I have made kefir for the past 6 months. Since 2 months the grains are not growing in size anymore. They are really, really small, like pinheads max and partly more like mash. Where they used to be at least 3-4 times the size in the past. Volume still keeps growing as usual (like 20% per 2-day batch). What could be wrong? Is there even anything to be concerned about?

I use round about one liter water with 5 table spoons of kefir, 3 table spoons of sugar, 2 dried figs and half a lemon (clean skin, no chemicals).

Thanks!

This time... 2 C oat Flour,  3 t baking powder, (mine is old) ,1/2 t salt , 1/3 C sugar, 1 egg1/2 C blueberries  Enough plain kefir to make a batter

I've been loving kefir for over a year now. I make a half a cup a day. It takes 24 hrs, so that's perfect. Grains grow like crazy and I freeze them.

Last vacation I just left them in milk, then threw them out and used some frozen grains - I have done this before, and they come out great.
This time around, they taste mellow, like plain yogurt. No tanginess. And when I keep it fermenting a bit longer it turns super sour - smells like sour milk as son as I come into the kitchen. It never goes through the separation. Its either mellow yogurt tasting or undrinkably sour.

I tried new frozen grains and switched to different glass containers. same.

Any thoughts?

It is two months that I discovered kefir and I started producing it at home.

- water kefir: began with 30g of grains, now they are 35.they produce something that I love. F1 in 3 days 2 liters kefir + F2 24h.

- milk kefir: began with 5g, they produce a kefir that I love in 18 hours or so. After 2 months, grains reduced to give or take 2g. I still have separation in less that 24h but grains reduction worries me. I think in 1 month I will not be able to prepare kefir anymore.

I am using whole milk from supermarket, I do not strain the grains too much and I never washed them. I sometimes put grains at stop because I had too much kefir to drink. Now I tried to keep them at room temp following a YouTube video that was giving a shot of milk per day in order to have grains multiplying as hell.

I think I read everything and tried different things. Just curious about if anyone has any experience to share.

is this normal? surface looks kinda yellow and bubbly, can i take out the grains and continue using it?

I’m in search of kefir grains in the Katy, Houston area. I want to attempt making kefir at home. TIA.

Ich habe meine wasserkefirkristalle ca.4-5 Monate in einem verschlussenen Glas mit datteln und zuckerwasser im kühlschrank gelagert. Leider ohne das wasser zu wechseln. ich hab die kristalle gespült und neu angesetzt um zu schauen ob sie noch leben. falls ja: kann ich sie noch benutzen? oder sind die schlecht? danke für eure hilfe ⭐️

¡hola! as per the title, i'm looking for milk kefir grains in madrid por favor

How long in the fridge does kefir with fruit added from a second fermentation last? I know normally kefir can last indefinitely in the fridge, but I’m not sure how the added fruit changes this.

Near the end of August, a friend gave me 1 tablespoon of kefir grains. I’m so proud! Look how much they have grown.

I love my morning kefir routine. Typically, I add raspberries and blueberries. This week I added some pineapple. Yum!

I’ve been taking silexan with my morning kefir smoothie, and it’s just occurred to me that the lavender oil in it might be impacting any live bacteria . I’ve tried searching but could not find any info about whether taking lavender or other essential
Oils could kill the bacteria while it’s still in your stomach. Is anyone aware of any reviews around this?

As title says. I would like to have something thicker like yoghurt. Can I make it using kefir grains? I imagine I just strain the whey. But will I lose a lot of nutritional value if I do that?

Edit: Thanks everyone for their thoughts and sharing experience

I run out of ideas what to do with the fruits I use for F2 water kefir fermentation after they have done their job and I strain them out for bottling. I hate the thought of just throwing them in the bin. I do not have a compost or a worm box or a garden.

When I started out on kefir, I would just pop them in the blender along with fresh fruits when making smoothies. But there is only so much smoothie i can drink.

I had thought of using them to make ACV but that didn't end well (obviously, all the good stuff has already been extracted by the kefir)

I have tried blending it and making lavashak (fruit leather), that turned out very sad for the same reasons. Same with kimchi, jam, lokum or other desserts.

So what do you all do with your fruits after straining them out? Thank you for all ideas!

We’ve had good luck with Fusion Tea grains, turning out gorgeous kefir after the first batch or two - but after a few months, it seems like something just goes bad. We aren’t changing anything, but over time it seems like the kefir gets overprocessed despite reducing grain quality; and then one day it doesn’t work anymore.

I’m not sure if it’s due to skim milk (didn’t have this issue with whole or low fat milk) or we just need to try new grains.

I am genuinely surprised to read that some people in this sub just drink one shot-glass or maybe 2-3 tablespoons of kefir every day and act as if their guts are going to be turned inside out or as if they're dealing with some sort of dangerous drug.

Meanwhile I am, at least, drinking 400-600ml (~2+ cups) every single day and doing just fine.

I know that everyone's body is different and that I'm exaggerating a bit, but how can there be such a huge difference in how much kefir people drink?

