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coconut kefir?

Has anyone had success making vegan coconut kefir? I was using non vegan kefir starter to make it and want to find a way around using it, hopefully without having to buy kefir grains as well. I'm thinking about leaving the pudding(just young coconut meat + coconut water) out on the counter overnight to see if anything happens...Would anything help like adding kombucha, or lime juice? I'm mad about fermented foods right now and they make me feel amazing so I'm really trying to make this work somehow...help please! :)

Comments

  • pixxpixx Raw Master

    I don't have any answers for you-- I am interested too! I figured I would add a comment, so it will bump to the front page-- more folks will see it there, and hopefully someone will have an answer for us!

  • daniefondaniefon Raw Newbie

    Couldn't you add a little probiotic powder?

  • yeah good thinkin' pixx, thanks

    daniefon, yeah that's an option to try after the kombucha. reason being I have the one on hand.

    I'm wondering if rejuvelac would work as well...just playing around will all these fermented drinks I have on hand....

  • pixxpixx Raw Master

    Probiotics would make yogurt. I'm not real familiar with kefir...isn't it a bit different than yogurt?

  • I've done it, but only with an envelope of powdered starter. Saving 4 oz. per half gallon to start the next batch works for about 4 batches, which cuts down on the cost of the starter powder. I recently got some sugar (aka water) kefir grains, which are to be used for fermenting w/o dairy. No result to report yet. I'm hoping the sugar kefir grains last longer than the powdered starter. They should continue to reproduce and multiply, especially when given some ginger in the brew.

    I'm pretty sure you can't make Kefir with Kombucha as a starter, though I'm sure you would get something? Kefir comes from a particular culture of bacteria. It think it is basically Lactobacillus, though. I use the same starter for coconut yogurt as for coconut water kefir. I've heard that any probiotic powder will work tho I haven't tried it personally. You will get something healthful and nutritious. I'm not sure that a purist would call it Kefir but that may not matter to you?

    I also use a powdered fermented vege starter to make kraut of all sorts with no salt or vinegar. The best is root vege kraut - shredded carrots, golden beets, parsnips, turnips and LOTS of ginger. It is a great way to eat more local food in the NE/MW US and preserve those fall veges for later consumption.

    I get my powdered stuff from BodyEcology.com and I got my sugar/water kefir grains and Kombucha mushroom from HappyHerbalist.com.

    Good luck and happy fermenting!

  • have_merseyhave_mersey Raw Newbie

    I heard kefir cannot keep reproducing without animal milk. I believe it was due to lactose. I would really love to try it. :( But I guess I can make yogurt and such. Unless anyone knows the magic of keeping the "grains" happy vegan-ly.

  • I guess I should have been clearer, but y'all understood anyway so it's all good.. yeah, I'm not worried about making a true kefir culture, just a vegan coconut yogurt. Something fermented and delicious to soothe and nourish the gut. I'm keen on getting lots of good bacteria in me to fight off candida.

    It seems like the best option is use probiotic packets? I was hoping to avoid that since they're a bit pricey for me but hey, I'm up for trying to out.

    Any thoughts about leaving out the blended coconut sans added cultures to see if anything happens?

    jenoz, I love kraut too! Sounds like you're a master at it though, sheesh, be my neighbor! I've tried making it a few times but it spoiled on me...leaving me confused. I did make some dill pickles that really hit the spot, maybe you've seen the recipe on here.

    If anyone has success using water kefir grains with vegan milk/yogurt then please let me know!!!

  • waterbaby12347waterbaby12347 Raw Newbie

    Jenoz~ I would love to have your recipe for kraut without salt and vinegar!!! Would you be so kind to share???

    Thanking you in advance!!! PLEEEEZE?!?!??! smile

  • rawmamanibblesrawmamanibbles Raw Newbie

    I made cashew milk kefir before- Awesome! i used a kefir starter pk though. u could but by a container of kefir dump it out and get the grains - wash them off and place them in your desired milk?

    i dunno im wanting to make some coconut milk yogurt too - i might give that a try. but i has to stay @ 110 temp, maybe set your dehydrator and place it in there. i know regular yogurt at 110 is dont within 4-8 hours. at least thats what wild fermentation say - BTW awesome book!!!!

