Water Kefir

After hearing Sandor Katz speak recently, my interest in probiotics was renewed. I searched Craigslist for someone willing to give away a kombucha mother, no to avail. I did, however, find a family selling water kefir grains at way less than retail price. So, I drove out to the country and picked up 1/4 cup. They look like translucent ice melt crystals to me. 

The process is exceedingly simple. Just put 1/4 cup sugar (organic, preferably) into hot water and mix till it dissolves, then add cold water to fill up a quart jar, so it ends up as room temperature water. Dump in the grains, and let it sit out like this for 2-3 days:

It needs air, but you also gotta keep the fruit flies out. After sitting, it's a little fizzy and less sweet than the sugar water it began as (and supposedly, really good for your internal workings). 

This is a much "cleaner" experience than kombucha, since there aren't floaties and no slimey mother to deal with. If I wanted, I could now remove the grains, add some juice, and let it ferment another couple days. I'll check the fridge and see if we have juice!

Mine is amber-colored because I used raw Demerara sugar, which is brown.