In the Kitchen: Water Kefir Grains...I'm so excited!!

I finally received my new kefir grains, Yay!!  I got milk kefir because my old grains finally gave up the ghost, R.I.P., they served me well!  And, I also got water kefir grains, which I have never had before and a butter milk culture which I  have also never used before.  I purchased these because I love using kefir AND I think that having live cultured foods in the days ahead will be beneficial for us.
Also, water kefir makes a nice alternative drink that has low sugar content and is slightly effervescent and has lovely probiotic properties.

Here's a picture of the water kefir grains in their dehydrated state, just out of the package.  The process for re-hydrating the water kefir grains is very simple.

Supplies

1 quart glass jar

1 wooden or plastic spoon

1 tea towel or coffee filter

water kefir grains

1/4 c organic sugar per qt. of water

(Rapadura or Sucanat are good)

Non-chlorinated water

Rehydrating Water Kefir Grains

Dissolve 4-6 tbsp. of sugar in 4 c of water ( you may need to heat water to get sugar to dissolve, BUT BE SURE TO ALLOW WATER TO COME BACK TO ROOM TEMP. PRIOR TO ADDING YOUR KEFIR GRAINS)

Place the kefir grains in the sugar water.  (This water is dark because the raw sugar is unrefined so the color is more like "brown sugar" so the water color reflects to color of the sugar)

Cover with a towel or coffee filter and secure with a rubber band.  Allow mix to sit for 3-4 days until grains are plump.  Once grains are rehydrated, we'll be able to begin making our water kefir.

I'm so excited because I've heard so many cool things about water kefir, so I can't wait to make some and see how it turns out!  I'm really hoping that my kids and B. Faith will love this "new bubbles pop" because it's so good for their tummies:)

For more information about kefir and it's benefits here are a couple of sites to look into:

1.  Dom's Kefir

http://users.sa.chariot.net.au/~dna/kefirpage.html

2. Cultures for Health (Which is where I purchased my grains)

http://www.culturesforhealth.com/expert-advice

I'll keep you posted on how my water kefir goes but it will take about a week before I have a product that is drinkable.