Traditional fermentation of foods increases enzymes and nutrients and adds beneficial probiotics. When you are ready to take the plunge and try your hand at it, there is no easier food for fermentation newbies to start with than dairy. It is a critical skill to master as most brands of commercial yogurt do not compare to homemade.
They are typically cultured for a very short period of time and may even have milk solids added before the short ferment begins. This defeats the purpose thus keeping carbohydrate content very high even when the fermentation process is complete.
As an encouragement to those who perhaps haven’t tried making yogurt or its cousin kefir yet, I wanted to share with you some pictures of those who have taken the challenge already and are getting awesome results.
Amanda Molnar’s Perfectly Fermented Kefir
Notice the kefir grains are visible in this picture just before Amanda transfers them to a new batch, which will earn her another entry in the challenge!
Lorraine Carlstrom’s Colorful Raw Kefir Smoothie
Lorraine added coconut oil, egg yolks, and fruit to her morning raw kefir smoothie!
Kristin Marlin’s Incubating Raw Yogurt
Not one to start slowly, Kristin Marlin entered the challenge with 3 batches of yogurt at once! Notice how she has her raw yogurt nestled in with thick towels to keep them warm to allow the culture to firmly establish itself during the fermentation period. Love those gorgeous fermentation vessels too!
Miranda Meador’s Yogurt Breakfast
Miranda Meador made this lovely bowl of yogurt for breakfast … but it ended up being for lunch instead!
Bailey Keenan’s Supercharged Kefir Smoothie
Bailey’s creation contains kefir, a little water, a banana, an apple, some frozen strawberries and blueberries, a little chlorella powder, some bee pollen and flax seeds, and a couple of big spoonfuls of coconut oil. YUM!
Carey Blinn’s Jars of Fermenting Kefir
For 25 years, Carey battled daily bouts of indigestion, bloating and acid reflux. She used to use Tums or Di-Gel constantly to settle her stomach. Carey originally started into Traditional Cooking after finding my videos on YouTube and now she is a fermenting queen. Raw kefir, in particular, has changed her life and health in amazingly positive ways!
Hopefully, one or more of these pictures from everyday folks just like you will encourage you to take the plunge to try and make either kefir or yogurt yourself for the very first time!
have only been able to enter once, 🙁
Please help! I would like to start this process. I”ve never done it, but I don’t understand how to find the Kefir grains once the yogart has processed? HELP?
With yogurt, you use some of the existing yogurt to make the next batch. With kefir, the grains look like little pieces of cauliflower and if you put your kefir through a plastic sieve then you will find your kefir grains and can move them to the next batch. Use plastic spoons to do this.
Since the contest began, I have made two gallons of yogurt and one gallon of kefir. As a large family, we depend on lots of fermented dairy in our diet. Like other readers, I have only been able to enter the contest once, though I have made many “batches”.
I’m new to making kefir and so far only purchased a “kefir kit” but I’d like to know where people buy live cultures? I live in Florida and would love any info on anything local to the Tampa Bay area.
I’m only on my third batch so far!
I forgot to do this every day. I don’t even know how many batches I’ve made since my first and only entry. I just put some einkorn/kefir/sourdough puff pastry in the fridge to make sausage rolls for dinner tonight. I have too much kefir and too much sour dough starter. It’s taking over my kitchen!
Well, it finally let me record another entry! Yay!!! But I have not been able to record entries many times…sad. I drink green smoothies made with raw kefir enery morning after 10:00 A.M. It’s easier in the summertime than during the cold winter months, but I am faithful!!! Yum!
I’m wondering if I try making my yogurt in the microwave, will it stay at a consistent temperature if I do not have control over my light inside. I do have a slow cooker, but I have no idea how hot it gets and I see the picture above with the towels but what exactly are the towels for, so the mason jars are not sitting directly on the heated portion? I feel like I have the tools, but I need a little more guidance.
Made some yogurt today- nearly finished, so will make more soon!
I also gave my milk kefir some nice fresh milk…..
I made a new batch of kefir!