that it is super easy, so I’m sharing my instructions on how to start your first batch of kefir grains.

Tools and equipment :

01) Mason Jar [I like wide-mouth mason jars.]
02) Plastic Mesh Strainer [I can’t say this enough. Kefir grains do not respond well to metal.]
03) Measuring cups [I have a mix and match of these.]
Optional equipment
04) Electric Kettle [I love these things, and they get you hot water fast]

Ingredients

01) Water Kefir [Required!]
02) Organic Cane Sugar [Buy the good stuff. Do right by yourself.]

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Directions

The water kefir comes with directions on how to get started, but I think we can do better. First off, don’t be discouraged by what comes in the Water Kefir package. I thought it was a joke when I saw this:

I’m not sure what I expected, but it wasn’t a couple pieces of rock candy.   I was committed though and I went ahead with the process of revitalizing the kefir grains.
In 1 Mason Jar

Add 1/4 cup of Sugar
[I bought lots of sugar and kept it in a food-safe bucket]

Please make sure to put your Mason Jar on a hot pad before adding hot water. We do not want it to shatter if the surface it is sitting on is cold.
Add hot water [from your Electric Kettle] to just cover the sugar.

Stir it up until the sugar is dissolved. You can use metal spoons here since they do not contact the kefir grains.
Fill the rest of the jar with cold water (I use tap water, but I have a house filter so your results may vary) to just below the threads. We are trying to create a nice temperature for your grains. We want to keep the water temp below 85°F (29°C). I used to measure this temperature, but that was too much work. I don’t recommend getting into that habit.

Add your Water Kefir to this mixture.
Cover your kefir to keep debris out of your drink. I use a paper towel and a rubber band.

Set it to the side somewhere out of the way, and let it go for 24 hours.

One thing to note is that water kefir likes warm but not hot water to grow. I live in a warm climate so my kefir grows fine without any help from me. If your nights get super cold, then you might need to find a way to keep them warm.

Day Two:
Use your Plastic Mesh Strainer and strain out the kefir grains.

Dump the sugar water down the drain. It isn’t what we want yet.
Put the kefir grains to the side (they will be OK), and repeat the steps you did from day one.
Add 1/4 cup of Sugar
Add hot water
Stir
Fill the threads with cold water
Put your kefir grains into the sugar water.
Cover and set aside for another 24 hours

Day Three:
Repeat Day Two

Day Four:
Repeat Day Two

Day Five:
Before you dump the water, check to see if there are bubbles in your jar. If yes, you are ready for the next phase.  The Ultimate Soda Kefir Guide
If you don’t see bubbles, then don’t worry you can still move on to the next phase too.  It is OK.  The bubbles will come.

Until next time
-Hubby