What to do when the weather is just too wet to go outside
and garden?
It’s always a bit of a dilemma finding things to do in the
house as you might start to notice the cobwebs that are slowly covering the
wall edges in the kitchen that need clearing away. Even worse you might realise that the walls
need painting and there’s a host of other DIY jobs that need doing, not to
mention the bowl full of dishes or piles of laundry that need doing.
You could always try and finish off the bottles of booze
that have been left over from Christmas and New Year, which will at least take
your mind off things that need doing for a few hours. But if you are like me
and have nothing left over from the festive period apart from bits of sellotape
stuck to the walls and a pair of socks, then how about having a play with some
Water Kefir grains?
“What are Water Kefir Grains “?
This is what I asked my mother in law only this time last
week and now it seems, I am now the kefir master of the house. It’s not hard as
this stuff grows on its own and as yet is only asking for sugar to help it
ferment. It’s very similar the Kombucha
sweetened fermented tea that’s doing the rounds now and like Kombucha, there
are a multitude of health benefits claims.
Kefir Grains
You can get Irish Moss plants which are not Irish and also
not a moss. Kefir grains likewise are not ‘grains’ as such, they are a mixture
of bacteria and yeast living together in symbiosis to produce loads of
probiotics, probably something similar to a fungi.
The mixture is called a culture and there are different
types, some of them are happy to be fed by goat, sheep or cows milk. I have now
got a bowl of the type that like just water and sugar.
The grains resemble the water absorbing granules that you
can add to soil (or get from nappies) and multiply quickly when added to a linen
covered bowl of sugar water. These are left for a couple of days to ferment and
then the grains are sieved off leaving the liquid to be flavoured with anything
you fancy. I am choosing ginger and lemon simply because I have these
ingredients in the house. If it’s anything like wine you could flavour it with
a mint like I did once, or even an old boot (did anyone really do that?) The resulting mix can be drunk a couple of
days later after it’s been decanted into airtight glass bottles.
Alcoholic
The resulting drink is slightly fizzy after the yeast has
been to work and also it turns out, slightly alcoholic. I don’t think its cause
for concern with non-drinkers though as the amount of alcohol present is
slightly less than eating over ripe fruit.
Friendship Cake
I remember something called a ‘Friendship Cake’ culture that
did the round years ago (It’s probably still out there somewhere and its name
is Herman – that’s true) It contained yeast and lactic acid and the idea was/is
to make your cake and then as it multiplies, pass half of it on to a friend (or
son in law) I got so fed up of the stuff I think I ended up putting it in the
compost bin.
If the amount being
produced gets too much of a good thing kefir liquid can be used for cooking
apparently but I’m not really sure what you would add it too, maybe it’d make
the buns rise.
The good thing about the Kefir culture though is you can
‘switch it off’ so to speak. Just like the water absorbing granules, you can
lay these grains out and dry them off over a few days. They will then keep for
six months which is more than enough time to rekindle your enthusiasm for
drinking sugar filled fermented drinks.
If you are interested in setting yourself up with a bowl you
could buy the culture off ebay for €1.30 a spoonful (yes you heard me, this
probiotic lark is a huge money earner!)
Or you can pop around to my house and I’ll fill up a jar for you for
nothing. Be quick though, when it stops raining I’m heading for the compost
heap.