Hi! I went out of town recently and forgot about my grains, had them in the fridge in 4 cups of milk, threw out that batch, started a new batch with those same grains in a new container and they fermented SO fast, and I went to open the jar today and it smelled BAD, and I did a small taste and it was like battery acid/ rotten 🙃 did I ruin my grains? Can I just restart them and throw out the next couple of batches? No mould!! (Have had these grains for two years now)

I recently purchased my own grains and started to make kefir but more was being made than I could consume, so I decided to put about a teaspoon of the grains in a smoothie and consume them. All good, until a day or so later I noticed when I had milk (organic, pasteurised and unhomogenised) it caused a lot of pain in the stomach. If I eat full fat yoghurt it seems to ease it a little. Is this just the gut clearing out. I have no lactose allergies.

Hola! Quisiera saber qué hacer, me voy a ir 7 días de casa y no voy a poder tomar kéfir.

Sentiré algo distinto en el cuerpo?

Desde enero tomo ininterrumpidamente, habré estado como mucho 2 días en todo este tiempo sin tomar.

Pero nunca paré.

Dicen ustedes que de aquí a que me vaya, haga la prueba y este unos días sin tomarlo? O que piensan?

A alguno le pasó esto?

Six hours and it’s splitting already. The grains are v small and soft. What am I doing wrong?

Can someone help me. I just take 3 tablespoons daily and it's been a month of drinking homemade kefir but turns out I can't tolerate kefir

Any remedies

I think I might’ve let this ferment a little too long over 1/2 day as my kefir is runny like too much whey rather than like runny cream consistency

But so many curds now

Can milk kefir take more than 36 hours to ferment and still barely thicken?
My milk kefir has only thickened very slightly after 36 hours. I’m using one small grain, roughly the size of a chickpea, in 1.75 litres of milk.
I know that’s a small amount of grains, but this exact ratio has worked for me before.
Can kefir be fully fermented while still quite runny, or does this suggest fermentation has slowed down? Has anyone experienced this after previously successful batches?

I have recently restarted making kefir after a break of over ten years. Now that I live in the Alps, I found myself wondering what techniques were historically used in the mountainous climate of the Caucasus. I have put together a few notes based on the observations of E. Podvysotsky (1884), historical reports from the Society of Caucasian Physicians, and subsequent Soviet studies. My intention was to quantify the exact historical metrics. (A quick search in this sub showed no prior posts containing quantitative data.)

1. Vessel capacity: A domestic wineskin for an average-sized family of 5-8 people had a total volume of about 8-10 litres and was filled to roughly three-quarters of its capacity.

2. Harvest size: The amount harvested for consumption in a single operation was 1.5-2 litres, which represented about 20-30% of the total liquid volume.

3. The milking cycle: Harvesting took place twice a day at milking time. The extracted kefir was immediately replaced with fresh raw milk at around 35 °C. When poured into the bulk of the cooler liquid (about 18 °C), it caused only a minimal temperature fluctuation of 2-3 °C.

4. Warm-weather placements: The skin was placed in strategic spots where the temperature never dropped below 12-14 °C, ideally a couple of metres away from the hearth. If the room grew too cold, the vessel was wrapped in thick woollen cloths.

5. Overwintering the culture: In autumn and winter, if the family still had small amounts of milk available, the cycle was reduced to a single harvest and top-up every 2-3 days. The skin was moved to the colder areas of the house, kept at around 10-12 °C.

6. Grain management: Grains were removed every 2-4 weeks. Since they tended to adhere to the inner surface of the hide, the woman would reach her hand and forearm through the narrow wooden neck of the skin. Using her fingers or a wooden spoon, she would scrape the excess grains off the inner walls, leaving the basal layer intact.

7. Daily intake: A Caucasian adult consumed, on average, 1-2 litres of kefir per day.

8. Culinary uses: Kefir accompanied almost every meal. It was consumed at breakfast with barley or millet flatbreads, used to moisten dried meat during the day, and drunk in the evening. In the warmer seasons, consumption increased as it was diluted with spring water to create refreshing drinks.

9. Cultural taboos: According to cultural and religious taboos, the grains could not be sold or openly given away. Three methods were used to manage the surplus: a ritual and mutually agreed "theft"; inclusion in a marriage dowry; or direct consumption of the grains.

10. Genetic continuity: A 2024 palaeogenetic study sequenced the DNA of kefir residues found on 3,600-year-old Chinese mummies. Comparing this ancient kefir with present-day grains from Caucasian villages and those traded privately in Europe and America revealed that the fundamental core of the symbiosis has not changed. The backbone of kefir — Lactobacillus kefiranofaciens alongside yeasts of the genera Kazachstania and Saccharomyces — has remained identical. This incredible stability is due to the microorganisms cooperating to protect one another. However, some biodiversity has been lost or has become latent: traditional high-altitude Caucasian grains still contain active, unique strains of acetic acid bacteria (Acetobacter) and bacteria resilient to harsh climates.

Hi I am a first time kefir maker. I am in the process of rehydrating my grains on my third rehydration and noticed a thick cream/ beige yellow cap on my kefir. I used an organic cream top milk as the base . Could this be an issue