The Day My Kefir Grains Died….
My milk kefir grains have… disappeared!!
It’s tragic…. I swirled around my filter.
I had just returned from the States after almost 3 weeks. I had left my precious grains in the care of my Mother, so that she could continue to produce kefir for my children while I was gone.
Me : Mom! Eh… what happened to the kefir grains??
Mom : Aren’t they inside the kefir?
Me : No… nothing’s there!
Mom : Oh… Dunno why, but they got fewer every time I make…
Me : (suspiciously) How often do you make them??
Mom : Arh… whenever the kids finish eating lar. Then I make more.
Me : So… how often is that?? Do you give them kefir every day?
Mom : No lar… sometimes I remember I will give. So every 4-5 days, I make some lor.
Me : Did you put the grains into the fridge when you don’t make them?
Mom : No. Need arh? I just left them on the table.
Me : ?
My Mom literally starved my kefir grains to death!!! The grains are usually covered with milk and left in the refrigerator when I am hibernating them. And it is good to hibernate them every other day so that they are not “overworked”. In fact, they multiply faster whenever they get some rest.
So, remember, not to starve your grains to death. Pop them into the refrigerator, covered with milk to rest them.
I also keep a “backup” supply of hibernated grains in my refrigerator, just in case…. Very kiasu now…
