Repairing your Microbiome: Making Kefir at Home

Cultured dairy is a traditional food in many cultures. When refrigeration isn’t available fresh milk can only keep for a couple of days before it spontaneously cultures, as in sour or clabbered milk. Adding a starter culture – be it from a previous batch or other source – has long been the method of creating consistent flavors and textures in ones cultured milk. Milk kefir is one of these cultures. Thought to originate in the Caucuses Mountains, this culture is added to fresh milk and allowed to culture for 12-24 hours, sometimes even longer, and results in a tangy, flavorful milk with the consistency of a pourable yogurt. Milk kefir has many health benefits, and can be made at home.