The good news is that Jesus is about to be born, but the other good news is that I now have a recipe plug-in installed for posting recipes. Two different friends have recently asked me to share how I make water kefir, so I'm going to kick things off with this recipe. Please don't let the length and wordiness of the recipe deter you. I wanted to write out very detailed instructions since water kefir is something that many people are unfamiliar with, but something that is extremely easy to make once you establish your routine.
According to the Cultures for Health website (where you can find the grains I ordered), "Water Kefir is a probiotic beverage made with water kefir grains...[which] consist of bacteria and yeast existing in a symbiotic relationship. The term kefir grains describes the look of the culture only. Water kefir grains contain no actual "grains" such as wheat or rye." You can find lots of helpful FAQs related to making water kefir on the Cultures for Health website as well.
Water kefir helps us stay healthy because it is rich in probiotics, the gut-friendly bacteria that promote a healthy immune system and a healthy digestive tract. I truly believe since my kids started drinking water kefir just over a year ago, that they've been sick less often and have stayed sick for shorter amounts of time.
Water kefir is also great because it lets me let my kids drink juice daily and not worry about too much sugar. It's a healthy sweet drink that they ASK to drink. The only problem is that we run out too soon and I usually wish I had two batches of grains so I could make twice as much. As it stands now, I make a new batch every three days in under five minutes.
If you're interested in trying something new and healthy in the kitchen in 2017, this is it. (Homemade elderberry syrup is a close second, so we'll have to discuss that some other time.) Without further ado, here's a detailed explanation in PDF (printable) format for just what to do: