Fermentationist Certification: Ferment 7 ~ Water Kefir

Water Kefir

Since I don't drink dairy, I decided to focus on the non-dairy option for this module.

What is water kefir?

Water kefir is a bubbly or effervescent drink that is made by culturing sugar in water with kefir grains. Kefir grains are not literally “grains”; rather kefir is a symbiotic blend of beneficial bacteria and yeast that can culture water or milk into bubbly probiotic drinks. Water kefir is a super probiotic beverage containing over 40 strains of beneficial bacteria! Water kefir is a vegan drink that provides probiotics without the need for dairy or tea cultured products, like Kombucha which contain caffeine. Through the fermentation process kefir becomes an excellent source of vitamin B12, and is high in vitamins B1 and B6.

Water Kefir Grains

What are the benefits of drinking water kefir?

• Contains billions of probiotics and is more nutritious in some regards because of the more bio- available and digestible nutrients from the sugars and dried fruits including an increase in vitamin C and many B vitamins. 
• Some studies show kefir may be anti-mutagenic and help manage free radicals in the body. 
• Folic acid (and B vitamins) increases as the length of the ferment increases. Some people let the strained kefir sit on the counter or the fridge another day to increase the folic acid and B vitamin content before drinking (this will increase the acidity too). 
• Has diuretic, blood purifying and regenerative properties. 
• Water Kefir has been indicated in nervous disorders, liver and gall bladder disorders, kidney problems, stomach and intestinal diseases, diarrhea or constipation, anemia, allergies, dermatitis and other skin problems such as eczema. 
• Helps balance blood pressure and reduce cholesterol
• Weight normalization
• Vaginal Yeast Infections and other feminine discomforts 
• Recovery after convalescence 
• Intestinal dysbiosis 

Step by Step

what you’ll need:

• 2-3 TBSP kefir grains 
• ¼ cup unrefined sugar (panella, rhapadura or sucanat) per quart of water

First Fermentation

1. Add ¼ cup unrefined sugar.

2. Cover with enough boiling water to dissolve sugar.

3. Add remaining filtered or spring water (leaving 1 inch of air space between top of the water and the lid) on top.

4. Put 2-3 TBSP of water kefir grains in a quart jar. Water should be at room temperature.

5. Cover with cheese cloth secured by a rubber band. The cheese cloth serves as two functions; to

Primary Ferment in middle

protect your sugar water from fruit flies and the grains need to breathe.

6. Let sit on your counter top for 24 to 48 hours. This depends on the temperature of your home and the amount of grains you may have accumulated.

7. After culturing is complete (water should be mildly fizzy or have bubbles floating around the grains), strain the water kefir grains from finished water kefir.

8. Place water kefir grains into a new batch of sugar water (see steps 1 through 4).

9. The finished water kefir is now ready to consume, flavor or store in the fridge in case of vacation.

Flavouring & Second Fermentation

I bottle my finished kefir in Grolsch Flip-Top Bottles

Finished water kefir is not often enjoyed plain, with no added flavouring. On its own, water kefir may taste a bit flat. However, add a little fruit or other flavouring, bottle the kefir and the finished product is wonderfully refreshing…especially during summer months!.

The first fermentation takes place when the water kefir grains are added to sugar water and cultured for 24-48 hours. The second fermentation takes place after the grains are removed. Fresh water kefir is cultured at room temperature for another period of 24-48 hours with flavouring additions. The tighter the bottle is sealed, the fizzier it gets.

If using fresh fruit, only ferment for 24 hours and strain the fruit before refrigerating. If using dried fruit, you can ferment up to 48 hours and then strain the fruit before refrigerating. Once in the fridge, make sure to “burp” the bottles as some flavouring produces more carbonation than others.

Progress:

I have been doing water kefir for quite some time now so I will give you my daily ritual breakdown.

Day 1:  Start date ~ I use a larger mason jar for my primary ferment
Day 3:  Strain kefir grains in several smaller mason jars for different flavouring options  ~  start secondary fermentation ~ get new batch ready
Day 4:  Bottle finished secondary ferment into bottles so kids know which ones are ready and put into fridge
Day 5: Start over!  This is my own way of knowing where I am at to continue my routine, you can start and develop your own routine depending on how you like your kefir.

Fermentationist Certification: Ferment 6 ~ Nut Cheeze....Not Cheese

Nut Cheeze....Not Cheese

Nut cheeze can be made with a variety of nuts; almonds, cashews, brazil nuts, macadamia nuts, walnuts or hazelnuts. The flavours are endless. Seeds, such as sesame, pumpkin, flax, etc, can also be mixed with the nuts.

Health Benefits

Nut cheeze provides the nutritional benefits of not only the nuts, but also those of the other ingredients you choose (nutritional yeast, probiotics, herbs, etc.). Because the recipe is so adaptable, you have the ability to tweak it and make an already nutritional product into something even more medicinally beneficial. Just as with nuts, though extremely good for you, moderation is key!

