Saturday, March 16, 2013

Homeade Probiotics.. or my sons favorite drink ever :)

My Garden has been a gateway into healthier and more frugal living. It seems every year I find something new to try. Some things are total flops.. others become a way of life that I think nothing about and just do. Water Kefir has become a normal part of our every day lives.

About 6 months ago I started loooking into probiotics. I have a family history of Diverticulitis and had begun having some issues of my own. At 32 with 3 kids I really didn't want to live in pain or be hospitalized, so I began doing research.

In a lot of the more holistic information was that probiotics help keep the gut clean and reduce issues of Diverticulitis. But they were all so expensive. Live cultures were said to work the best, but a 30 day supply was upwards of $30 for one person. Something I really couldn't afford.

I finally came across information on Water Kefir. Grains that grow in sugar water and ferment the water growing good bacteria that helps the gut. They actually eat out most of the sugar, the drink is oddly not sweet unless you make it that way after the first ferment. (there can be trace amounts of acholol depending on what you add and how long it ferments.. As of yet mine has never tasted like it had any. But I don't ferment mine for to long.





Basically you need a jar like this. I like these because they are easy to burp and fully seal.

You need Kefir grains. About 1/4 of a cup is all you need to start with.
These will more then likely reproduce and grow bigger. I started with 1/4 of a cup and now have 1 1/2 cups of them :)

You also will need a plastic strainer. You really don't want to use metal, it can kill the bacteria. Just like in sour dough bread.

I found one that was built into a funnel. It helps out a lot if I use a skinny bottle.

You also need un chlorinated water, you can use regular water that has sat out over night or boiled on the stove and cooled, or bottled water. Just make sure it's cool. The grains like warmth but grow better with cooler water to start.

You also need sugar. This is what the grains feed on. Any type of sugar works even plain white sugar. Depending on what sugar you use, you'll get diffrent flavors and different amounts of carbonation. Some times I use a bit of each sugar I have or only white. It just depends on the day.

I also add some unsulfured Molasses to add Iron to the drink.

My basic recipe for the first ferment is:

1/4 to 1/2 cup Kefir Grains
6 cups unchlorinated water
6 Tblsp of Sugar (any mix just as long as it's 6 Tblsp
1/4 to 1/2  tsp of Molasses
Mix together, close and seal lid and let sit for 2 days.
 Burp at least once a day so pressure doesn't build.
If you taste it and it's no longer really sweet it's ready for a second ferment.


Remove grains and start another batch.
Take your fermented water and add either fresh fruit, 100% real fruit juice or homemade jam.
Let sit on the counter for up to 2 days, again burping every day at least once maybe more.
Then place in fridge so it gets cold and drink at least a cup a day. You can let it ferment longer if you want a alcoholic drink.

(the first few days drink only a little until your body gets used to it. It can cause a detox effect)

My family loves it with either Ginger or homemade Blueberry jam added.




It turns into a pretty, fresh tasting drink, that even my son loves.

My husband and I have both noticed the benefits of this drink. I am no longer having signs of Diverticulitis, the pain is gone. My Husband who has IBS has had no symptoms since starting to drink this. 

If you have any questions please feel free to ask. 

Here's to a healthier life, using less money :)

Sunday, March 10, 2013

I'm tired of hearing....." I don't have the time"

Okay so I say my pet peeve too.. and yes I could cut down on my Farmville time in order to blog more so you can see what's happening around here..   But I am still living our frugal  life even when I don't have the time.

I challenge you to take a half hour of your tv time, or computer time, Ipod time or phone time and try one little frugal living activity that you ... "don't have the time to do that".

Start small.. Cooking: either make a meal from scratch, try your hand at making bread.. or take that Chicken carcass from last night and boil up a pot of stock.

Homemaking: Make a few candles in jars.. it's simple.. just grab an old pot, some half used candles that you would throw away, some wicks (any hobby store should carry them) and a wooden spoon.
Sew a pretty pillow case, or knit a scarf

Preserving: got a bunch of strawberries about to go bottoms up?  make jam or freeze in ice cube trays to add to drinks. You bought that great food saver but never use it.. get her out and use it.

There is no end to the ideas you could do in just a half hour a day!

Today, I have stock going, the bread dough from last night was baked, anti fungs tea was made for our plants, a candle made and laundry soap going.  Yes they won't be done in a half hour.. but the time I spend activly working with them is only about a half hour.

I challenge you to try one Frugal/ Homesteading thing this week... just a half hour a day.
And I challenge myself to actively blog everyday this week. Let's see how this goes :)

Thursday, January 10, 2013

2013 Big Changes ahead

Okay again it's been a while.. It seems like everytime I think I'm going to be able to write I get lost in life.. Not hard to do with 3 kiddos and a husband, huge Gardens, Preserving ect.

I now will be really trying to blog. You see I have been chosen to go through the Master Gardner's course that is done by our local extension. I am so excited and hoping to show our Garden changes to everyone. Things I have learned and have been able to do thanks to this program.

Hubby is excited and so are the kids. I hope to be able to use this as a way for all of us to volunteer not just me.. and praying it's a step twoards my goal of a community Garden in our area. The other huge goal is to help start a Farmer's Market in the Town I grew up in. This would be awesome for my kids and they would love to have their own Beds that they could take care of and then sell what they grow.

Hubby is starting a new Trucking Job so things are getting exciting. Look for many changes to come..