Traditional fermentation of foods increases enzymes and nutrients and adds beneficial probiotics. When you are ready to take the plunge and try your hand at it, there is no easier food for fermentation newbies to start with than dairy. It is a critical skill to master as most brands of commercial yogurt do not compare to homemade.
They are typically cultured for a very short period of time and may even have milk solids added before the short ferment begins. This defeats the purpose thus keeping carbohydrate content very high even when the fermentation process is complete.
As an encouragement to those who perhaps haven’t tried making yogurt or its cousin kefir yet, I wanted to share with you some pictures of those who have taken the challenge already and are getting awesome results.
Amanda Molnar’s Perfectly Fermented Kefir
Notice the kefir grains are visible in this picture just before Amanda transfers them to a new batch, which will earn her another entry in the challenge!
Lorraine Carlstrom’s Colorful Raw Kefir Smoothie
Lorraine added coconut oil, egg yolks, and fruit to her morning raw kefir smoothie!
Kristin Marlin’s Incubating Raw Yogurt
Not one to start slowly, Kristin Marlin entered the challenge with 3 batches of yogurt at once! Notice how she has her raw yogurt nestled in with thick towels to keep them warm to allow the culture to firmly establish itself during the fermentation period. Love those gorgeous fermentation vessels too!
Miranda Meador’s Yogurt Breakfast
Miranda Meador made this lovely bowl of yogurt for breakfast … but it ended up being for lunch instead!
Bailey Keenan’s Supercharged Kefir Smoothie
Bailey’s creation contains kefir, a little water, a banana, an apple, some frozen strawberries and blueberries, a little chlorella powder, some bee pollen and flax seeds, and a couple of big spoonfuls of coconut oil. YUM!
Carey Blinn’s Jars of Fermenting Kefir
For 25 years, Carey battled daily bouts of indigestion, bloating and acid reflux. She used to use Tums or Di-Gel constantly to settle her stomach. Carey originally started into Traditional Cooking after finding my videos on YouTube and now she is a fermenting queen. Raw kefir, in particular, has changed her life and health in amazingly positive ways!
Hopefully, one or more of these pictures from everyday folks just like you will encourage you to take the plunge to try and make either kefir or yogurt yourself for the very first time!
I let my kefir sit too long, so I made cheese and whey, and then I accidentally ate my grains! They never did get very big, so I didn’t notice them as I was stuffing myself with the cheese! 🙁
We had our kefir pineapple, blueberry and swiss chard kefir smoothie today. Oh and I added a little hemp seeds today.
I’ve been doing a batch of kefir every day. My baby’s eczema is getting better just because I’m drinking some every day. Smoothies are so yummy!
This is a picture of laban matbukh that I made. It is a traditional Arabic soup made with yogurt and considered very healthy. It is often fed to women after they have children, guests and on Fridays. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=4838669882565&set=a.2534119550247.2142266.1171309191&type=1&theater
just took the grains our of the fridge where they have been hibernating. now in the cupboard awaiting smoothies in the morning!
I made kefir 🙂
Ginny, my coconut oil is solid this time of year, too. If you have a good blender, it will break it up and blend it right in!
Another batch of kefir. Going to have to freeze more grains soon. They grow so happily!
Thanks Sarah!