  • pixxpixx Raw Master

    110? wow, I would have never thought it needed to be that high for coconut yogurt. I made regular yogurt for decades, and kept it at 85 degrees for 8 hours. (I used a large pot of water, sitting on a heating pad, set on low, put the jars into the pot of water, water up to the neck, but NOT over the tops of the jars, & cover the pot with lid.)

  • rawmamanibblesrawmamanibbles Raw Newbie

    good thinking, thats only what i read - however everytime i make raw goat yogurt @ 110 it terribly tart ..... im going to give cocout yogurt a try tomarrow - maybe i'll just place it outside in the sun since im here in florida.......

  • cool, keep us posted on the coconut yogurt! I'm thinking of making some tomorrow too

  • gratefultobegratefultobe Raw Newbie

    Ultra kosher, extremist or lol "health" vegans. Learn ? something new everyday.

  • Foot FootFoot Foot Raw Newbie

    I've made brown coconut kefir with the non-vegan grains. Real simple, rinse the milk from the grains and plop them in a glass jar with the coconut juice and wait a day or two. May take a little bit longer to ferment than the dairy. Don't see why it wouldn't work with a young coconut.

    The non-vegan grains need dairy to survive, so vegan batches must be rotated with dairy batches, preferrably organic goat milk, but anything from heavy cream to eggnog can will suffice. Dairy batches are great for bathing as they soften the skin, but be careful to scrub down afterword (with honey or something if you don't use soap) because you could end up smelling like rotten milk for the rest of the day. Ultra-kosher and extremist vegans may not go for this, but health vegans will love it.

    The dairy grains can be employed to make a variety of vegan kefirs as long as you keep them healthy. My favorites: Amazake Kefir and Apple Cider Kefir!

  • Foot FootFoot Foot Raw Newbie

    Well yeahh...

    We all have different motives for being vegan, which means we all have different perspectives about what is acceptable to our vegan lifestyle. PETA volunteers may not like the suggestion of bathing in fermented goat's milk, but one who is eating vegan for health purposes may try different types of bathing for health purposes. Somebody who's really touchy about their veganism might think that a kefir made from a grain that touched milk and has to go back into milk in order to survive is not "vegan-kosher", while a freegan may readily take to the idea of utilizing a continous culture that produces a relatively cheap and versitile product. Then you have the vegan that says the kefir grains are living too, and it's cruel to submit them to your agenda. Yep. All kinds of vegans.

    But really, try the Amazake Kefir. It's not raw, but it's a double ferment.

  • rawmamanibblesrawmamanibbles Raw Newbie

    what is amazake kefir?

  • have_merseyhave_mersey Raw Newbie

    As I bought two young coconuts last week...I used a little probiotics and left the blended "meat" & water out, but covered, overnight...It looked slightly like thin yogurt,..I went to try it..and ..it was carbonated? Is that okay? It was so weird, with the very tingly bubbles, I was worried and tossed it into the compost. So..any thoughts on this?

  • Foot FootFoot Foot Raw Newbie

    Amazake is fermented brown rice. It can be made at home by boiling 2 cups brown rice with 6 cups water for one hour, then letting it cool to a point where it is still warm to the touch, but wont burn. One then adds 2 cups of rice koji(rice inoculated with Aspergillus Oryzae), mixes it up, puts it in a glass jar, puts the jar in a cooler, pours steaming water into the cooler and closed the lid, so as to keep the heat in. The idea is to incubate the koji for 10-14 hours at a temperature that does not exceed 140 degrees(anything higher than this will kill the koji). Every couple of hours the water must be changed. After the allotted time period you have very sweet rice. Some boil the finish product to assure that no further fermentation occurs, however in my experience a fridgerator has the same effect. This can be pureed into a versatile pudding-like liquid, called "amazake concentrate" which can then be blended with water to produce a shake-like beverage. There are various recipes online.

    Amazake can also be purchased at many healthfood stores as a beverage. (http://www.grainaissance.com/index.html) Plop the kefir grains in and you'll have the best vegan kefir you've ever tasted.

  • Foot FootFoot Foot Raw Newbie

    Carbonation is okay. Here's a great website anybody who makes kefir at home:

    http://users.chariot.net.au/~dna/kefirpage.html

  • have_merseyhave_mersey Raw Newbie

    Darn, and I threw it out! :( I suppose it was better safe than sorry, since I've not tried coconut kefir before...at least my garden got some good organisms!

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