The minerals you will obtain from nut cheezes include copper, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium and zinc. They also contain B vitamins, particularly vitamin B1 (thiamin). All nuts share the above in common, but you'll also get additional benefits from particular nuts. For example brazil nuts are the highest known source of selenium.  Macadamia nuts have a unique fatty acid profile that gives them antimicrobial properties; therefore protecting us from viruses, pathogenic bacteria, and yeasts in the gut.  You will also benefit from the probiotics in your nut cheeze, which may differ slightly depending on whether you use powder from capsules or kefir to make your ferment. The
addition of nutritional yeast will provide additional B vitamins and the herbs you choose to add will provide their individual benefits as well.  The options are limitless!

Step By Step

Ingredients:

• 2 Cups raw nuts of your choice (almonds, cashews, brazil, macadamia, etc). This will make 2 cups of nut cheeze.
• 1 Cup of water kefir or 1 Cup of water with 2 Capsules of probiotic powder of your choice.

Soak your nuts:

Nuts are best soaked or partially sprouted because they contain enzyme inhibitors that can strain the digestive tract when consumed in excess. Soaking your nuts makes them easier to digest and their nutrients more readily available. To soak your nuts, leave them overnight in salt water. Salt activates enzymes that neutralize enzyme inhibitors. Unlike other nuts, which benefit from an overnight soak, "raw" cashews should be soaked no longer than 6 hrs. Make sure to rinse well and discard the soaking water containing the enzyme inhibitors.  Many people blanch the almonds when making almond nut cheese to assist in taking off the shells. To do this, bring water almost to a boil and turn off the heat. Add the almonds and allow them to soak 35 minutes before you drain and rinse. The peels should slip right off. This makes the final product more similar to the consistency of dairy cheese.

Soaked Almonds

Soaked Brazil Nuts

Mix ingredients:

Blend all the ingredients in a high speed blender (I love my Vitamix for thicker recipes like this!) and continue to mix until smooth. Add more liquid if necessary to form a smooth, creamy texture.

Strain & Ferment:

Pour the mixture into a nut bag or cheese cloth lined strainer.  Allow to strain for 18-48 hours. You can hang the nut bag over a bowl or place it in a colander with a weight on top.  This will apply pressure and push out the excess liquid to save time. The longer it sits the more tart your nut cheeze will be, so feel free to give it a little taste along the way to suit your pallet. I like to let it sit for a couple of days.

Prepare your Nut Cheeze

After the fermentation process, remove your cheeze from the nut bag or cheesecloth. Now you can get creative with adding additional ingredients. I like to start with a base of lemon and salt every time and go from there. Check out some ideas below, but feel free to make adjustments if you feel called to. This is the fun part!

I used a muffin mould.

Basic Flavoring Ideas (for 2 Cups of nuts)

• 1 teaspoon lemon
• 1/4 to 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 to 2 teaspoon of nutritional yeast or miso (these helps give it a "cheesy" profile.)
• A pinch fresh nutmeg is excellent too!

Refrigerate the nut cheeze until ready to use. Season further or sweeten your cheese as desired
before serving.

Fennel, Parsley, Paprika & Cumin prior to dehydrating

Developing a Rind On Your Nut Cheeze (make a harder cheese) ~ not that this is optiontion
Put the cheeze in a nut milk bag lined mold. Refrigerate for 8 to 10 hours so the cheeze can
set. Then dehydrate at 105 degrees on a ParaFlexx tray for an additional 24 to 36 hours. I use an Excalibur Dehydrator.

Dehydrated vs Fresh Nut Cheeze

Storage:

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator; nut cheeze will last for up to two weeks.

Progress:

03.07.2016:  Start date ~ Started soaking my almonds
04.07.2016:  Prepared almonds to strain & ferment (used water kefir for the almonds)  ~ Started soaking the Brazil nuts (Note that I tried to dehull the almonds after soaking them overnight and they weren't coming off.  I left them to soak another 8 hours and still they wouldn't come off.  I didn't want to but I had to blanch them and then the hulls slipped right off.) ~ any pointers would be welcome!
05.07.2016:  Prepared Brazil Nuts to strain & ferment (used probiotic powder for the Brazil nuts)
06/07/2016:  Flavoured almond cheeze, put them into moulds & into the fridge to set
07/07/2016:  Flavoured Brazil nut cheese, put them into moulds & into the fridge to set
08/07/2016:  Dehydrated one of each to see the differences.
09/07/2016:  I personally liked the taste of using probiotic powder as opposed to water kefir.  The water kefir seemed more vinegary to me. I also liked the creamy texture of the non-dehydrated cheeze as it was more spreadable.  I found the dehydrated cheeze crumbled.  I think I would have to get a spray bottle and continue to spray to make the rind a little better next time!  I wish they had these science experiments in school!  The funnest part is tasting the outcome :)

Update:  I had the pleaure of serving my cheezes at a party.  I think everyone liked the spread-ability of the softer cheeze!  They liked the taste of both almond and Brazil options equally.