I love fermented drinks and my latest favorite is from water kefir grains.  My only prior experience with kefir was some form of dairy kefir drink at Whole Foods which really upset my stomach so I was a little nervous to take this on.  I was lucky enough to get some grains from a friend and she showed me the way.  The finished drink reminds me of coconut water, very refreshing.  Unlike kombucha, here I have not come up with a bad flavor combination.  The keifer is a little more neutral in flavor as it grows in sugar water.  I've also added them to already flavored sugar water but I didn't like that as much as it gets a little complicated.  If there's any residue it can attach to the grains and I prefer to keep mine neutral.  I did one with figs and swear I'm still digging little fig seeds out of the grains! 

​Here's my basic routine with water kefir grains:

iOnce the kefir drink is ready then I add the flavor.  The simplest way to flavor is by adding juice or fruit. For adding juice I put in a glass jar and fill about 3/4 full of kefir and 1/4 with juice.  I don't measure, just use this as a guideline.  I store in the fridge and the longer it sits the stronger the flavor becomes. 

Other easy ways is to flavor is to add whole pieces of fruit or 1/2 of a juiced lime or lemon.  Grapefruit is another great flavor with the kefir.  Depending on the size I add either 1/2 or 1/4 of the juiced fruit to each jar of keifer.  I've added blackberries, cherries, oranges and herbs right to the jar for flavor as well.  The fruit will loose it's color the longer it sits and the kefir will become stronger in flavor.

​If I'm out of fruit I have added vanilla extract with great success.  The formula I have read is 3 tsp to 2 quarts but I haven't measured.  I add the kefer to the jar I will drink out of and give a little pour of vanilla.  If I want to kick the vanilla up a bit I have added maraschino cherries and that is one of my favorites. 

​The jars I use to store the finished product and drink from are recycled kombucha, tea, or juice jars.  Mason jars work as well.  For my fermentation vessels I use glass carafes from thrift stores.  I strain the grains out into a glass measuring cup then fill the jars individually with a funnel.

​Rinse green onions under warm water and drain.  Place with herbs in a small food processor and process until fine.  Add 1/2 cup mayonnaise and continue processing until well mixed.  Remove from processor and add to a bowl.  Add remaining mayonnaise and sour cream and whisk until smooth.  Add remaining ingredients and whisk until combined.  Adjust seasoning if necessary.  Refrigerate until ready to use.  You will have some dressing left over.

Blueberry Breakfast Bars
Outpost Co-Op, Milwaukee WI

1 3/4 cups rolled oats
1 1/2 cups gluten free flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup dark brown sugar, packed
1 cup almonds, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, melted
2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
1/2 cup sugar
3 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons corn starch
2 tablespoons lemon juice

1. Preheat oven to 350.  Line the bottom of a 10x10" baking pan with parchment paper, making sure it comes up all sides of the pan.

2. In a large bowl, combine oats, flour, baking soda, brown sugar, almonds and salt.  Add melted butter and mix well.  The mix should be soft and crumble.  Set aside 1 cup of the mixture and press the remaining mixture firmly in the bottom of the prepared pan.  Bake for 8-10 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, put blueberries, sugar and 2 tablespoons of water in medium saucepan.  Bring to a boil and simmer for about two minutes, stirring occasionally.

4. In a small bowl, combine remaining water, cornstarch and lemon juice.  Stir into blueberry mixture until thick, for about a minute, then remove from heat.

5. Spread blueberry mixture evenly over cooked crust and press remaining oat mixture onto the blueberries, being careful as the blueberries are hot.

6. Bake bars 18-20 minutes or until golden brown.  Cool on wire rack.  To cut bars, lift the entire block out of the pan using the parchment paper, peel paper away from sides and cut into desired sized bars.  The bars will keep a few days in the fridge - if they last that long!