WATER KEFIR from Cultures for Health
Only Culture in Sugar Water Juice tends to be very acidic and while it makes for delicious kefir, putting the kefir grains in juice can be a bit hard on them making it difficult for the kefir grains to multiply effectively. We've had mixed reports as to whether kefir grains will multiply in coconut water but if they do so, it will be very slowly.
Stay Away from Honey We do not recommend culturing kefir grains in honey water. Kefir grains do best with the exact composition present in sucrose (table sugar). Honey is primarily fructose, and may not provide the best nutrition for the grains. Additionally, raw honey may contain additional organic matter that can compromise the health of the water kefir grains.
Use Proper Ratios of Sugar, Water, and Kefir Grains While it can be tempting to reduce the amount of sugar used to make water kefir, it is generally detrimental to the health of the kefir grains. We recommend using 1/4 cup sugar per quart of water when making water kefir to ensure that an adequate amount of sugar is available for the water kefir grains. It is also important not to have too many kefir grains in the jar. Somewhere between 3 and 4 tablespoons will adequately culture 1 to 3 quarts of water. The maximum ratio that is optimum is 4 tablespoons per quart of water.
Choose a Warm Spot for Culturing Within reason, kefir grains like to be warm. Generally ambient temperatures between 68° and 78°F will yield the best results. Be sure to keep the kefir grains out of direct sunlight though to prevent them from overheating.
53 | P a g e