Where to get active Milk kefir grains
I am from Austin,Tx.I am looking for Milk kefir grains to make fresh kefir at my home.But I coudln't find Kefir grains in whole foods.I dont know how to reach to individuals who can share.Any advice??
Best Answer
Sorry, I didn't see this until just now. I don't know why it didn't notify me.
Kefir grains are a life symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast. They have to be fed and I imagine it is a niche market. Kind of like sourdough starter in that regard. I'm not surprised you didn't find them in a store.
People who have grains regularly have extras to dispose of and I have found they are usually eager to share and get other people hooked.
The last time I found grains it was on a forum dedicated to that purpose. I picked them up in a different state as I was passing through. Unfortunately this was about 10 years ago.
A quick Google search for kefir grains sharing sources turns up many resources. I will second ecnerwal that Craigslist is a good place to start. Freecycle is a good candidate. I ran across this page that refers to a Facebook group. http://www.yummykefir.com/get-milk-water-kefir-grains
I'll be surprised if you don't easily find grains in Austin. For better or worse kefir has kind of become a hipster probiotic thing.
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Can you get kefir grains from store bought kefir?
The answer is yes...and no. If you want to make milk kefir from pre-made kefir, either store-bought or from a friend, then you may have success one, two, three, or even four times. It is also possible that you may not end up with a successful batch of cultured kefir at all.How do you make active kefir grains?
From a scientific point of view, kefir grains are said to have formed from adding and removing milk in bottles of animal skins. The microorganisms in raw milk and those in the bottles would, eventually, have formed a symbiotic colony of yeast and bacteria in the form of small gelatinous grains.Where do milk kefir grains come from?
They're like what the SCOBY is to kombucha, only instead of looking like alien pancakes they look like cauliflower! But unlike kombucha, you cannot grow your own kefir grains and will need to acquire them somewhere.Activating Milk Kefir Grains
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Answer 2
"Whole Foods" the chain? Probably not - smaller scale "whole" or "health" food stores/co-ops often have a bulletin board you could post a note on. Given the age we are in, posting a wanted ad on the local craigslist or any similar system that's specific to your area rather than covering the planet as this one does.
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