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*Farmgirl Barter™:  Tibicos (Water Kefir) Grains Available  |
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urban chickie
True Blue Farmgirl
734 Posts
Catherine
Niles
IL
USA
734 Posts |
 Posted - Sep 26 2011 : 10:42:45 AM
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My grains seemed a little slacking....they were fermenting fine but not growing. I think it's because I use filtered water and they need the minerals. Our water is highly chlorinated so I need to filter, but I am going to try using spring or mineral water sporadically for on now. Too expensive to buy daily! Anyways, I ordered some more. Then after I ordered, I found some dehydrated ones I had forgotten about lol. Both the rejuvenated from dehydration and the new ones are growing. And growing. So, now I have a huge amount on hand. Anyone want some? In trade, I would love any homemade preserves/jams, or similar garden stuff that might ship well. Or, make an offer....I just don't want to have to throw them away if someone can put them to use. And if you also want milk kefir grains, I might have enough to share of those as well, just not as many as the tibicos grains.
Catherine
Farmgirl #1370
City Girl By Birth,
Suburbanite By Location,
Farmgirl at Heart
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gramadinah
True Blue Farmgirl
3557 Posts
Diana
Orofino
ID
USA
3557 Posts |
Posted - Sep 26 2011 : 12:59:50 PM
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So I just found Kefir grains for Milk what is the water Kefir grains? I would be interested. I have all kinds of jams and jelly's. I will email too.
Diana
Farmgirl Sister #273 |
Edited by - gramadinah on Sep 26 2011 5:06:18 PM |
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urban chickie
True Blue Farmgirl
734 Posts
Catherine
Niles
IL
USA
734 Posts |
Posted - Sep 26 2011 : 3:17:43 PM
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Some folk call them water kefir grains, but I like the term tibicos because it points out that they are really two different things. What they have in common is that they, like kombucha and sourdough starter, are an active, live blend of both yeasts and bacteria that are fermented into a healthy edible. While you feed a kefir ferment with milk, you feed a tibicos ferment with sweet water. Different microorganisms needing different foods....the taste is sweeter but with a definite tang. Also, most folk do not drink it plain. They ferment with dried fruits, and/or pieces of lemon or ginger. My favorite ferment for tibicos is ginger and dried apricots. To a quart mason jar I fill 3/4 with water and 1/4 c sugar, shake it to dissolve the sugar, then add the grains from the previous batch with one piece dried ginger and a few dried apricots. 24 hours later, the fruit is floating on top and I toss that (some eat the fruit but I don't usually like it), drain the drink off the grains, and add the grains to a new batch of sugar water. You can drink it at that point or do another ferment without the grains...grape juice is particularly yummy and will make a good amount of carbonation. Really, any dried fruit will work, but you need to be sure that it's not sulphured. Fermented sulphur is nasty! And fresh fruit is usually avoided because it will soften so much that you cannot drain the grains off the fruit pulp. The rains are more delicate than kefir grains. They look like soft-edged sugar crystals, but will break apart easily.
I started drinking tibicos when I realized I was drinking lots of icky soda - helped me get off that without giving up flavor. I still drink it daily, but once again I enjoy water as well. When I got on the soda kick, I wasn't interested in water. An added bonus is that it is probiotic!
Catherine
Farmgirl #1370
City Girl By Birth,
Suburbanite By Location,
Farmgirl at Heart
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deeziner
Farmgirl in Training
44 Posts
cheri
montrose
co
USA
44 Posts |
Posted - Sep 26 2011 : 7:00:03 PM
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I'd very much like some kefir grains of both types. I have a few but let them dry out and I don't think they are very strong now. I have some salsa and jams that I've put up (last summer) and would be happy to send you something in exchange. thanks!
With a tiara and the right cape, I could rule the world! |
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urban chickie
True Blue Farmgirl
734 Posts
Catherine
Niles
IL
USA
734 Posts |
Posted - Sep 26 2011 : 10:03:51 PM
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Cheri, I tried sending you a private note but cannot through MJF.....you can send me your address privately and I can send you some grains later this week.
All of the grains have been spoken for at this point. If I get more later, I will let you gals know!
Catherine
Farmgirl #1370
City Girl By Birth,
Suburbanite By Location,
Farmgirl at Heart
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Edited by - urban chickie on Sep 26 2011 10:07:47 PM |
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gramadinah
True Blue Farmgirl
3557 Posts
Diana
Orofino
ID
USA
3557 Posts |
Posted - Sep 30 2011 : 07:44:17 AM
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Catherine are we in this barter I haven't hear anything since the original e-mail/post. The Jams are packed just waiting for an address for you.
