Are my grains spoiled, LOTS of slime?

[rendinghearts]

Long story short, I ordered these grains online from someone growing them in organic raw cow's milk and I began using them in organic grass-fed homogenized whole milk (Kalona brand with no added vitamins, etc.). I'm new to kefir...Below is the slime from the 1st batch and on the 3rd batch it is getting less, but not by much. The smell is tart-like sour, similar to plain yogurt and the texture is a tad grainer than commercial kefir (not super smooth, but not chunky either). Is this slime just a large amounts of Kefiran settling into the bottom that I've read about online, due to the change in the type of milk? Should I consume this? I'm afraid to taste it, b/c I'm just getting over the flu and did not want to introduce something else that could possibly overload my immune system and create more issues. Your guidance is appreciated.

What it looks like before straining:


Slime left on bottom of mason jar:


Straining:


Grainy-like consistency after strained

[bravebird]

i'm new to kefir as well and had similar concern. when i first got the grains i fermented them under airlock, which seemed to work great. i didn't get any yeasty smells or slime. but then i switched to an aerobic ferment, as most people do, and i noticed the grains are significantly more "slimy" like, but overall they look much healthier and alive. the ones under airlock seemed to be a bit too fragile. im still wondering the best method for fermenting.

[CoconutLover]

Both the slime and the curds and whey consistency are normal.

The stuff from the store is different from what you make at home because they use the powdered culture. The powdered culture is used because it makes a consistent smooth kefir that is more appealing to customers. It is also more predictable. Home made kefir tends to have little chunks in it, the small fat curds that occur from the fermentation.

Slime is also good. If you give everything a good mix before straining, generally the sticky deposits at the bottom of your jar will get mixed in. The slime is usually most noticeable around the grains. If you are separating them from each other you will notice the slimy strings that connect one grain to another. The kefiran is supposed to be a good sign that your grains are healthy and happy.

If you are new to drinking home-made kefir, your body may go through a bit of a detox. Where the kefir probiotics are fighting the bad things in your system. This can cause you to become sick for a bit. It can also cause bowel issues, to put it politely. This link talks of some of the symptoms from someone who experienced it firsthand: http://kulturedkaraite.blogspot.com/201 ... -sick.html

In any case, your grains sound and look good to me.

[rendinghearts]

Thank you everyone. We are finally better and I've been playing with both my water and dairy grains the last week. I successfully made coconut milk kefir with half of my dairy grains and converted to coconut water for my water grains. So far, so good. My daughter hates the coconut milk kefir though, but ironically the grains love it b/c it gets so bubbly and perfect consistency. No kefiran though.

I read that kefir pretty much never goes bad if it's left in the fridge and many folks have kefir for weeks on end? Why would we discard it at 3-4 days when the milk used to make it hasn't even passed the expiration date?

I'm making it primarily for my daughter, b/c she has EGID that causes severe constipation; she can go weeks without moving her bowels, even with laxatives. We would welcome that part of the Herxheimer reaction to home made kefir. I was trying to find ways to get more K2 into our diet naturally when I discovered the effect it had on my daughter's GI system. I never considered it, b/c the years of expensive probiotics never had any effect on her. Within 4 days she was voiding in the toilet independently, and without any pain. If she misses a day of kefir, she doesn't go. Drinking 8-12 ounces a day of store-bought, just for her, can get expensive though. Thus, my decision to try making it myself. It will cost me about $5 a week for the milk. Thanks again for all of the help.

[CoconutLover]

I have read that some people keep kefir in the refrigerator for years before using it. (One person mentioned that after a really long time period it seemed to be alcoholic and another thought it was vinegary.)

I personally have kept kefir in the refrigerator for one week prior to use. It goes fast around here, I make smoothies for my family and my dogs and cats like their kefir too. So I do not have firsthand experience with keeping it for an extended amount of time.

The kefir you can make at home also has more probiotics in it than the stuff you can buy from the store. I believe I counted somewhere around 10 listed strains on the stuff I used to buy from the store whereas the stuff you make from home can have anywhere between 30-50 strains. So, less expensive and better for you, can't beat that!

As for coconut milk kefir. You should make sure before turning the coconut milk into kefir that your daughter can drink the coconut milk that you are using. If it is not appealing before fermenting, there is a good chance she will not like it after it has been turned to kefir either. The best tasting coconut milk I have had is homemade and the process itself is not all that bad if you have a blender you can utilize. Here is a link that shows how to make coconut milk. The link has 2 processes, either shredded coconut or fresh coconut. (Shredded is easier, no prying coconut meat out of the shell but it does involve a couple of extra hours to soak the shredded coconut in warm water.)

You could also try introducing fermented veggies for more probiotics.