Dear Kids,
Saba, as you know, was born in Ukraine. As such, he has a certain taste for food and drink from the area. The last time he was here visiting, he bought some kefir at the store, but never got a chance to drink it. Not wanting to waste it, I opened it up and tried it. It was like drinking yogurt (which, in a sense is what it is). I figured I’d like it since I enjoy lassi, and I was right…it was quite yummy. The problem is that it’s not cheap; it’s not crazy expensive, but a penny saved is a penny earned.
Now that I’ve been baking a lot and we’ve been on a DIY kick (a little anyway), I thought it might be fun to try to make it at home. We used to make yogurt when I was a kid, so why not, right? Well, I started to do some research, and it turns out all you need is some kefir grains, a jar, milk, and a counter to set it out overnight. I headed over to Amazon and bought some grains and a silicon sieve to strain the kefir. They arrived about 2 weeks ago, and I finally mustered the courage last week to try.
Following the directions, I dumped the grains into a cup of milk, placed them on the counter, and set the timer for 24 hours. The next day, I strained the grains from the fermented milk and set the grains in fresh milk. Per the instructions, I dumped the newly-made kefir down the drain (I actually did this to the second batch as well).
Finally, on the third occasion of making kefir, I got to sample my work. It was pretty good. Not quite as good as the store-bought version, but a) I’m just starting out, and b) mine is only milk…no added sugar (sort of…I stirred in a teaspoon of sugar before drinking it a few times) or flavoring. Still, I’m impressed enough that I’d like to keep going with it. It’s been a week, and I haven’t died from it, so I guess it’s not going to hurt me.
There’s really no great lesson to be learned here expect that I am having fun and getting something for my labor. Kefir is supposed to be good for you and it tastes good. Sadly, you all think it’s gross (even though you have yet to try it), so it’s just me enjoying it. It just goes to show you that there is so much you can do if you’re interested. It’s fine to buy it at the store, but for the a fraction of the price, I can make it home and enjoy a drink that I made myself. I hope that , you will pick up a hobby that gives you lots of happiness and joy (honestly, I hope you’ve done that long before I’m gone!).
Love,
Aba
