Water Kefir: Round Two

This is the second round with my Water Kefir grains.

They are looking rather healthy, I think. See the new grains forming at the top? When I moved the jar, lots of bubbles rose up from the bottom, so I am thinking they are doing what they are supposed to do. The bottom of the jar holds the majority of my grains, which when strained, look like this:

I let the first batch sit for 3 days and wasn't greatly impressed with the results (though it wasn't horrible, either). I decided to let the second batch sit for 2 days to see what happens.

The result is a (to me) more palatable drink.  Your mileage may vary, and my first batch results might have differed from a regular 3-day ferment because the grains were dormant in my fridge for awhile before I got brave enough to start this adventure.

I put the entire second batch in a glass pitcher with a rubber seal, added some vanilla extract, and left it on the counter so that it could create bubbles and become a sort of Cream Soda.  There was pressure when I went to open it after 2 days, but nothing like opening a bottle of soda. Still, the kefir is palatable (maybe too sweet....I may cut back a tad on sugar---especially since I realized I'm not using an entire 2 quarts of water in my jar once I leave headspace at the top---companies must not make actual 2 quart jars anymore with their cutting back and all....).

I want to find some glass bottles with seals and clamps, old-fashioned style, to bottle the kefir and maybe make Ginger Beer with it.  Something to look into for sure! 

I think this will be a good summer project to do with the kids as well! :) I bet they will have fun creating different flavors! If I get individual bottles, they can make their own individual drinks!