Fruit kefir

If ever there was a miracle drink, this is it!

Fruit kefir, or water kefir, is a little bundle of goodness.

A source oftrace elements, vitamins and minerals, it is a highly digestible probiotic food that cleanses the intestinal flora and stimulates transit. It provides healthy bacteria and yeast for digestion and healthy body function, boosts the immune system and helps prevent vascular accidents.

Consumed throughout the year, it helps maintain good health, and when the warm weather arrives, it’s particularly appreciated for its refreshing sparkle!

But what is fruit kefir really?

It’s an ancestral drink made from yeast and lactic acid bacteria, visible as small translucent grains. It is obtained by fermenting the grains in water, with dried fruit and lemon. In contact with the sugar in the fruit, the kefir grains ferment, producing carbon dioxide. After a few hours, the water will be slightly fizzy and tangy.

A living food, kefir grains grow and multiply naturally when prepared regularly. That’s why kefir can’t be sold, but is always lovingly passed on from one person to another, when it starts to feel a little cramped in its jar.

Want to get started? Follow the guide!

A few precautions before you start:

• Prefer plastic (yes, for once!), wood, ceramic or glass utensils for direct contact with the seeds. Avoid utensils made of reactive metals (such as aluminum or copper), as the acidity of the solution can release metal ions that will damage the crop.
• You should also avoid adding honey to your preparation, as honey has antiseptic properties and the kefir grains do not tolerate it well.

Step 1: Kefir fermentation

Start by removing 1 tablespoon of kefir grains and placing them in a large jar with 1 liter of water (we use running water). Add 1-2 dried figs, halved, and half an organic lemon, sliced.

• Dried fruit provides the sugar needed to ferment your kefir. Its state will also indicate when the kefir is ready: by this time, all the fruit will have risen to the surface of the water!
• Lemon, an acidic fruit, lowers the pH of the preparation and preserves the kefir. It also provides vitamins, minerals and a fresh taste.

The most common fruit kefir flavor islemon-figue. Dry figs give the shortest fermentation time.

But you can replace them and mix up the flavours!

Replace dried figs with dates, apricots, apples, pears, peaches, bananas, raisins or dried mangoes! And sour fruit withorange, raspberry, strawberry, pineapple etc.

Cover with gauze or leave the jar ajar (your preparation should be able to “breathe”, so don’t seal it) and leave your kefir to do its work for 24 to 48 hours at room temperature.

Depending on the temperature, kefir will ferment more or less quickly. It will ferment faster in summer than in winter, for example, as fermentation slows down at cooler temperatures.

Step 2: Strain your kefir!

After 24 to 48 hours, when your dried fruit has risen to the surface, your fruit kefir will be ready. Remove the fruit, squeeze the lemon into your mixture, and if you’re wondering what to do with it, eat the dried fruit that has risen to the surface – it’s full of nutrients too!

The kefir grains can then be strained through a plastic strainer (avoid metal!). Pour the liquid into a glass bottle.

Rinse your grains with clean water and place in a jar filled with water anda tablespoon of sugar. Or restart the fermentation cycle directly by adding new figs and lemon to your kefir.

Once prepared, it keeps for 3-4 days in the refrigerator.

You can also leave your bottle at room temperature for 1 day, where it will continue to ferment and become more carbonated and acidic. It’s up to you! Then store in a cool place.

Once filtered, you can add fresh fruit, aromatic herbs (mint, thyme, sage, rosemary), tea or sweeten it to your liking (agave syrup, honey…). Vary the pleasures of seasonal produce!

How to store your grains?

If you make kefir regularly, keep it in its jar and don’t forget to feed it after each fermentation. You can space out your preparations, in which case give it a tablespoon of sugar every week to keep it alive. Change the water every 15 days or so.

Kefir needs its regular dose of sugar to stay in shape!

Don’t close the jar hermetically, just place it on top, so that your seeds can “breathe”.

To keep fruit kefir grains dry, simply dry them flat on a plate, as they will shrink. Then store them in an airtight container, away from light. They’ll keep for about a year.

When you’re ready to rehydrate them, gradually add a little sugar water for around 12 hours. Discard the water and replace the sugar water, several times over 3-4 days, so that you can reuse it as usual.

Kefir grains can also be frozen ; they keep well this way too.

Now you know how to make your own fruit kefir!

Don’t forget to talk to your kefir with affection – it’ll be all the better for it! And when it’s all grown up and you’ve got too much, share it with the people around you.

See you soon!