Diana
Farmgirl Sister #273 |
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urban chickie
True Blue Farmgirl
734 Posts
Catherine
Niles
IL
USA
734 Posts |
Posted - Sep 30 2011 : 6:32:44 PM
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Diana, I am so sorry, been running in two directions all week at high speed LOL. I sent you an email!
Catherine
Farmgirl #1370
City Girl By Birth,
Suburbanite By Location,
Farmgirl at Heart
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gramadinah
True Blue Farmgirl
3557 Posts
Diana
Orofino
ID
USA
3557 Posts |
Posted - Oct 06 2011 : 4:58:07 PM
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Catherine I received all the cultures and have them growing in my kitchen. Thank you so much.
I put your things in the mail today hope you like them.
Diana
Farmgirl Sister #273 |
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urban chickie
True Blue Farmgirl
734 Posts
Catherine
Niles
IL
USA
734 Posts |
Posted - Oct 06 2011 : 5:19:46 PM
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Diana, the day I packaged it all up I was really rushing and forgot to make a how-to on the tibicos and kefir.....if you have any questions just ask and I can give you a quick run-through. They are very easy to maintain really, and both do best if given new "food" every day but can easily go 2 days, though the finished product gets much tarter then. I have sent out oodles of kombucha cultures to folks so that how-to has grown, and readily available on my computer so that was easy to include! AFter everything is running regular like, you might want to try the kombucha and tibicos mixed. That's one of my favorite summertime drinks :)
Catherine
Farmgirl #1370
City Girl By Birth,
Suburbanite By Location,
Farmgirl at Heart
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Acelady02
True Blue Farmgirl
1266 Posts
Penny
Washington
GA
USA
1266 Posts |
Posted - Oct 06 2011 : 6:38:24 PM
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Catherine, can you tell me how you do the kombucha and tibicos mixed...I have both but never heard of doing that...thanks
(((((Hugs All)))))Penny
Farmgirl Sister #3343
God gives Miracles to those who Believe, Courage to those with Faith, Hope to those who Dream, Love to those who Accept, & Forgiveness to those who Ask... |
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urban chickie
True Blue Farmgirl
734 Posts
Catherine
Niles
IL
USA
734 Posts |
Posted - Oct 06 2011 : 6:43:02 PM
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I mix them about half and half.....I am talking the finished fermented drinks of course, not mixing the cultures! It sweetens the KT a bit if you have over brewed, and is just a nice flavor.
Catherine
Farmgirl #1370
City Girl By Birth,
Suburbanite By Location,
Farmgirl at Heart
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Acelady02
True Blue Farmgirl
1266 Posts
Penny
Washington
GA
USA
1266 Posts |
Posted - Oct 06 2011 : 8:07:31 PM
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thanks I will have to give that a try...don't know why I never thought of it before...guess I just needed a wonderful farmgirl to show me the way..... :)
(((((Hugs All)))))Penny
Farmgirl Sister #3343
God gives Miracles to those who Believe, Courage to those with Faith, Hope to those who Dream, Love to those who Accept, & Forgiveness to those who Ask... |
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AmberNWichita
True Blue Farmgirl
113 Posts
Amber
Wichita
Kansas
USA
113 Posts |
Posted - Oct 07 2011 : 8:03:48 PM
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oh I'd love Water Kefir grains. I have Kombucha SCOBY's if you would like a couple for trade.
I want there to be no peasant in my kingdom so poor that he cannot have a chicken in his pot every Sunday.
Henry IV |
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gramadinah
True Blue Farmgirl
3557 Posts
Diana
Orofino
ID
USA
3557 Posts |
Posted - Oct 09 2011 : 4:46:08 PM
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Catherine I think I have killed them all. What is the Kombucha SCOBYS supposed to be doing? Water kifer grains are dissolved and the milk kifer just made sour milk and separated and the kifer grains were not to be found.
What did I do wrong?
