Monday, May 2, 2011

~ Strawberry Kefir Yogurt ~


My daughter loves dairy, specifically yogurt and kefir. I had a room temp yogurt culture, the Matsoni from Cultures for Health and loved it but then my supply of raw milk was inconsistent so I let the yogurt go and kept up with the kefir. I also purchased my kefir grains from Cultures for Health and love them. I even preheated them to 400 degrees and they lived. Kefir grains are not tolerant of high heat, but these little guys keep right on trucking. For more info on the products that Cultures for Health carries please see the link on the left sidebar.

Grace loves kefir and has it three to four times a day and she is rarely sick. In fact, this winter, when that horrible stomach bug was going around she was the only on that didn't get it. I believe that from eating all the kefir she does she has exceptional gut flora which in turn gives her an exceptional immune system.

Bowl, strainer, flour sack towel.
To make yogurt out of kefir I lay a clean flour sack towel in a strainer and pour my kefir in. I put the strainer on top of a bowl to collect they whey that drains out. As the whey drains the kefir thickens. I let it sit over night and it is perfect "greek" yogurt. Smooth and creamy. Past flavors have included Vanilla Maple and today we made Strawberry.

I blended a dozen half frozen strawberries in the food processor and then dumped in my strained kefir. I didn't add any sugar which I love and then members of the family who need a  little extra sweet can add some raw honey.

I was considering getting a yogurt culture again but I think I will order another batch of kefir grains and make a gallon of kefir at a time. We make a half gallon at a time at the moment but that doesn't last very long especially when it isn't just Grace that is eating the kefir yogurt.

Super simple and super good!

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7 comments:

  1. Melissa HullMay 2, 2011 at 11:47 AM

    This looks great! I've done yogurt cheese in the same way ;)

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  2. LeighMay 2, 2011 at 12:51 PM

    You know, I make a lot of yogurt and yogurt cheese, but have never tried kefir. Looks like I need to.

    BTW, I read your "about me" and absolutely love everything you're in to!

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  3. Sarah SmithMay 2, 2011 at 5:14 PM

    What a great idea! One question: have you tried this with kefir made from raw milk? Just wondering as our kefir is normally made with raw milk, which makes it seem a bit chunkier.

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  4. Megan @ Purple Dancing DahliasMay 2, 2011 at 7:29 PM

    Sarah - we only use raw milk here and ours generally is a bit chunky too. I run my kefir through a plastic sieve (sp?) to strain out the grains and then strain out the whey to make it into yogurt.

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  5. Sarah SmithMay 3, 2011 at 8:19 AM

    Great, thanks!

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  6. Kathleen at Providence FarmsFebruary 16, 2012 at 9:59 AM

    I found you from the Barn Hop. We make kefir and yogurt from our goat's milk, but I never thought of draining the kefir to make a yogurt. Awesome idea.

    BTW, how long do you let your kefir culture? I end up letting mine culture for 48 hours or more in the winter, but it gets so sour.

    Also, I've had HUGE success with making yogurt with a store bought Greek yogurt (plain whole fat). It turns out fabulous every time. Okay, once it didn't, but that was user error. :-) Check it out....http://kathleen.peterro.com/2011/10/far-thee-well-o-yogurt

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    Replies
    1. Megan @ Purple Dancing DahliasFebruary 16, 2012 at 3:18 PM

      Hi Kathleen - I try and only let my kefir set for 24 hours but sometimes I just don't get to it. The experts say that to be good to your grains they should only be left to culture for 24 hours and if you want a thicker kefir to let your strained kefir sit on the counter at room temp until it is as thick as you like. :)

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