Diana
Farmgirl Sister #273 |
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urban chickie
True Blue Farmgirl
734 Posts
Catherine
Niles
IL
USA
734 Posts |
Posted - Oct 09 2011 : 5:55:27 PM
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Oh, my! Well, you probably didn't kill them all.....the kombucha will not really DO anything, it sort of sits there as a new SCOBY grows on top. How far into it are you? Remember that it will take days for a batch to fully ferment. It may even take 3-5 days for you to see the beginnings of that first baby SCOBY. In the meantime, it all just sort of sits there. YOu aren't going to see any of the activity, it's rather microscopic :)
If you are getting sour milk and separation, that sounds like the fermentation is going good. When shipping kefir grains, you might have to just do a few batches before the balance is restored, so keep it up feeding new milk every day and taste test to see how it is going. The flavor will be tart but if it remains too sour, it may be that you need more milk for that amount of grains, or lower temps to ferment. At first it can be a bit trail and error but I found I could get a decent balance pretty quick. Just keep at it a few more days and things should balance out.
I don't understand how the grains could dissolve, they are full of moisture true but are indeed solid.....they are rather gentle and break apart easily but those smaller pieces grow (though it can take time) if you keep feeding the grains fresh sugar water daily. I am worried that you might have thrown them out with the fruit or such, as they should be readily visible. Well, even small you should see them. I am sort of at a loss of understanding here. Did you use a strainer to pour off the liquid? Unlike kefir, where the grains are in the thick of the fermentation process, with tibicos I have never not seen my grains in the jar. They can move around the jar if air gets trapped in them, but for the most part they sit at the bottom of the jar. Are you sure they aren't still there?
Catherine
Farmgirl #1370
City Girl By Birth,
Suburbanite By Location,
Farmgirl at Heart
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gramadinah
True Blue Farmgirl
3557 Posts
Diana
Orofino
ID
USA
3557 Posts |
Posted - Oct 09 2011 : 6:07:57 PM
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Will go and check. SCOBY is then great.
milk kifer will add some more.
Water KiferI will add more sugar water.
THANKS I really want this to work..
Farmgirl Sister #273 |
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urban chickie
True Blue Farmgirl
734 Posts
Catherine
Niles
IL
USA
734 Posts |
Posted - Oct 09 2011 : 7:37:13 PM
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Be sure to drain off the old milk and water, then put grains in new liquid.....don't just add more new! Think you know this but just in case :)
I always use a strainer, just to make sure I don't accidentally dump valuable grains. Also, the milk kefir can get rather thick round the grains. I just gently shake the strainer, or if I let it go a bit too long (easy to do i warmer weather!) I'll stir it gently with a spoon to make all the soft, almost solid looking stuff separate from the grains. Don't try to clean them per se, that thicker, almost strand-looking goo around the grains is just them doing their thing! But get them clean enough so that you see them as entities, then dump them in fresh milk. HTH!!
Catherine
Farmgirl #1370
City Girl By Birth,
Suburbanite By Location,
Farmgirl at Heart
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gramadinah
True Blue Farmgirl
3557 Posts
Diana
Orofino
ID
USA
3557 Posts |
Posted - Oct 10 2011 : 09:07:45 AM
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It seems to be working!!!!!
Diana
Farmgirl Sister #273 |
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urban chickie
True Blue Farmgirl
734 Posts
Catherine
Niles
IL
USA
734 Posts |
Posted - Oct 10 2011 : 09:35:44 AM
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Yippee! It all can be a bit overwhelming at first, and you are doing three new things at once, but once they are up and running they are easy peasy and really little maintenance. Any yummy to boot!
Catherine
Farmgirl #1370
City Girl By Birth,
Suburbanite By Location,
Farmgirl at Heart
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Acelady02
True Blue Farmgirl
1266 Posts
Penny
Washington
GA
USA
1266 Posts |
Posted - Oct 10 2011 : 10:23:22 AM
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I agree with Catherine, it is easy, I have to use a spoon on my milk kefir too...and it works great for me....pour in strainer, stir lightly with spoon, put back in a jar, add more milk...repeat...lol Glad to see others enjoying kefir, kombucha and Tibico grains...
(((((Hugs All)))))Penny
Farmgirl Sister #3343
God gives Miracles to those who Believe, Courage to those with Faith, Hope to those who Dream, Love to those who Accept, & Forgiveness to those who Ask... |
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gramadinah
True Blue Farmgirl
3557 Posts
Diana
Orofino
ID
USA
3557 Posts |
Posted - Oct 10 2011 : 12:08:29 PM
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I am hoping the health benefits will be substantial.
Diana
Farmgirl Sister #273 |
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*Farmgirl Barter™: Tibicos (Water Kefir) Grains Available |
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Tibicos (Water Kefir) Grains Available
